The Bowery Boys were a group of actors who made a series of films released by Monogram Pictures from 1946 through 1958. The group was a revamping of 'The East Side Kids', who had been making films together since 1940. They included several originals members of 'The Dead End Kids', and a few of them had also previously appeared together as 'The Little Tough Guys'. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 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. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 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. ...

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 led to the making of six other films under the moniker 'The Dead End Kids'. 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 Pictures' 'East Side Kids' series. The final film in Universal's 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

Main article: East Side Kids

When Warner Brothers released the remaining 'Dead End Kids' from their contracts in 1939, producer Sam Katzman at Monogram acted quickly and hired several of them, including Jordan and the Gorcey brothers, as well as some of the 'Little Tough Guys', including Chester, to star in a new series using the team name 'The East Side Kids'. These films also introduced 'Sunshine' Sammy Morrison, one of the original members of the Our Gang comedy team, as part of the gang. 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. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Sam Katzman (July 7, 1901 – August 4, 1973) was an American film producer. ... 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. ...

As mentioned above, the original members of the 'Dead End Kids' were now working at several studios, so these films were made at the same time that Universal was making 'The Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys' series.

A total of twenty-one films were made, with the final one, Come Out Fighting, being released in 1945. Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ...

The Bowery Boys

In 1945, when East Side Kids producer Sam Katzman refused to grant Leo Gorcey's request for double his weekly salary, Gorcey quit the series, which ended immediately. Bobby Jordan then suggested a meeting with his agent, Jan Grippo. Grippo, Gorcey, and Hall formed Jan Grippo Productions, revamped the format and rechristened the series The Bowery Boys. Gorcey, who owned forty percent of the company, starred, produced, and co-wrote the scripts. The new series followed a more established formula than the prior incarnations of the team, with the gang usually hanging out at Louie's Sweet Shop (reportedly at 3rd & Canal St.) until an adventure came along.

The main characters were Terrence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney (Leo Gorcey), Horace Debussy 'Sach' Jones (Huntz Hall), Whitey (Billy Benedict), Chuck (David Gorcey, sometimes billed as David Condon), and Butch (usually Bennie Bartlett, occasionally former East Side Kid Buddy Gorman). The proprietor of the malt shop where they hung out was the panicky Louie Dumbrowski (Bernard Gorcey, Leo and David's father). 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). ... This biography does not cite its references or sources. ...

Like the previous incarnations of the team, the members went through a number of changes over the course of the series. Thirteen actors were members of the team at one time or another including Bobby Jordan, an original 'Dead End Kid' appeared in the first eight films, but left after an elevator accident sidelined him. Gabriel Dell, another original 'Dead End Kid' appeared in the first 20 films, but rarely as "Gabe Moreno", a member of the team (as in Hard Boiled Mahoney and Spook Busters). Usually he played character roles apart from the gang (policeman, reporter, sailor, etc.). October 4, 1919, in Brooklyn, New York. ...

The early films such as In Fast Company flirted with the same crime-drama laced with humor of the previous series, but gradually shifted to all-out comedy, growing more slapstick and fantasy-oriented over the next 12 years. After 1950 the series began to resemble the farcical Abbott and Costello comedies—a far cry from the grim social realism of their 1930s films. The grittiness of the old days was sanitized (the gang's dingy basement club-house was now an ice cream parlor), and the team spirit of the ensemble cast faded as Huntz Hall was elevated to co-star status to showcase his comedic skills as "Sach". The stories now focused entirely on the Slip and Sach characters, with the diminished three or four "boys" receding into the background with little or nothing to do. Time and again the plot revolved around Sach accidentally acquiring some strange power or ability (he becomes a psychic, champion wrestler, crooner, etc.). Like a streetwise Abbott and Costello, Gorcey and Hall became a cohesive comedy duo, extending their verbal and physical humor into broader slapstick comedy that served to increase the popularity of the series. In 1953 a new producer and director transformed the series into lucrative kiddie-matinee fodder, with Gorcey and Hall re-enacting gags borrowed from The Three Stooges. Abbott and Costello (William (Bud) Abbott, Louis Cristillo) were an American comedy duo whose work in radio, film and television made them one of the most popular and respected teams in comedy history. ... The Three Stooges was an American comedy act in the 20th century. ...

Bernard Gorcey was killed in a 1955 automobile accident, devastating his son Leo. Leo drank heavily, and it visibly affected his performances after the accident. Following the production of Crashing Las Vegas, Gorcey was fired. The studio owed exhibitors three more films for the 1956 season, so Gorcey was replaced by Stanley Clements (a former tough-teen actor who had been in a few East Side Kids movies) as "Duke Coveleskie." Clements adapted to the series easily, and the new Hall-Clements partnership was successful enough to be renewed for the 1957 season. In all, there were 48 Bowery Boys films (the longest feature-film series in motion picture history), with the final film, In the Money, being released in 1958. Only Huntz Hall and David Gorcey had remained with the series since 1946. 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. ...

Filmography

See also: 1945 in film 1946 1947 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America The Bells of St. ... See also: 1945 in film 1946 1947 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America The Bells of St. ... See also: 1945 in film 1946 1947 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America The Bells of St. ... See also: 1945 in film 1946 1947 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America The Bells of St. ... See also: 1945 in film 1946 1947 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America The Bells of St. ... // Events May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York. ... // Events May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York. ... // Events May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York. ... See also: 1947 in film 1948 1949 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America The Red Shoes, (55th in year of release, lifetime box office would place it in first) The Road to Rio Easter Parade Red River The Three Musketeers, Johnny... See also: 1947 in film 1948 1949 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America The Red Shoes, (55th in year of release, lifetime box office would place it in first) The Road to Rio Easter Parade Red River The Three Musketeers, Johnny... See also: 1947 in film 1948 1949 in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events Top grossing films North America The Red Shoes, (55th in year of release, lifetime box office would place it in first) The Road to Rio Easter Parade Red River The Three Musketeers, Johnny... See also: 1948 in film 1949 1950 in film 1940s in film 1950s in film years in film film Events Top grossing films North America Adams Rib Jolson Sings Again Pinky I Was a Male War Bride, The Snake Pit, Joan of Arc Academy Awards Best Picture: All the... See also: 1948 in film 1949 1950 in film 1940s in film 1950s in film years in film film Events Top grossing films North America Adams Rib Jolson Sings Again Pinky I Was a Male War Bride, The Snake Pit, Joan of Arc Academy Awards Best Picture: All the... See also: 1948 in film 1949 1950 in film 1940s in film 1950s in film years in film film Events Top grossing films North America Adams Rib Jolson Sings Again Pinky I Was a Male War Bride, The Snake Pit, Joan of Arc Academy Awards Best Picture: All the... See also: 1948 in film 1949 1950 in film 1940s in film 1950s in film years in film film Events Top grossing films North America Adams Rib Jolson Sings Again Pinky I Was a Male War Bride, The Snake Pit, Joan of Arc Academy Awards Best Picture: All the... See also: 1949 in film 1950 1951 in film 1950s in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events February 15 - Walt Disney Studios animated film Cinderella debuts. ... See also: 1949 in film 1950 1951 in film 1950s in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events February 15 - Walt Disney Studios animated film Cinderella debuts. ... See also: 1949 in film 1950 1951 in film 1950s in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events February 15 - Walt Disney Studios animated film Cinderella debuts. ... See also: 1949 in film 1950 1951 in film 1950s in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events February 15 - Walt Disney Studios animated film Cinderella debuts. ... See also: 1950 in film 1951 1952 in film 1950s in film 1940s in film years in film film Events Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati Top grossing films North America David and Bathsheba Show Boat tie The Great Caruso and An... See also: 1950 in film 1951 1952 in film 1950s in film 1940s in film years in film film Events Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati Top grossing films North America David and Bathsheba Show Boat tie The Great Caruso and An... See also: 1950 in film 1951 1952 in film 1950s in film 1940s in film years in film film Events Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati Top grossing films North America David and Bathsheba Show Boat tie The Great Caruso and An... See also: 1950 in film 1951 1952 in film 1950s in film 1940s in film years in film film Events Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati Top grossing films North America David and Bathsheba Show Boat tie The Great Caruso and An... // Events February 20 - The film The African Queen opens (Capitol Theater in New York City). ... // Events February 20 - The film The African Queen opens (Capitol Theater in New York City). ... // Events February 20 - The film The African Queen opens (Capitol Theater in New York City). ... // Events February 20 - The film The African Queen opens (Capitol Theater in New York City). ... See also: 1952 in film 1953 1954 in film 1950s in film years in film film Events September 16 - The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film. ... See also: 1952 in film 1953 1954 in film 1950s in film years in film film Events September 16 - The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film. ... See also: 1952 in film 1953 1954 in film 1950s in film years in film film Events September 16 - The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film. ... See also: 1952 in film 1953 1954 in film 1950s in film years in film film Events September 16 - The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film. ... See also: 1953 in film 1954 1955 in film 1950s in film years in film film Events May 12 - The Marx Brothers Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda. ... See also: 1953 in film 1954 1955 in film 1950s in film years in film film Events May 12 - The Marx Brothers Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda. ... See also: 1953 in film 1954 1955 in film 1950s in film years in film film Events May 12 - The Marx Brothers Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda. ... // Events November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts. ... // Events November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts. ... // Events November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts. ... // Events November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts. ... See also: 1955 in film 1956 1957 in film 1950s in film years in film film // Events November 15 - The film Love Me Tender starring Elvis Presley (his first film) opens. ... See also: 1955 in film 1956 1957 in film 1950s in film years in film film // Events November 15 - The film Love Me Tender starring Elvis Presley (his first film) opens. ... See also: 1955 in film 1956 1957 in film 1950s in film years in film film // Events November 15 - The film Love Me Tender starring Elvis Presley (his first film) opens. ... See also: 1955 in film 1956 1957 in film 1950s in film years in film film // Events November 15 - The film Love Me Tender starring Elvis Presley (his first film) opens. ... // October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens. ... // October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens. ... // October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens. ... // October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens. ... // Events February 16- In the Money is released on this date. ...

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
• Bernard Gorcey at the Internet Movie Database
• Stanley Clements at the Internet Movie Database
• Billy Benedict at the Internet Movie Database
• Jimmy Murphy at the Internet Movie Database
• Gil Stratton, Jr. at the Internet Movie Database
• Buddy Gorman at the Internet Movie Database
• Eddie LeRoy at the Internet Movie Database