Joe Palooka in Winner Take All (1948)

Leon Errol played Joe Palooka's manager, Knobby. However, inexplicably, he's been replaced in "Joe Palooka in WInner Take All" with William Frawley. And, for some reason, Errol's back for most of the rest of the Joe Palooka movies. Now I can easy forgive him for not finishing the series, as he died before they filmed the final movie, but why did Frawley play Knobby in this one in particular? I have no idea.

The premise for "Joe Palooka in Winner Take All" is kind of dumb. One of Joe's friends is overseas and he asks Joe to watch his son. This 'son' turns out to be fully grown...not the baby Joe anticipated. However, having Stanley Clements (soon to replace Leo Gorcey in the Bowery Boys films) playing a 'kid' is ridiculous since he's 22 years-old and seeing him with lots of kids at a birthday party just seems creepy.

In addition to dealing with the 'kid', the plot involves crooks trying to influence the odds as well as outcomes of Joe's fights. Later, after several unsuccessful tried, the enlist the help of the 'boy'.

I agree with the summary on IMDB that says that there's more actual boxing than plot. Also, Clements was just all wrong for the part--a part that should have, perhaps, gone to a 12 year-old!! Overall, an odd misfire....and I STILL would love to know why Frawley starred as Knobby. Perhaps Errol was sick?