Danny (Bobby Jordan) accidentally gets a murder rap pinned on him in this East Side Kids outing, and the rest of the gang are out to find the real killer. It's a fairly standard adventure for the boys with a few surprises thrown in. Noah Beery Jr. makes an appearance as a former 'charter member' of the gang, which is a little unusual since this is the only film of the series he appeared in. It's convenient though as he turns up to become the romantic interest for Sylvia (Ann Gillis), the stepdaughter of the murder victim.
Marc Lawrence appears as the villain of the piece, a hood named McGaffey who tries to enlist Muggs (Leo Gorcey) in a warehouse heist in exchange for the murder weapon and a chance to clear Danny. If you really think about it, there wasn't much to his plan at any step of the way; he could have been easily outed, and was, by the time the film ended. Such was Lawrence's fate in most films, with over two hundred movie credits, he almost always appeared as a heavy, be it Westerns, mysteries, sci-fi, or the occasional Charlie Chan flick.
As in many of the East Side films, Danny's big brother is portrayed by Dave O'Brien. Here they have an extended one on one scene that goes a bit heavy on the melodrama as Phil tries to get Danny to tell what he knows. Loyalty is a gang member's best trait, so he's not saying anything, but then again, he was basically in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I always enjoy Sunshine Sammy Morrison as Scruno. He doesn't have a lot to do in this one, but the good thing is he doesn't wind up on the end of any stereotyped racial references. Glimpy (Huntz Hall) fires off a few nifty one liners like the one in my summary. He even has one brief shining moment when Muggs promotes him to Vice President of Miscellaneous Stuff. It lasts less than a screen minute, but hey, it was a moment in the sun.
I see this flick rated relatively high for an East Side Kids film, but don't see it as a cut above most. I always felt they did their best work when supporting a name actor, be it Cagney, Bogart or Garfield in vehicles from larger studios. Still if you're a fan, it won't hurt to take this one in. They even manage to focus in on the Brooklyn Bridge a couple of times, just to make sure there's some connection to the title.
Marc Lawrence appears as the villain of the piece, a hood named McGaffey who tries to enlist Muggs (Leo Gorcey) in a warehouse heist in exchange for the murder weapon and a chance to clear Danny. If you really think about it, there wasn't much to his plan at any step of the way; he could have been easily outed, and was, by the time the film ended. Such was Lawrence's fate in most films, with over two hundred movie credits, he almost always appeared as a heavy, be it Westerns, mysteries, sci-fi, or the occasional Charlie Chan flick.
As in many of the East Side films, Danny's big brother is portrayed by Dave O'Brien. Here they have an extended one on one scene that goes a bit heavy on the melodrama as Phil tries to get Danny to tell what he knows. Loyalty is a gang member's best trait, so he's not saying anything, but then again, he was basically in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I always enjoy Sunshine Sammy Morrison as Scruno. He doesn't have a lot to do in this one, but the good thing is he doesn't wind up on the end of any stereotyped racial references. Glimpy (Huntz Hall) fires off a few nifty one liners like the one in my summary. He even has one brief shining moment when Muggs promotes him to Vice President of Miscellaneous Stuff. It lasts less than a screen minute, but hey, it was a moment in the sun.
I see this flick rated relatively high for an East Side Kids film, but don't see it as a cut above most. I always felt they did their best work when supporting a name actor, be it Cagney, Bogart or Garfield in vehicles from larger studios. Still if you're a fan, it won't hurt to take this one in. They even manage to focus in on the Brooklyn Bridge a couple of times, just to make sure there's some connection to the title.