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:

u.s. army | kidnapping | boxing | held at gunpoint | manhattan new york city | 

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Taglines:

From the SATURDAY EVENING POST story, "THE OLD GANG," by Paul Ernst

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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 Block Busters (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

"The East Side Kids" Catch the Jitterbug

"East Side" boxing star "Mr. Dynamite" Leo Gorcey (as Ethelbert "Muggs" McGinnis) is kidnapped by thugs, in order to throw a championship fight to New York City's rival "West Side". But fellow "East Side Kid" Bobby Jordan (as Danny Lyons) takes Mr. Gorcey's place, and wins the fight. Gorcey is convinced Mr. Jordan, who is dating his sister, had him waylaid on purpose. To make matters worse, Jordan wins a TKO over Gorcey in "The East Side Amateur Jitterbug Contest", with pretty partner Pamela Blake (as Ivy McGinnis).

This is a poorly scripted entry in "The East Side Kids" series. Gorcey's "Muggs" veers too far away from his established character; especially, in the way he treats Jordan's "Danny"; yet, Gorcey and Jordan perform the roles well enough to make it work. The jitterbugging contest, with Huntz Hall (as Glimpy McGleavey) and his TALL partner, is a highlight. To beef up the team, Benny Bartlett (as Bennie Miller) and David Durand (as Joe "Skinny" Collins) join returning Ernest Morrison (as Scruno Jackson) and Bobby Stone (as Harold "Stoney" Stone). The film ends on a patriotic note.

***** Kid Dynamite (2/5/43) Wallace Fox ~ Bobby Jordan, Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall