East Side Kids (1940) - Turner Classic Movies

Brief Synopsis

A street tough searches for evidence to get his brother out of prison.

Cast & Crew

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Robert Hill

Leon Ames

Dennis Moore

Mileaway [Harris]

Joyce Bryant

Vince Barnett

Dave O'brien

Film Details

Genre

Drama

Crime

Release Date

Feb 10, 1940

Premiere Information

not available

Production Company

Four Bell Pictures, Inc.

Distribution Company

Monogram Pictures Corp.

Country

United States

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 2m

Sound

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color

Black and White

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.37 : 1

Film Length

7 reels

Synopsis

Police officer Pat O'Day, a former child of the tenements, tries to reform a gang of street kids by involving them in a boys's police club. When club member Danny Dolan's brother Knuckles is sentenced to death row for killing a treasury agent, Pat vows to help Danny clear his brother, whom he believes is innocent, but before he can begin his investigation, the police commissioner demotes him to walking a beat. Meanwhile, a counterfeiting ring comprised of Mileaway Harris, a former tenement kid, Morris, and his girl friend May sets up shop in shopkeeper's Schmidt's, basement. Feeling threatened by Pat, Morris schemes to discredit the policeman by posing as a businessman who wants to hire Pat's boys to distribute advertising leaflets. Unknown to Pat, Morris places bogus five dollar bills in the pay envelopes, and when the boys are caught passing fake money, Pat is implicated in the counterfeiting scheme. To prove his innocence, Pat takes to the streets, and Danny, still unaware of Morris' involvement in the counterfeiting ring, agrees to deliver a suitcase for him to May. A policeman follows Danny to May's apartment, where they are greeted by Mileaway, who kills the policeman and takes Danny hostage. As they drive across town, Danny learns that it was Mileaway who killed the treasury agent and framed Knuckles. Pat tracks down Mileaway's car, and in the ensuing chase, Mileaway escapes and kills Schmidt. Pat and the kids chase Mileaway to a rooftop, where Dutch, Danny's friend, struggles with Mileaway. When they both fall to the sidewalk, Dutch is killed; but Mileaway lives to confess to the agent's murder, and all ends happily as both Knuckles and Pat are exonerated.

Director

Robert Hill

Cast

Leon Ames

Dennis Moore

Mileaway [Harris]

Joyce Bryant

Vince Barnett

Dave O'brien

Richard Adams

Maxine Leslie

Sam Edwards

Robert Fiske

Jack Edwards

Algernon Wilkes

James Farley

Alden Chase

Fred Hoose

Eric Burtis

Eddie Brian

Frank Yaconelli

Hally Chester

Harris Berger

Frankie Burke

Donald Haines

David Durand

Crew

Glen Cook

Assistant Director

Glen Glenn

Sam Katzman

Robert Lively

Story and Screenplay

Art Reed

E. W. Rote

Production Manager

Earl Turner

Film Details

Genre

Drama

Crime

Release Date

Feb 10, 1940

Premiere Information

not available

Production Company

Four Bell Pictures, Inc.

Distribution Company

Monogram Pictures Corp.

Country

United States

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 2m

Sound

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color

Black and White

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.37 : 1

Film Length

7 reels

Articles

East Side Kids

August 25, 2004

First they were the Dead End Kids. Then came the Little Tough Guys in a series for Universal. The gang's third incarnation (before ending up as The Bowery Boys) was as the East Side Kids -- and the first film in that series was appropriately titled East Side Kids (1940). But it was a very different movie from all of the East Side Kid flicks that would follow. First of all, the plot was much darker, more violent and certainly less comedic. Six people die over the course of the film. And it is the only one of the series where a member of the boys' gang is killed. Also, none of the usual Kids are present. Leon Ames heads up this cast, but series regulars Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall are nowhere to be found. It's no wonder that East Side Kids is often thought of as the film that inspired the series rather than being considered a part of it.

The East Side Kids were the creation of producer Sam Katzman. A successful producer of low budget Westerns, Katzman founded his own studio, Victory Pictures, in 1935. When Victory folded, Katzman moved to Monogram Studios to head his own unit called Four-Bell Productions. East Side Kids was his first Monogram project. In the movie, Leon Ames plays a punk-turned-detective who helps the kids foil a counterfeiting ring. The boys are led by Hally Chester and Harris Berger, with Dave 'Tex' O'Brien (perhaps most memorable as the crazed piano playing pothead in Refer Madness (1938), along with regular appearances in Pete Smith Specialty shorts) as the wrongly accused brother who's facing execution.

East Side Kids was successful enough that Katzman saw series potential. He retooled the concept, making the tone lighter, and signed all the original Dead End Kids (except for Billy Halop and Bernard Punsley) to help create more charismatic characters. Of course Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall were brought in to lead the gang. Danny (Harris Berger's role) was recast with Bobby Jordan. Tex O'Brien was kept on board as Knuckles, but his character was reformed and served as a mentor to the boys in the next few films. Also continuing in the series after East Side Kids was the young academic Algernon Wilkes (originally played by Jack Edwards). His character was also changed (and recast), giving him a wealthy background -- in an apparent attempt to explain his studious ways.

These changes kept the East Side Kids rolling along through 21 more movies, including two with another Katzman regular - Bela Lugosi. The East Side-Lugosi movies were Spooks Run Wild (1941) and Ghosts on the Loose (1943).

Producer: Sam Katzman
Director: Robert F. Hill
Screenplay: William Lively
Cinematography: Arthur Reed
Film Editing: Earl Turner
Music: Johnny Lange, Lew Porter
Cast: Leon Ames (Pat O'Day), Dennis Moore (Milton Mileaway), Joyce Bryant (Molly Dolan), Hal E. Chester (Fred 'Dutch' Kuhn), Harris Berger (Danny Dolan), Frankie Burke (Skinny).
BW-62m.

by Stephanie Thames

East Side Kids

East Side Kids

First they were the Dead End Kids. Then came the Little Tough Guys in a series for Universal. The gang's third incarnation (before ending up as The Bowery Boys) was as the East Side Kids -- and the first film in that series was appropriately titled East Side Kids (1940). But it was a very different movie from all of the East Side Kid flicks that would follow. First of all, the plot was much darker, more violent and certainly less comedic. Six people die over the course of the film. And it is the only one of the series where a member of the boys' gang is killed. Also, none of the usual Kids are present. Leon Ames heads up this cast, but series regulars Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall are nowhere to be found. It's no wonder that East Side Kids is often thought of as the film that inspired the series rather than being considered a part of it. The East Side Kids were the creation of producer Sam Katzman. A successful producer of low budget Westerns, Katzman founded his own studio, Victory Pictures, in 1935. When Victory folded, Katzman moved to Monogram Studios to head his own unit called Four-Bell Productions. East Side Kids was his first Monogram project. In the movie, Leon Ames plays a punk-turned-detective who helps the kids foil a counterfeiting ring. The boys are led by Hally Chester and Harris Berger, with Dave 'Tex' O'Brien (perhaps most memorable as the crazed piano playing pothead in Refer Madness (1938), along with regular appearances in Pete Smith Specialty shorts) as the wrongly accused brother who's facing execution. East Side Kids was successful enough that Katzman saw series potential. He retooled the concept, making the tone lighter, and signed all the original Dead End Kids (except for Billy Halop and Bernard Punsley) to help create more charismatic characters. Of course Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall were brought in to lead the gang. Danny (Harris Berger's role) was recast with Bobby Jordan. Tex O'Brien was kept on board as Knuckles, but his character was reformed and served as a mentor to the boys in the next few films. Also continuing in the series after East Side Kids was the young academic Algernon Wilkes (originally played by Jack Edwards). His character was also changed (and recast), giving him a wealthy background -- in an apparent attempt to explain his studious ways. These changes kept the East Side Kids rolling along through 21 more movies, including two with another Katzman regular - Bela Lugosi. The East Side-Lugosi movies were Spooks Run Wild (1941) and Ghosts on the Loose (1943). Producer: Sam Katzman Director: Robert F. Hill Screenplay: William Lively Cinematography: Arthur Reed Film Editing: Earl Turner Music: Johnny Lange, Lew Porter Cast: Leon Ames (Pat O'Day), Dennis Moore (Milton Mileaway), Joyce Bryant (Molly Dolan), Hal E. Chester (Fred 'Dutch' Kuhn), Harris Berger (Danny Dolan), Frankie Burke (Skinny). BW-62m. by Stephanie Thames

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

Hally Chester, Harris Berger, Frankie Burke, Donald Haines and David Durand were billed in the reviews as "The Original East Side Kids." This picture was the first in "The East Side Kids" series produced by Sam Katzman for Monogram, which released the series until 1945. Later films in the series featured Bobby Jordan and Leo Gorcey, who were both in "The Dead End Kids" and "The Little Touch Guys" series. For additional information on "The East Side Kids," "The Dead End Kids" and "The Little Tough Guys," consult the Series Index and see entry above for Crime School.

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