''Joe Palooka in the Big Fight'' is a 1949 comedy film directed by Cy Endfield, based on the comic strip by Ham Fisher. It is an entry in

Monogram A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbols or logos. A series o ...

's ''

Joe Palooka ''Joe Palooka'' was an American comic strip about a heavyweight boxing champion, created by cartoonist Ham Fisher. The strip debuted on April 19, 1930 and was carried at its peak by 900 newspapers. It was cancelled in 1984. The strip was adapt ...

'' series.

Plot

Joe is framed by gamblers who hope to fix the outcome of an upcoming boxing match. When Joe manages to clear his name, the gamblers frame the scrupulously honest boxer with murder. On the run from the law, Joe is forced to turn gumshoe and solve the murder himself—and he'd better hurry if he's going to get to the Big Fight on time.

Cast

Leon Errol Leon Errol (born Leonce Errol Sims, July 3, 1881 – October 12, 1951) was an Australian-American comedian and actor in the United States, popular in the first half of the 20th century for his appearances in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in film ...

as Knobby * Joe Kirkwood, Jr. as Joe Palooka * David Bruce as Tom Conway *

Lina Romay Lina Romay (born Rosa María Almirall Martínez; 25 June 1954 – 15 February 2012), a.k.a. Candy Coster and Lulu Laverne, was a Spanish actress who often appeared in films directed by her long-time companion (and later husband) Jesús Franco. ...

as Maxine Harlan *

George O'Hanlon George O'Hanlon (November 23, 1912 – February 11, 1989) was an American actor and writer. He was best known for his role as Joe McDoakes in the Warner Bros.' live-action ''Joe McDoakes'' short subjects from 1942 to 1956 and as the voice of Georg ...

as Louie *

Virginia Welles Virginia Welles (born Virginia Francine Welter; June 25, 1925 – September 19, 2002) was an American film actress. She is known for appearing in Shirley Temple films such as '' Kiss and Tell'' (1945) and ''A Kiss for Corliss'' (1949). W ...

as Anne Howe * Greg McClure as Grady *

Taylor Holmes Taylor Holmes (May 16, 1878 – September 30, 1959) was an American actor who appeared in over 100 Broadway plays in his five-decade career. However, he is probably best remembered for his screen performances, which he began in silent films in ...

as Dr. Benson *

Ian Macdonald Ian MacCormick (known by the pseudonym Ian MacDonald; 3 October 1948 – 20 August 2003) was a British music critic and author, best known for both ''Revolution in the Head'', his critical history of the Beatles which borrowed techniques from a ...

as Mike *Lou Lubin as Talmadge *Bert Conway as Pee Wee *

Lyle Talbot Lyle Florenz Talbot (born Lisle Henderson, also credited Lysle Talbot; February 8, 1902 – March 2, 1996) was an American stage, screen and television actor. His career in films spanned three decades, from 1931 to 1960, and he performed on ...

as Lt. Muldoon *

Benny Baker Benny Baker (born Benjamin Michael Zifkin; May 5, 1907 – September 20, 1994) was an American film and theater actor and comedian, and appeared in over 50 films between 1934 and 1988. He died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. Filmogr ...

as Fight Secretary *

Eddie Gribbon Eddie Gribbon (January 3, 1890 – September 29, 1965) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films from the 1910s to the 1950s. Gribbon began working in Mack Sennett films in 1916 and continued through the 1920s. He usuall ...

as Canvas *Jack Roper as Scranton *Frances Osborne as Wardrobe Woman *

Harry Hayden Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

as Commissioner L.R. Harris * Frank Fenton as Detective Williams * George Fisher as Contest Announcer *

Ned Glass Nusyn "Ned" Glass (April 1, 1906 – June 15, 1984) was a Polish-born American character actor who appeared in more than eighty films and on television more than one hundred times, frequently playing nervous, cowardly, or deceitful characters. ...

as Frank T. Macy, Fight Manager *

Dick Elliott Richard Damon Elliott (April 30, 1886 – December 22, 1961) was an American character actor who played in over 240 films from the 1930s until the time of his death. Early years Elliott was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Career Elliott p ...

as Fight Promoter *

John Indrisano Johnny Indrisano (November 1, 1905 — July 6, 1968) was an American welterweight boxer whose career spanned the period from 1923 to 1934. He later became a film stunt performer and bit-part film and TV actor. Career Indrisano was born in Bo ...

as First Referee *Harry Tyler as Romero's Manager *

Paul Maxey Paul Regan Maxey (March 15, 1907 – June 3, 1963) was an American actor. Born in Wheaton, Illinois, the rotund Maxey played character roles in films from 1937, notably as the composer Victor Herbert in ''Till the Clouds Roll By'' (1946) ...

as Mr. Howe *

Dewey Robinson Dewey Robinson (August 17, 1898 – December 11, 1950) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 250 films made between 1931 and 1952. Career Dewey Robinson was born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1898, and made his B ...

as Detective Burns

Critical reception

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

'' noted a "better-than-average "Joe Palooka" film...Making the most of realistic dialog, director Cyril Endfield moves the film along at a nice pace while holding together a number of plot lines. Surprisingly, there isn't much boxing footage in this one.

References

External links

''Joe Palooka in the Big Fight''
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

1940s sports comedy films 1949 films American boxing films American black-and-white films Films based on American comics Films directed by Cy Endfield American sports comedy films 1949 comedy films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films Joe Palooka films {{sport-film-stub