Joe Palooka

Adaptations and spin-offs of the comic strip include a 15-minute CBS radio series, 12 feature-length films (chiefly from Monogram Pictures), nine Vitaphone film shorts, a 1954 syndicated television series (The Joe Palooka Story), comic books and merchandise, including a 1940s board game, a 1947 New Haven Clock and Watch Company wristwatch, a 1948 metal lunchbox featuring depictions of Joe, Humphrey, and Little Max, and a 1946 Wheaties cereal-box cut-out mask. In 1980, a mountain in Pennsylvania was named for the character.

• Title — Joe Palooka • Author — Ham Fisher (1930–1955) • Current — Moe Leff (1956–1959) Morris Weiss (1959–1984) • Illustrator — Ham Fisher (1930–1955) Moe Leff (1955–1959) Tony DiPreta (1959–1984) • Altnames — Joe the Dumbbell • Status — Concluded daily & Sunday strip • First — April 21, 1930 • Last — November 24, 1984 • Syndicate — McNaught Syndicate • Publisher — Columbia Comics Harvey Comics IDW Publishing • Genre — Sports

In his home town of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Fisher devised the character in 1921 after he met a boxer, Pete Latzo, outside a poolroom. As Fisher explained in an article in Collier's: Here, made to order, was the comic strip character I had been looking for—a big, good-natured prize fighter who didn't like to fight; a defender of little guys; a gentle knight. I ran back to the office, drew a set of strips, and rushed to the newspaper syndicates. Many rejections followed before Fisher's strip was finally syndicated by the McNaught Syndicate after Fisher, while employed as a McNaught salesman, sold it to over 20 newspapers. It debuted April 21, 1930, and by 1948, it was ranked as one of the five most popular newspaper comic strips. • Illustration — Joe Palooka's first appearance, April 1930 After Fisher committed suicide in 1955, his assistant, Moe Leff, drew the strip for four years. Leff had been ghosting on the strip's art since the late 1930s; his first credited strip was September 17, 1956. Lank Leonard recommended Tony DiPreta, who stepped in starting September 7, 1959, to illustrate scripts by Morris Weiss (early 1960s to early 1970s) and Ed Moore (mid-1970s on). DiPreta stayed with the strip for 25 years until it ended its run November 24, 1984, when it had dropped to only 182 newspapers. DiPreta then moved on to draw Rex Morgan, M.D.

The Joe Palooka Sunday page had many different toppers over the course of the run. One of the early toppers was Fisher's Looney Legends, which ran from January 10, 1932, to August 27, 1933. During this run, the strip had many alternate titles, including Fisher's Dopey Dramas, Fisher's Foolish Fables, Fisher's Historical Hysteria, Fisher's Neolithic Narratives, Fisher's Nursery Rhymes, and Fisher's Poet's Corner. This was replaced by three longer features: Fisher's History of Boxing (Sept 3, 1933 – June 20, 1937), Joe Palooka's Boxing Course (June 27, 1937 – May 1, 1938) and Joe Palooka's Album (May 8, 1938 – Nov 14, 1943). From 1943–1946, the topper strip rotated between a variety of different features. The most often used titles during this period were War Time Anecdotes Fisher's Wartime Whoppers (Nov 21, 1943 – Sept 9, 1945), Miss Jones The Estimable Miss Jones (March 12, 1944 – Nov 11, 1945), After It's Over (April 8 – Oct 7, 1945), Sidewalks of Manhattan (Nov 18, 1945 – Feb 24, 1966), Charlie the Cook (Oct 15, 1944 – Sept 23, 1945), and Lady De Van (March 3 – July 7, 1946). Other titles used during this period include The Atom Age, Captain Tommy, Could Be, Guy Who Married a WAC Sergeant, Fisher's Follies, How To Be Popular?, Letter From Home, Mebbe I'm Wrong, Now That It's Over, Smythe the Murp's Ex-Butler, and Two Thousand A.D.

Fisher originally changed the appearance of Palooka to fit each reigning real-life champ – until the coming of African-American Joe Louis in the 1930s, when the image of the cowlicked blond Palooka remained unchanged. Though his adventures were mostly low-key, he was pumped up by a supporting cast led by girlfriend Ann Howe, boxing manager Knobby Walsh, his mute orphan sidekick Little Max, Smokey, his black valet and later sparring partner, and lovable giant Humphrey Pennyworth, a smiling blacksmith who wielded a 100-pound (45 kg) maul. Like Ozark Ike McBatt in baseball, Joe Palooka was intended to exemplify the sports hero in an age when uprightness of character was supposed to matter most. The character was part of an effort among top newspaper cartoonists to sell World War II-era Series E bonds to the public as a wartime financing initiative. • Illustration — Joe Palooka plays golf with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in a 1949 Joe Palooka strip by Ham Fisher and Moe Leff. The strip garnered much publicity when cheese heiress Ann Howe and Joe were married on June 24, 1949. The engraved invitations for the event, sent to a select list of celebrities, read: "Mr. Ham Fisher requests the honour of your presence at the marriage of Ann Howe to Mr. Joe Palooka on the afternoon of June 24th in your favorite newspaper." Fisher received formal acceptances from Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson, General Omar Bradley, and Attorney General Tom C. Clark. At the time, the strip was carried in 665 American newspapers and 125 foreign papers.

Of uncertain origin, the word "palooka" was found in print as early as 1923 and widely used to mean a lout or an inept fighter.

On radio, Joe Palooka was broadcast on CBS from April 12 to August 18, 1932. With Teddy Bergman in the title role, the 15-minute series was heard on Tuesdays and Thursdays, sponsored by Heinz Rice Flakes. Elmira Roessler, Elsie Hitz, and Mary Jane Higby played Ann Howe. Knobby Walsh was portrayed by Frank Readick and Hal Lansing. Others in the cast were Karl Swenson and Norman Gottschalk. The announcer was Harry von Zell.

• Illustration — The Knockout (1947) with Joe Kirkwood, Jr. as Joe Palooka • Palooka (1934) • Joe Palooka, Champ (1946) • Gentleman Joe Palooka (1946) • Joe Palooka in the Knockout (1947) • Joe Palooka in Fighting Mad (1948) • Joe Palooka in Winner Take All (1948) • Joe Palooka in the Big Fight (1949) • Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch (1949) • Joe Palooka Meets Humphrey (1950) • Joe Palooka in Humphrey Takes a Chance (1950) • Joe Palooka in the Squared Circle (1950) • Joe Palooka in Triple Cross (1951)

(made for Warner Brothers) • For the Love of Pete (March 14, 1936) • Here's Howe (June 6, 1936) • Punch and Beauty (August 6, 1936) • The Choke's on You (September 12, 1936) • The Blonde Bomber (November 28, 1936) • Kick Me Again (February 6, 1937) • Taking the Count (April 24, 1937) • Thirst Aid (June 12, 1937) • Calling All Kids (November 20, 1937) All were directed by Lloyd French and starred Robert Norton and Shemp Howard (except the last two with Beverly Phalon and Johnny Burkes).