The Kid from Kokomo

The Kid from Kokomo is a 1939 American comedy film directed by Lewis Seiler and written by Richard Macaulay and Jerry Wald. The film stars Pat O'Brien, Wayne Morris, Joan Blondell, May Robson, Jane Wyman and Stanley Fields. The film was released by Warner Bros. on May 23, 1939.

In need of a new prizefighter, manager Billy Murphy and his sweetheart Doris Harvey come across one in Kokomo, Indiana, a kid called Homer Baston who's got great potential. The kid's a little dim, however, explaining how he can't leave Kokomo because his mother abandoned him as a baby but promised to come back.

Billy and Doris convince him to go on the road, where Homer will have a better chance of finding his long-missing mother. Homer gets homesick, so Billy pays the bail of a thief, Maggie Manell, hiring her to pretend to be Homer's ma. She begins spending most of Homer's money, and Billy's scheme to bring in her pal Muscles Malone backfires when Homer's led to believe Muscles is his dad.

While falling for Marian Bronson, a reporter, Homer trains for a title fight against Curley Bender, but is convinced by "Ma" to lose on purpose because she owes money to gamblers. In the ring, Curley insults his mother, so Homer knocks him out. Billy and Doris look on as a double wedding is held, Homer marrying Marian while a reluctant Maggie and Muscles do likewise, becoming his new foster parents.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kid_from_Kokomo

Afterword by the Blog Author

This is a great, well-acted, short, stunningly hilarious movie.  The screwball comedy of mistaken identification is a good form, and the dialog is snappy, energizing and so witty it is similar to shock humor.  Highly recommended.