PALOOKA (1934) Jimmy Durante, Lupe Velez & Stuart Erwin | Comedy, Family | B&W

Palooka (aka Joe Palooka) is a 1934 American Pre-Code comedy film directed by Benjamin Stoloff and starring Stuart Erwin in the titular role, Lupe Velez and Jimmy Durante, and based on the comic strip by Ham Fisher. The film was adapted by Jack Jevne, Arthur Kober, Gertrude Purcell, Murray Roth and Ben Ryan from the comic strip. The film is also known as The Great Schnozzle in the United Kingdom.

SYNOPSIS
Knobby discovers young hunk Palooka and trains him to fight the reigning champ, also drunken sot, Al McSwatt.

Joe Palooka (Stuart Erwin) is a naive young man whose father Pete (Robert Armstrong) was a champion boxer, but his lifestyle caused Joe's mother Mayme (Marjorie Rambeau) to leave him and to take young Joe to the country to raise him. But when a shady boxing manager (Jimmy Durante) discovers Joe's natural boxing talent, Joe decides to follow him to the big city, where he becomes a champion and begins to follow his father's path of debauchery, much of it including the glamorous cabaret singer and fortune hunter Nina Madero (Lupe Vélez). The film also stars William Cagney, the younger brother of actor James Cagney in the role of the adversary prize fighter to Knobby. Finally his mother comes to the city to look after things...

CAST & CREW
Jimmy Durante as Knobby Walsh / Junior
Lupe Vélez as Nina Madero
Stuart Erwin as Joe Palooka
Marjorie Rambeau as Mayme Palooka
Robert Armstrong as Pete 'Goodtime' Palooka
Mary Carlisle as Anne
Thelma Todd as Trixie
Gus Arnheim as Orchestra Bandleader
Franklyn Ardell as Doc Wise
Tom Dugan as Whitey
Louise Beavers as Crystal
Fred 'Snowflake' Toones as Smokey
William Cagney as Al McSwatt
Rolfe Sedan as Alphonse

Directed by Benjamin Stoloff
Written by Ham Fisher (comic strip), Jack Jevne (screenplay), Arthur Kober (screenplay), Gertrude Purcell (screenplay), Murray Roth (additional dialogue), Ben Ryan (additional dialogue)
Produced by Edward Small, Harry M. Goetz
Cinematography Arthur Edeson
Edited by Grant Whytock
Production company Reliance Picture Corporation
Distributed by United Artists
Release date January 26, 1934
Running time 86 minutes
Country United States
Language English

NOTES
The film was the second movie Edward Small made under an agreement with United Artists. Small bought the rights to the song "Inka Dinka Doo" specifically for the movie.

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