Million Dollar Kid

The East Side Kids, now sans Sunshine Sammy Morrison and Bobby Jordan but with Huntz Hall and Billy Benedict, rescue a rich passerby (Herbert Heyes, later to play Mr. Gimble in Miracle on 34th Street) from a mugger. The grateful tycoon invites the boys over to his pad, where a fully equipped gymnasium awaits them. There are subplots involving Heyes ne'e'r do well son (Johnny Duncan, a few years before playing Robin in the Columbia serial Batman and Robin )and his feisty daughter (Louise Currie). The otherwise unknown Al Stone delivers an amusing one-off performance as cousin Herbie, an erstwhile East Side Kid whose relationship with Muggs and Glimpy is somewhat convoluted. One of the wittier series entries.

This is easily among the better of the many features starring the East Side Kids. It has an interesting story that includes some thoughtful moments in addition to the broad humor. It also has plenty of the group's spontaneous horsing around, and it includes a funny (and all too brief) scene between Leo Gorcey as Muggs and his father Bernard as a messenger.

The story has Muggs, Glimpy, and the rest of the crew saving a rich man from a mugging, befriending him, and then trying to protect him and his family from a variety of criminals and impostors. It works surprisingly well, even most of the more serious moments. Gorcey's style is effective in this kind of story, because he keeps his character's hardened edge even when he is doing something good, thereby usually making him more believable.

The main emphasis is still, of course, the raucous comedy, and the gang gets some good moments at the expense of all of the other characters at one time or another. It's a good movie, and it's probably one of the entries in the series most worth seeing.

The East Side Kids save millionaire Herbert Hayes from a mugging and in gratitude he allows them the use of a gymnasium he put in his mansion. There Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall and the rest of the gang prove to be handy friends to have for Hayes and his whole family. They expose a fortune hunting phony who is looking to marry daughter Louise Currie and also save younger son Johnny Duncan from the criminal crowd he's starting to run with.

It's the East Side Kids with Monogram pictures so of course don't expect Citizen Kane. Still it's a reasonably entertaining outing for the East Side urchins.

Look for a very funny performance from Iris Adrian who helps the boys expose fortune hunter Stanley Brown. Also for one of the few times in his career, Noah Beery, Sr. is a good guy as the understanding police captain.

In this East Side Kids entry, the gang help keep a wealthy man from being mugged and get use of his gym as the reward. They find out he has two sons and a daughter, all grown. One of those sons is in service, the daughter is supposedly engaged to someone also like that, and another of the sons is...Don't want to reveal too much here. Let's just say some reforming is warranted. Among returning players are Noah Beery Sr.-previously in Clancy Street Boys-playing a police captain and Pat Costello-Lou's brother, previously in Bowery Blitzkrieg-as one of the lowlifes. I liked this one very much especially when someone like Iris Adrian is featured. So on that note, Million Dollar Kid is well worth seeing. P.S. This was the first of the series not to feature Bobby Jordan, who was drafted, or Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison, who eventually left show business after one more film appearance. I'll mention what happened to him after I review that movie-Greenwich Village-in a few days...

MILLION DOLLAR KID (Monogram, 1944), a Banner Production under direction by Wallace Fox, marks the 16th installment of the "East Side Kids" franchise. After a couple of previous solid comedies, namely CLANCY STREET BOYS (1943), MILLION DOLLAR KID reverts back to a mix dose of comedy/melodrama, with some improvement to hold interest through much of its 65 minutes.

The story opens with Muggs Maginnis (Leo Gorcey), president of the East Side Kids club, including Glimpy McGlosky (Huntz Hall), David Durand (Danny in credits, called Dave in story), Jimmy Strand (Pinky), Bobby Stone (Rocky), Buddy Gorman (Stinky), and Billy Benedict (Skinny), reading a newspaper article involving a series of muggings taking place in their neighborhood. Before deputizing the gang to hold watch on the street corners, Muggs makes the acquaintance of Herbie (Al Stone), Glimpy's cousin, who happens to be just as goofy as Glimpy. Later that evening, a mugging is taking place. Witnessed by East Side Kids, they run to the alley to assist John H. Cortland (Herbert Heyes), a millionaire on his way to the drugstore while his limousine is being serviced by his chauffeur. After Courtland departs, his pocketbook is found, having the boys accused of the muggings by a policeman and escorted to the station. After Captain Mathews (Noah Berry) notifies the owner of the pocketbook, Cortland arrives where he speaks on behalf of the boys, insisting they are not the ones who held him up. Grateful for their help, Cortland shows his appreciation by having Muggs and his boys come to his mansion on Sutton Place where he rewards them access to his indoor gymnasium belonging to his elder son, John Jr., now a flier in the service. During the course of the story, Cortland, very fond of the boys, introduces them to his charming daughter, Louise (Louise Currie), engaged to a Frenchman, Lieutenant Andre DuPrey (Stanley Brown), and his younger son, Roy (Johnny Duncan). Muggs, however, not only suspects Roy might be connected with the muggers giving his neighborhood a bad name, but DuPrey not the man he pretends to be. Supporting players include Mary Gordon and Patsy Moran playing the mothers of Muggs and Glimpy who help out as cook and maid at Louise's engagement party after their servant, Spevin (Robert Greig) is dismissed; with Iris Adrian (Mazie Dunbar, performer at the Zig Zag Club); Pat Costello (Spike) and Gabriel Dell (Lefty). Look quickly for Leo's father, Bernard Gorcey in cameo playing a Western Union Man doing a comedy gig with Muggs reminiscent to the comedy routine famously performed by the team of Abbott and Costello.

What makes MILLION DOLLAR KID enjoyable is showing the East Side Kids as concerned city boys acting as guardian angels to victims of crime, and the natural bonding between opposites as the East Side Kids and the rich man and how they become involved in each other's personal lives. This is another installment where Gabriel Dell can play an East Side Kid member in one film, a rival in another. This time he plays a gang leader spending time observing the streets with his partner (Pat Costello) from the poolhall. Though the story of straightening out a wayward rich boy gone wrong may seem overly familiar, the writers of the story give this a feel of originality. With some few laughs inserted into the dramatic elements, be sure not to miss out on the climatic finish.

Available on DVD, MILLION DOLLAR KID, which has had some cable television broadcasts, namely Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: September 14, 2004) and MGM Plus, are often shown in shorter prints missing the opening few minutes of the story. Next installment: FOLLOW THE LEADER (1944). (**1/2)