Bowery Blitzkrieg (1941)

While a cop steers a kid street-fighter away from being a public nuisance, a petty hoodlum leads a studious kid into a life of crime.

Director:

Wallace Fox

Writers:

Brendan Wood (original story), Donn Mullahy (original story) (as Don Donmullahy)

Stars:

Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan, Huntz Hall

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leo Gorcey	...	Muggs
Bobby Jordan	...	Danny
Huntz Hall	...	Limpy
Keye Luke	...	Clancy (as Key Luke)
Warren Hull	...	Tom Brady
Charlotte Henry	...	Mary Breslin
Bobby Stone	...	Monk Martin
Donald Haines	...	Skinny
Ernest Morrison	...	Scruno (as Sunshine Sammy Morrison)
David Gorcey	...	Peewee
Martha Wentworth	...	Mrs. Brady
Jack Mulhall	...	Officer Sherrill
Eddie Foster	...	Slats Morrison
Dennis Moore	...	Dorgan
Tony Carson	...	Dutch

Storyline

East Side Kids: Fighters Danny Breslin and Muggs McGinnis, once boyhood chums, have drifted apart. Policeman Tom Brady - because his own former friend fell into a life of crime and got the electric chair - takes rough and tumble Muggs under his wing to turn the lad's life around, but Danny, brother of Mary Breslin (whom Tom plans to marry), is also at risk. Everyone believes studious Danny is on his way to being president someday, but while Tom's focus goes toward putting Muggs on the straight and narrow, ambitious petty criminal Monk Martin's been working slyly on steering Danny into a life of crime. Adding a little complication, racketeers get involved, trying to set up a fixed fight with Muggs.

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Plot Keywords:

prizefight | bare chested male | east side kids | bowery manhattan new york city | manhattan new york city | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 August 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

La pandilla en guerra

Company Credits

Production Co:

Banner Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

62 min 63 min (copyright length) 60 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film received its initial telecasts in Los Angeles Sunday 26 February 1950 on KNBH (Channel 4) and in New York City Tuesday 9 May 1950 on WCBS (Channel 2).

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Quotes

Limpy: Hey, Slats, who wears your CLEAN collars?

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Connections

Follows That Gang of Mine (1940)

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Soundtracks

Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair
(1854)
Written by Stephen Foster
Sung a cappella by Huntz Hall with modified lyrics

User Reviews

Fighting With Half A Tank

This East Side Kids film from Monagram has a two track plot line with two estranged best friends Leo Gorcey and Bobby Jordan. Gorcey is training for the amateur Golden Gloves boxing tournament when he's offered a nice hefty bribe to tank it.

As for Jordan he gets himself involved with a young punk played by Bobby Stone who commits a series of robberies until he's caught and Stone shoots Jordan after Jordan prevents him from shooting police officer Warren Hull who is both going out with Charlotte Henry who is Jordan's sister and Hull is also training Gorcey for his fight.

Playing a very small role is trainer Pat Costello who had a more famous brother Lou Costello whom he occasionally doubled for as they had similar builds. Pat has a very nice scene where plays straight man to Huntz Hall trying to show him what a corner man does in the boxing game. Interesting to see a Costello as a straight man.

The two estranged kids do come together in the end though I won't tell about the courageous, but almost costly decision Gorcey makes involving Jordan.

Note the title, Bowery Blitzkrieg. That German word was coming into the English language as an idiom for a lightning attack that the opponent has no time to defend against be it in war or in the ring.

It's a Monagram Picture so don't expect too much production values, but Bowery Blitzkrieg does have a nice sentimental story in it if your taste runs in that direction.