Bowery Blitzkrieg

Plot

Two police officers patrolling the streets of New York City's Bowery discuss the lamentable fact that most of the young boys in the neighborhood will turn to crime and end up in jail. One exception, they agree, is Danny Breslin (Bobby Jordan), a young boxer who is studying economics and destined for success. While Danny's future looks bright, the future of his former best friend, Muggs McGinnis (Leo Gorcey), appears to hold little more than troubles with the law and juvenile probation. One day, when Danny learns that Muggs has been speaking poorly of his schoolteacher sister Mary (Charlotte Henry), he marches over to Clancy's Pool Hall, their favorite neighborhood haunt, and punches Muggs. The fight eventually turns into a pool hall riot, which results in Muggs's arrest. Officer Tom Brady (Warren Hull), Mary's sweetheart, believes that many of the boys can be reformed, and when he learns that Muggs has been involved in another fight, he tries to enlist Danny's help in determining the reason behind Muggs' propensity to fight. Danny surprises his mother, sister and Tom when he violently protests Tom's request, saying that he hates "coppers," and vows never to return to the police gym for his boxing practice. While Tom lays plans to reform Muggs by entering him as a fighter in the upcoming Golden Glove Tournament, Danny unwittingly gets involved with notorious thug Monk Martin (Bobby Stone). Unknown to Danny, Monk has used him to drive his getaway car in a grocery store holdup. After paying Danny for his "services," Monk manages to persuade him to quit school and join his racket. Meanwhile, Muggs, having made great strides at the Whitney reform school, goes to live with Tom and his mother (Martha Wentworth), much to the dismay of Mary, who promptly breaks off her relationship with Tom. Muggs eventually wins the respect of the entire neighborhood and earns the police department's sponsorship of his fight in the Golden Glove Tournament. So completely has Muggs given up his delinquent ways that he curses Monk when the racketeer offers him $1,000 to take a fall in the tournament fight. Later, after overhearing Tom's mother blaming his arrival for the break-up of Tom and Mary's relationship, Muggs becomes despondent and decides to move out. Just before the fight, crooked fight promoter Slats Morrison (Eddie Foster) plants the intended bribery money in Muggs's gear and tries to frame him. Danny, meanwhile, is wounded by Tom as he and Monk are caught fleeing from a robbery. Hospitalized and in desperate need of blood, Danny's life hangs in the balance until Muggs volunteers his blood and saves his best friend. Mary has a change of heart and returns to Tom, and Tom announces that Monk made a full confession before dying. Danny's family gathers around a radio and listens with pride as Muggs knocks out his opponent at the tournament. Following the fight, Slats and his boss Dorgan are arrested, and Tom and Mary look forward to their wedding.

Production

Huntz Hall's first East Side Kids film. Hall receives a special credit ("Introducing Huntz Hall"). Around the same time, Hall had been working in Universal's Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys series, alongside other former Dead End Kids. During this period, Hall would be performing in both the Universal series, and Monogram's East Side Kids series. While Hall's character would be called "Glimpy" for the remainder of the series, here he's called "Limpy".

The East Side Kids

Leo Gorcey as Muggs McGinnis

Bobby Jordan as Danny Breslin

Huntz Hall as Limpy

Donald Haines as Skinny

Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison as Scruno

David Gorcey as Peewee

Additional cast

Bobby Stone as Monk Martin

Keye Luke (billed as Key Luke) as Clancy

Warren Hull as Tom Brady

Charlotte Henry as Mary Breslin

Martha Wentworth as Mrs. Brady

Jack Mulhall as Officer Sherrill

Eddie Foster as Slats Morrison

Dennis Moore as Dorgan

Tony Carson as Dutch

Pat Costello as Fight Coach

Dick Ryan as The Precinct Lieutenant

Jack Carr (uncredited) as George, Truck Driver

Bill Cartledge (uncredited) as Johnny Ryan, Boxer

John Indrisano (uncredited) as Referee

George Urecal (uncredited) as Nick

Minerva Urecal (uncredited) as Reform School Matron

Crew

Associate Producer: Pete Mayer

Non-Original Music: Stephen Foster "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair"

Set Decoration: Fred Preble

Production Management: Ed W. Rote

Second Unit Director/Assistant Director: Arthur Hammond, Harty M. Slott

Sound Recordist: Glen Glenn

Production

Bowery Blitzkrieg was filmed between June 1941 and July 1941.

Quotes

Reform School Matron: "You'll learn to have respect for authority"
Muggs: "If you're the best example they've got, I'll give you odds"