Kid Dynamite (1943)

EastSide boxing champion (Leo Gorcey) has been challenged to fight the West Side champ but is kidnapped before the match. Leo's friend (Bobby Jordan) takes his place and wins the fight only... See full summary »

Director:

Wallace Fox

Writers:

Paul Ernst (story "The Old Gang"), Gerald Schnitzer (screenplay)

Stars:

Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leo Gorcey	...	Muggs McGinnis
Huntz Hall	...	Glimpy McGleavey
Bobby Jordan	...	Danny Lyons
Gabriel Dell	...	Harry Wycoff
Pamela Blake	...	Ivy McGinnis
Benny Bartlett	...	Beanie Miller
Ernest Morrison	...	Scruno Jackson (as Sunshine Sammy)
Bobby Stone	...	Stoney Stone
David Durand	...	Skinny Collins (as Dave Durand)
Vince Barnett	...	Klinkhammer
Daphne Pollard	...	Mrs. McGinnis
Charles Judels	...	Nick - Pool Hall Owner
Dudley Dickerson	...	Jackson
Henry Hall	...	Louis Gendick
Minerva Urecal	...	Judge

Storyline

EastSide boxing champion (Leo Gorcey) has been challenged to fight the West Side champ but is kidnapped before the match. Leo's friend (Bobby Jordan) takes his place and wins the fight only to have Leo think that Bobby was responsible for his kidnapping.

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Plot Keywords:

public domain | bare chested male | bare chested male fighting | male male relationship | u.s. army | 

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Taglines:

THEY CAN'T BE TOPPED! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Comedy | Sport

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 February 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Little Mobsters

Company Credits

Production Co:

Banner Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

66 min (copyright length)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film.

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Quotes

Louis Gendick: Did you ever think of joining another gang?
Danny Lyons: That would be running away.
Louis Gendick: Not the outfit I'm talkin' about. They'll be glad to get you... They will sooner or later. You'll be fightin' all kinds of bullies.
Danny Lyons: Like Mugs?
Louis Gendick: Worse. These bullies are called Japs and Nazis.
Danny Lyons: You mean the army.
Louis Gendick: That won't be runnin' away, Danny. That's real fightin'.

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Crazy Credits

The first set of credits lists Pamela Blake, Mike Riley's Orchestra and Marion Miller. The comprehensive cast list, however, omits the Orchestra and Miller. In such a case, the IMDb cast ordering uses the first set of credits first, followed by the rest from the second set.

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Connections

Followed by Bowery Champs (1944)

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Soundtracks

Comin' Thro' the Rye
(uncredited)
Traditional Scottish music
Words by Robert Burns
Played by Mike Riley's Orchestra and sung by Marion Miller at the dance contest

User Reviews

Solid Feature, & Also Interesting In Its Historical Context

Although the story in this East Side Kids feature would hold up well enough on its own, it is often supplemented by scenes or lines of dialogue designed to instill support for the Allied effort in the ongoing war effort against the Axis. In itself, it's a solid feature in the series with some good scenes, and with a little more substance than usual. The wartime influence now seems overt, but it is less so than it is in many other features of the early 1940s.

The story has Leo Gorcey as Muggs and Bobby Jordan as Danny involved in a long-running misunderstanding, prompted by Muggs's jealousy, while the gang also has to contend with some outside antagonists. The hostility of Muggs towards Danny, plus Danny's burst of independence, add a dimension missing in most of the movies in the series. Whereas Muggs is usually a likable trouble-maker and scamp, here he shows a less appealing side of his personality.

As is often the case, some of the best moments come when the gang is allowed to indulge themselves a little. The 'jitterbug' contest works particularly well, as an entertaining sequence that also has a point in the plot. The war-influenced message is certainly noticeable, but the movie as a whole is still worth seeing anyway. It's interesting that even the East Side Kids were seen as a vehicle for promoting patriotism during the war.