The East Side Kids were a group of actors who made a series of films and serials released by Monogram Pictures from 1940 through 1945. Many of them were originally part of 'The Dead End Kids' and 'The Little Tough Guys', and several of them later became members of The Bowery Boys. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... The Dead End Kids were five young actors and one ex-plumbers assistant, from New York who appeared in Sidney Kingsleys play Dead End in 1935 on Broadway. ... The Little Tough Guys was a series of b-movies and serials released by Universal Studios and featuring most of the Dead End Kids (aka the East Side Kids and the Bowery Boys. ... The Bowery Boys were a group of actors who made a series of films released by Monogram Pictures from 1946 through 1958. ...

History

Main article: Dead End Kids

'The Dead End Kids' originally appeared in the 1935 play, Dead End. When Samuel Goldwyn turned the play into a 1937 film, he recruited the original kids (Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan, Gabriel Dell, Billy Halop, and Bernard Punsly) from the play to appear in the same roles in the film. This lead to the making of six other films under the moniker, 'The Dead End Kids'. The most successful of these features were "Angels With Dirty Faces" (1938) with James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart, and "They Made Me A Criminal" (1939), starring John Garfield. The Dead End Kids were five young actors and one ex-plumbers assistant, from New York who appeared in Sidney Kingsleys play Dead End in 1935 on Broadway. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... // Samuel Goldwyn (July, 1879, Warsaw, Poland – January 31, 1974, Los Angeles, California, United States) was a widely known motion picture producer and founding contributor of several motion picture studios. ... See also: 1936 in film 1937 category:1937 films 1938 in film 1930s in film years in film film // Events April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US. May 7 - Shall We Dance premieres in the US. Top grossing films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Conquest Damaged Lives... Leo Gorcey (June 3, 1917 - June 2, 1969) is an American actor. ... Henry Huntz Hall, (August 15, 1919 - January 30, 1999) was a radio, theatrical and motion picture performer perhaps best known for his portrayal of the Dead End Kids in movies such as Angels with Dirty Faces (1938). ... Bobby Jordan (April 1, 1923 - September 10, 1965) was born in Harrison, New York. ... October 4, 1919, in Brooklyn, New York. ... Billy Halop (February 11, 1920) – (November 9, 1976) was an American actor. ... Bernard Punsley, also known as Bernard Punsly (July 11, 1923–January 20, 2004), was an American actor who left show business to become a physician. ...

Little Tough Guys

Main article: Little Tough Guys

In 1938, shortly after they made their first film at Warner Brothers, Universal borrowed all of the 'Dead End Kids' except for Bobby Jordan and Leo Gorcey and made twelve films and three 12-chapter serials under the team names of 'The Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys' and 'Little Tough Guys'. In addition, Universal contracted Leo's brother David and Hally Chester to become part of the team. When Universal dropped Jordan from his contract, Warner Brothers quickly signed him to join the rest of gang. The Little Tough Guys was a series of b-movies and serials released by Universal Studios and featuring most of the Dead End Kids (aka the East Side Kids and the Bowery Boys. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Universal Pictures is the main motion picture production/distribution arm of Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal. ...

Due to the fact that the original 'Dead End Kids' were now working for several studios, these films were made at roughly the same time as the Warner Brothers' 'Dead End Kids' series, and later, Monogram Picture's 'The East Side Kids' series. The final film in this series, Keep 'Em Slugging, was released in 1943. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ...

The East Side Kids

The East Side Kids began life in 1940 when Sam Katzman made the film East Side Kids using two of the 'Little Tough Guys', Hally Chester and Harris Berger. He added David Durrand, Donald Haines, and Frankie Burke to round out the new team. Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Sam Katzman (July 7, 1901 – August 4, 1973) was an American film producer. ... East Side Kids, released in 1940, is the first East Side Kids film and the only one not to star any of the original 6 Dead End Kids. ... Donald Haines (born in 1918) was an American child actor who was a regular in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1930 to 1933. ... Frankie Burke (born June 6th, 1921) was a Hollywood actor. ...

Despite its misleading title, East Side Kids does not contain the actors generally associated with 'The East Side Kids' series (Gorcey, Hall, Jordan, et al.). The only related cast members in this film are Dave O'Brien and Hally Chester. However, it is often lumped in with the subsequent series of 21 films, making the total appear to be 22. The first true film in 'The East Side Kids' series is Boys of the City. East Side Kids, released in 1940, is the first East Side Kids film and the only one not to star any of the original 6 Dead End Kids. ... Boys of the City is a 1940 black-and-white comedy/thriller film directed by Joseph H. Lewis. ...

When the 'Dead End Kids' series of films ended, Katzman took the opportunity to hire Leo Gorcey and Bobby Jordan and add them to the 'East Side Kids' team. Gorcey's brother David, who made a few appearances in the 'Little Tough Guys' series was also added, as well as 'Sunshine' Sammy Morrison as "Scruno", the only African-American in the group and one of the original members of the Our Gang comedy team. Ernie Morrison (Ernest Fredric Morrison) (December 20, 1912 - July 24, 1989) was an African-American child actor who performed under the stage name Sunshine Sammy. Morrison was the only black member of the East Side Kids, and was also the original Our Gang kid, a sidekick to Harold Lloyd, a... A poster for the 1931 Our Gang comedy Love Business featuring depictions of (from left to right): Pete the Pup, Jackie Cooper, and Norman Chubby Chaney. ...

In the first few films, Dave O'Brien (best known as the crazed dope fiend in the cult classic Reefer Madness) played Jordan's older brother Knuckles Dolan, who always seemed to be getting roped into chaperoning the kids from adventure to adventure. O'Brien appeared in different roles as well—continuity between films was often ignored. As with the 'Little Tough Guys', the membership roster of the team changed from film to film, until Huntz Hall joined in 1941, when the lineup was somewhat stabilized. In total, twenty individuals were a member of the team at one time or another. Dave OBrien is an American sports announcer who currently broadcasts various Major League Baseball, college basketball, and NBA games for ESPN and Westwood One radio. ... Reefer Madness, originally titled Tell Your Children, is a 1936 drama film directed by Louis Gasnier. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ...

Always the outsider, Gabriel Dell drifted in and out of the series as a gang-member, a reporter, or a small-time hoodlum (as in Million Dollar Kid). In Smart Alecks he's an ex-member who left the gang to pursue a life of crime. Stanley Clements also appeared in Smart Alecks as well as 'Neath Brooklyn Bridge and Ghosts on the Loose. After Gorcey left the subsequent "Bowery Boys" series in 1956, Clements was chosen to replace him in the last seven films. Stanley Clements (born Stanislaw Klimowicz) (July 16, 1926 - October 16, 1981) was an American actor and comedian. ... Neath Brooklyn Bridge is the tenth film in the East Side Kids series, released in 1942 by Monogram Pictures. ...

Monogram (which later became Allied Artists) was notorious for its "Poverty Row" productions, and the East Side films were no exception. With a miniscule budget of around $33,000 per feature and a tight shooting schedule of only six days, the series churned out 3 to 4 movies a year (an astonishing 21 films in less than 6 years). There was no time or money for subtlety, story development, or more than one or two takes per scene. Many of these films, and the later "Bowery Boys" series, were directed by the ultra-frugal William "one-shot" Beaudine. (Source: Filmfax, no. 23, Nov. 1990) Allied Artists Pictures Corporation (AAPC) was a subsidiary of Monogram Pictures that was founded in 1946. ...

The stories always centered around the tough, pugnacious "Muggs McGinnis" (Gorcey) or the more innocent, clean-cut "Danny" (Bobby Jordan). The loose format proved flexible enough to shift back and forth between urban drama (That Gang of Mine), murder mystery (Boys of The City), boxing melodrama (Bowery Blitzkrieg), and horror-comedy (Spooks Run Wild), with the kids confronting various stock villains: gangsters, smugglers, spies, and crooked gamblers, along the way. That Gang of Mine is the third film in the East Side Kids series. ... Bowery Blitzkrieg is the fifth installment of the East Side Kids series. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

The contemporaneous events of World War II had an impact on the series as well as the cast. In 1943 Bela Lugosi (who was in Spooks Run Wild) returned as a Nazi saboteur in the incongruously-titled Ghosts on the Loose; a German-Japanese spy ring was thwarted in the blatantly patriotic Let's Get Tough! from 1942 (with Gabriel Dell, of all people, as a Nazi spy). At the end of the film the boys enlist and show off their uniforms. In Follow The Leader (1944), Muggs and Glimpy (Hall), appear in uniform as they are on leave from the Army. Offscreen between 1942 and 1944 cast members Benedict, Morrison, Jordan, Dell, and David Gorcey left the series after being drafted. A few days after receiving his induction notice, Leo Gorcey suffered a near-fatal motorcycle accident and spent almost a year in recovery. His injuries led to a 4-F classification rendering him unfit for military service. Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... In a marching band Follow-the Leader is a visual effect. ...

Starting with Clancy Street Boys in 1943, Bernard Gorcey (Leo's father) did various bit-parts playing different characters in a total of seven films. In Million Dollar Kid he and Leo exchanged banter borrowed from an Abbott and Costello routine. He turned up again as a bookmaker in the first Bowery Boys movie, Live Wires (1946), before being permanently installed as "Louie", owner of the gang's hangout, Louie's Sweet Shop, and quasi father-figure for the boys. Clancy Street Boys is an American film release in 1943 and directed by William Beaudine. ...

Trivia: Gorcey married two of his Monogram co-stars: Kay Marvis (1939) and Amelita Ward (1949). A young Ava Gardner appears in Ghosts On The Loose. Actor/comedian Morey Amsterdam, best known as "Buddy Sorrell" on The Dick Van Dyke Show, contributed to the scripts for Kid Dynamite and Bowery Champs. Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American screen actress who worked on film and television. ... Morey Amsterdam on Match Game 73. ... The Dick Van Dyke Show was an American television situation comedy which aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 to September 7, 1966. ... Kid Dynamite, arguabily the best band of all recorded history, was a Philadelphia-based melodic hardcore band consisting of drummer Dave Wagenschutz, guitarist Dan Yemin, and vocalist Jay Shevchuk, as well as original bassist Steve Farrell and eventual replacement Michael Spider Cotterman. ...

Given the low budget, simplistic stories, and crude, assembly-line production of the series, its enduring popularity relies on the cast's rambunctious energy, breezy banter (often ad-libbed and containing inside jokes), fast-paced action, and Leo Gorcey's trademark malapropisms ("This calls for drastic measurements").

The Bowery Boys

Main article: The Bowery Boys

In 1946, with only Mongoram making films using any of the original 'Dead End Kids', Leo Gorcey along with his agent, Jan Grippo, and Hall revamped 'The East Side Kids' and rechristened them as 'The Bowery Boys'. These films followed a more established formula than the prior incarnations of the team. Gorcey left after the forty-first film and was replaced by Stanley Clements for the remaining films. In all, a total of forty-eight films were made under this team moniker, with the final film, In the Money, being released in 1958. The Bowery Boys were a group of actors who made a series of films released by Monogram Pictures from 1946 through 1958. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The Bowery Boys were a group of actors who made a series of films released by Monogram Pictures from 1946 through 1958. ... Stanley Clements (born Stanislaw Klimowicz) (July 16, 1926 - October 16, 1981) was an American actor and comedian. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

(Source: The Films of The Bowery Boys, by David Hayes and Brent Walker, The Citadel Press, 1984.)

Filmography

East Side Kids, released in 1940, is the first East Side Kids film and the only one not to star any of the original 6 Dead End Kids. ... See also: 1939 in film 1940 1941 in film 1940s in film 1930s in film years in film film // Events February 7 - Walt Disneys animated film Pinocchio is released. ... Robert F. Hill (April 14, 1886, Port Rohen, Ontario, Canada - March 18, 1966, Los Angeles, California) was a Canadian film director, screenwriter, and actor during the silent film era. ... Boys of the City is a 1940 black-and-white comedy/thriller film directed by Joseph H. Lewis. ... See also: 1939 in film 1940 1941 in film 1940s in film 1930s in film years in film film // Events February 7 - Walt Disneys animated film Pinocchio is released. ... Joseph H. Lewis (April 6, 1907–August 30, 2000), a B-movie director with a sense of style, always strove for excellence, no matter how cheap the film. ... That Gang of Mine is the third film in the East Side Kids series. ... See also: 1939 in film 1940 1941 in film 1940s in film 1930s in film years in film film // Events February 7 - Walt Disneys animated film Pinocchio is released. ... Pride of the Bowery is the fourth installment in the East Side Kids series. ... See also: 1939 in film 1940 1941 in film 1940s in film 1930s in film years in film film // Events February 7 - Walt Disneys animated film Pinocchio is released. ... George H. Plympton (September 2, 1889 - April 11, 1972) was an American screenwriter. ... Flying Wild is the fifth installment of the East Side Kids series. ... // North America Sergeant York Buck Privates, starring Abbott and Costello Tobacco Road Best Picture: How Green Was My Valley - 20th Century-Fox Best Actor: Gary Cooper - Sergeant York Best Actress: Joan Fontaine - Suspicion Adam Had Four Sons Blossoms in the Dust, starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon Bowery Blitzkrieg Buck... William West (ca. ... Albert Lee Martin (born on November 24, 1967), is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. ... Bowery Blitzkrieg is the fifth installment of the East Side Kids series. ... // North America Sergeant York Buck Privates, starring Abbott and Costello Tobacco Road Best Picture: How Green Was My Valley - 20th Century-Fox Best Actor: Gary Cooper - Sergeant York Best Actress: Joan Fontaine - Suspicion Adam Had Four Sons Blossoms in the Dust, starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon Bowery Blitzkrieg Buck... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... // North America Sergeant York Buck Privates, starring Abbott and Costello Tobacco Road Best Picture: How Green Was My Valley - 20th Century-Fox Best Actor: Gary Cooper - Sergeant York Best Actress: Joan Fontaine - Suspicion Adam Had Four Sons Blossoms in the Dust, starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon Bowery Blitzkrieg Buck... Carl Foreman Carl Foreman (July 23, 1914 – June 26, 1984) was an American screenwriter and film producer who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses in the 1950s. ... See also: 1941 in film 1942 1943 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Carole Lombard is killed in a plane crash when returning from a War Bond tour. ... William Nigh (October 12, 1881 - November 27, 1955) was an American film director, writer, and actor. ... See also: 1941 in film 1942 1943 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Carole Lombard is killed in a plane crash when returning from a War Bond tour. ... See also: 1941 in film 1942 1943 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Carole Lombard is killed in a plane crash when returning from a War Bond tour. ... Neath Brooklyn Bridge is the tenth film in the East Side Kids series, released in 1942 by Monogram Pictures. ... See also: 1941 in film 1942 1943 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Carole Lombard is killed in a plane crash when returning from a War Bond tour. ... See also: 1942 in film 1943 1944 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America For Whom the Bell Tolls The Song of Bernadette This is the Army Stage Door Canteen Random Harvest Star Spangled Rhythm Casablanca Journey Into Fear Academy Awards Best... Paul Ernst was a writer of pulp fiction. ... Clancy Street Boys is an American film release in 1943 and directed by William Beaudine. ... See also: 1942 in film 1943 1944 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America For Whom the Bell Tolls The Song of Bernadette This is the Army Stage Door Canteen Random Harvest Star Spangled Rhythm Casablanca Journey Into Fear Academy Awards Best... William Beaudine (January 15, 1892 - March 18, 1970) was an American film director. ... See also: 1942 in film 1943 1944 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America For Whom the Bell Tolls The Song of Bernadette This is the Army Stage Door Canteen Random Harvest Star Spangled Rhythm Casablanca Journey Into Fear Academy Awards Best... See also: 1942 in film 1943 1944 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America For Whom the Bell Tolls The Song of Bernadette This is the Army Stage Door Canteen Random Harvest Star Spangled Rhythm Casablanca Journey Into Fear Academy Awards Best... // July 20 - Since You Went Away is released. ... // July 20 - Since You Went Away is released. ... // July 20 - Since You Went Away is released. ... // July 20 - Since You Went Away is released. ... Docks of New York is a 1945 film starring The East Side Kids. ... // Paramount Studios releases theatrical short cartoon titled The Friendly Ghost, featuring ghost named Casper With Rossellinis Roma Città aperta, Italian neorealist cinema begins. ... // Paramount Studios releases theatrical short cartoon titled The Friendly Ghost, featuring ghost named Casper With Rossellinis Roma Città aperta, Italian neorealist cinema begins. ... // Paramount Studios releases theatrical short cartoon titled The Friendly Ghost, featuring ghost named Casper With Rossellinis Roma Città aperta, Italian neorealist cinema begins. ...

External links

• The Unofficial Bowery Boys Page
• Fan Site
• Leo Gorcey at the Internet Movie Database
• Huntz Hall at the Internet Movie Database
• Gabriel Dell at the Internet Movie Database
• Bobby Jordan at the Internet Movie Database
• Benny Bartlett at the Internet Movie Database
• David Gorcey at the Internet Movie Database
• Mende Koenig at the Internet Movie Database
• Sammy Morrison at the Internet Movie Database
• Jimmy Strand at the Internet Movie Database
• Eugene Francis at the Internet Movie Database
• Stanley Clements at the Internet Movie Database
• Billy Benedict at the Internet Movie Database
• Hally Chester at the Internet Movie Database
• Harris Berger at the Internet Movie Database
• Johnny Duncan at the Internet Movie Database
• Frankie Burke at the Internet Movie Database
• David Durand at the Internet Movie Database
• Donald Haines at the Internet Movie Database
• Buddy Gorman at the Internet Movie Database
• Bobby Stone at the Internet Movie Database