Review of Clancy Street Boys

Hawk-nose Huntz Hall dressed up as an ugly girl-- I didn't know whether to laugh or barf. It's a good gag-filled East Side Kids fun-fest. Seems Mugs' (Gorcey) mom is in trouble. She's pretended to have a bunch of offspring boys and a girl to impress a rich Texan who thinks they're all in the same family. That means getting Mugs's roughhouse gang to pretend to be her civilized offspring. It also means Glimpy (Hall) gets to play the one girl if, that is, he can keep his skirt down. More complications arise when a con-man tries to kidnap the rich Texan, a sub-plot they could have left out. Anyway, the gags fly fast, as when Mugs mangles his grammar in hoodlum malaprop style. And more chuckles ensue as the Texas cowboy and his cowgirl daughter culture clash with the New York toughies-- after all, why take a taxi through city traffic when a horse will do.

Notable for its time is Black actor Morrison playing Scruno. Though non-white, he fits right in with the loony antics and is not parodied any more than the others. He's simply one of the boys. Then too, see if you can catch the brief instant near the end where Gorcey and Hall appear to glance at the camera, thus breaking character-- perhaps sloppy editing. Also, I'm not sure about the title, Cherry Street Boys, since the rival gang is peripheral to the story itself. Likely, that was for commercial reaons. Nonetheless, the cheapo's a fun filled hour, featuring one of Hollywood's most enduring series, so don't pass it up