Collection

Joe Palooka series

Movie series based on popular comic strip

12 titles 1934–1951

All Titles in Order

Palooka
Palooka
Title 1

Palooka

1934 ★ 3.6

Joe Palooka is a naive young man whose father Pete was a champion boxer, but his lifestyle caused Joe's mother Mayme to leave him and to take young Joe to the country to raise him.

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Joe Palooka, Champ
Title 2

Joe Palooka, Champ

1946 ★ 8.0

After losing heavyweight contender Al Costa to mob boss Florini fight promoter Knobby Walsh recruits small town boy Joe Palooka to take his place. First in the series.

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Gentleman Joe Palooka
Title 3

Gentleman Joe Palooka

1946

In the second film of Monogram's Joe Palooka series, Joe is 'used', by two state senators scheming to obtain oil-rich lands, in a publicity campaign to get the land transferred to the state, supposedly for a park. When Joe learns that he has been used as a dupe he becomes disillusioned and leaves the prize=fighting profession. But, his manager, sparring partners, and fiancée manage to expose the land-grab scheme, clear Joe's name and discredit the crooked politicians.

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Joe Palooka in the Knockout
Title 4

Joe Palooka in the Knockout

1947 ★ 8.0

The third of the Monogram series based on Ham Fisher's "Joe Palooka" comic strip, opens with Knobby Walsh, the manager of Joe Palooka trying to talk his way out of a traffic citation, and the story leading to that point is told in flashback as narrated by Walsh. Heavyweight champion Joe, after knocking out an opponent who later died in his dressing room, feels responsible and threatens to give up boxing. But the dead fighter's fiance thinks he died as the result of a drug that was given to him by a gang of gamblers, who made a rich haul betting on Palooka. Joe, Knobby and the police unite to run down the gamblers, but not before Joe also is nearly murdered by the same means...a poisoned mouthpiece. Elyse Knox is along as Joe's sweetheart Anne Howe, although Anne and Joe had long been married in the comic strip.

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Joe Palooka in Fighting Mad
Title 5

Joe Palooka in Fighting Mad

1948 ★ 8.0

Joe Palooka goes blind during a fight. An operation restores his vision, but he's told not to fight for a year. His trainer Knobby has picked up another fighter, but gangsters are pressing him to fix fights. Joe decides to risk his eyesight to save Knobby's honor.

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Joe Palooka in Winner Take All
Title 6

Joe Palooka in Winner Take All

1948 ★ 7.5

Joe is scheduled for the big fight as usual. This one has more fight sequences than plot.

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Joe Palooka in the Big Fight
Title 7

Joe Palooka in the Big Fight

1949 ★ 6.5

Gangsters frame Joe on a drunk charge and a murder rap so they can put their own fighter into a big event. Joe investigates in an attempt to prove his innocence.

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Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch
Title 8

Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch

1949 ★ 9.0

Joe heads for South America to fight the Latin champ. Shipboard, he helps federal agents fight counterfeiters. He also spars with love interest Anne Howe.

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Joe Palooka Meets Humphrey
Title 9

Joe Palooka Meets Humphrey

1950 ★ 5.3

Newlyweds Joe and Anne Palooka are delayed in their honeymoon plans by the helpful Humphrey Pennyworth and by considerably-less-helpful manager, Knobby Walsh.

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Joe Palooka in Humphrey Takes a Chance
Title 10

Joe Palooka in Humphrey Takes a Chance

1950 ★ 7.0

A crooked boxing promoter tries to shake down Joe's manager by setting up a rigged fight in Humphrey Pennyworth's hometown.

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Joe Palooka in the Squared Circle
Title 11

Joe Palooka in the Squared Circle

1950 ★ 8.0

Joe Palooka encounters gangsters and tries to alert the law.

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Triple Cross
Title 12

Triple Cross

1951 ★ 9.0

Joe Palooka and two friends are taking hostage by three criminals.

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