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44-511: The Bowery Boys were successors of the East Side Kids , who had been the subject of films since 1940. The group originated as the Dead End Kids , who originally appeared in the 1937 film Dead End . The Dead End Kids originally appeared in the 1935 play Dead End, dramatized by Sidney Kingsley . When Samuel Goldwyn turned the play into a 1937 film , he recruited the original "kids" from

88-609: A 4-F classification, rendering him unfit for military service. During Bobby Jordan's absence, his role in the series was taken by former child actor David Durand . Durand had been the star of Columbia's series of Glove Slingers campus comedies, and lent the same earnest sincerity to his East Side Kids appearances. Jordan returned in 1944, in uniform, for a guest appearance in Bowery Champs . Starting with Clancy Street Boys in 1943, Bernard Gorcey , father of Leo and David, played various bit parts in seven East Side Kids films. Given

132-488: A 50-percent interest in his 23 productions, so Allied Artists bought the rights from Grippo in December 1957. The transaction was front-page news in the trade, and the amount was reported as "more than $ 500,000." Preparing the series for television required making new negatives for 16mm film prints, and then making a complete set of 48 new prints for each local market. With so many films in the series, and so many TV stations buying

176-939: A Dead End Kid/East Side Kid/Bowery Boy. In the 1944 East Side Kids film Million Dollar Kid , Dell appeared as a criminal villain, pitted against the boys, who gets brought to justice in the end. Dell appeared in the play The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window , written by Lorraine Hansberry . The production opened on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre on October 15, 1964, and was directed by Peter Kass . Jack Blackman designed scenery, Jules Fisher designed lighting, and Fred Voelpel designed costumes. The original cast featured Dell as Sidney Brustein and Rita Moreno as Iris Parodus Brustein. The play received mixed reviews and closed on January 10, 1965. Dell starred in Lamppost Reunion as Fred Santora, which opened October 16, 1975. As

220-459: A backlog of Bowery Boys titles all along, reminding exhibitors that older titles were still available from local exchanges. After the series concluded with In the Money , Allied Artists began a formal reissue program, continuing to release the films seasonally. The first of the reissues was Blues Busters (1950), which returned to theaters in 1958. Theaters continued to play Bowery Boys features well into

264-626: A competing series, under the Little Tough Guys brand name. At one time or another, five of the original Dead End Kids, minus Gorcey, joined the series, resulting in the studio billing the gang as "The Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys." In 1940 producer Sam Katzman , noting the financial success of other tough-kid series, made the film East Side Kids , using two of Universal's Little Tough Guys, Hally Chester and Harris Berger. He added former Our Gang player Donald Haines , Frankie Burke , radio actor Sam Edwards, and Eddie Brian to round out

308-538: A complete set, this took time. The Bowery Boys finally entered TV syndication in 1960. The films became a staple for independent stations across America, often used to fill the early-afternoon time slots on weekends, much as the same films played at matinées in theaters. There was still a demand for the Bowery Boys comedies in theaters; they were useful fillers on double-feature programs and kiddie matinées, and drive-ins used them extensively. Allied Artists had been offering

352-433: A more established formula than the prior incarnations of the team, with the gang usually hanging out at Louie's Sweet Shop (at 3rd and Canal St.) until an adventure came along. The original main characters were Terrence Aloysius "Slip" Mahoney ( Leo Gorcey ), Horace Debussy "Sach" Jones ( Huntz Hall ), Bobby ( Bobby Jordan ), Whitey ( Billy Benedict ), and Chuck ( David Gorcey , sometimes billed as David Condon). In 1948 Bobby

396-459: A predictable and successful attraction. The series ended suddenly, after Allied Artists decided that the films would be even more valuable on television. Producer Ben Schwalb moved on to other projects at Allied Artists, but Huntz Hall still had two films left on his contract. Former film editor and now staff producer Richard Heermance was assigned to oversee these last two films, Up in Smoke and In

440-569: A result of this performance, he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play . His other non-Dead End Kids/Bowery Boys films included The 300 Year Weekend (1971), Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (1971), Earthquake (1974), and Framed (1975). He also appeared in The Manchu Eagle Murder Caper Mystery (1975), and The Escape Artist (1982). Dell also made several appearances on television shows during

484-472: A series of 22 films released by Monogram Pictures from 1940 through 1945. The series was a low-budget imitation of the Dead End Kids , a successful film franchise of the late 1930s. The 1935 Sidney Kingsley Broadway play Dead End was a portrait of life in the New York tenements, featuring six tough-talking juvenile delinquents. When film producer Samuel Goldwyn made a film out of the play, he recruited

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528-453: A set of manufactured-on-demand DVDs by Warner Brothers under its Warner Archive Collection label in four volumes, each consisting of 12 films on four recordable media discs. Initial distribution was advertised by Warner Bros. as being traditionally replicated on "pressed disc" media in anticipation of high demand for the films to be "remastered from the best available elements." East Side Kids The East Side Kids were characters in

572-469: The 1956 season, so Gorcey was replaced by Stanley Clements , a former tough-teen actor who had been in a few East Side Kids movies. Clements, as "Duke Coveleskie," adapted to the series easily and completed the three films, which now starred "Huntz Hall and The Bowery Boys." With Louie absent, the gang's new hangout was a rooming house, where they helped landlady Kate Kelly (played first by Doris Kemper, then by Queenie Smith ). The new Hall-Clements partnership

616-470: The 1960s. The Bowery Boys (48 titles) was third-longest feature-film series of American origin in motion-picture history (behind the Charles Starrett westerns at 131 titles, and Hopalong Cassidy at 66). The final Bowery Boys film, In the Money , was released in 1958. Only Huntz Hall and David Gorcey had remained with the series since 1946. In 2012, all 48 Bowery Boys films were made available as

660-459: The City ), boxing melodrama ( Bowery Blitzkrieg ), and horror-comedy ( Spooks Run Wild ), with the kids confronting various stock villains: gangsters, smugglers, spies, and crooked gamblers, along the way. The East Side films were problem-teen melodramas until 1943, when director William Beaudine joined the series and emphasized the comedy content. He encouraged the actors to improvise freely, adding to

704-562: The Little Tough Guys. The original Dead End Kids were now working at several studios, so the East Side Kids were made at the same time that Universal was making the "Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys" series. A total of 22 East Side Kids films were made, with the final one, Come Out Fighting , released in 1945. In 1945, when East Side Kids producer Katzman refused to grant Leo Gorcey's request to double his weekly salary, Gorcey quit

748-483: The Money , and William Beaudine — who had been the Bowery Boys' most frequent director — came back to conclude the series. After filming ended in September 1957, the studio demolished the long-standing "Bowery street" on the backlot, replacing it with a western street. Allied Artists moved ahead with its plans to syndicate The Bowery Boys to television. Jan Grippo, who had produced the series from 1946 to 1951, still held

792-599: The Three Stooges manner using many of the Stooges' gags, and the stories became more juvenile. The new approach literally paid off: " The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters was the best moneymaker of all of them," Bernds told historian Ted Okuda in 1987. "Actually, every Bowery Boys picture made money. Even if it was a bad one, it didn't lose. The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters stood out above the others in terms of profit." Bernds left

836-511: The continuity between films was often ignored. As with the Little Tough Guys, the membership of the team changed from film to film, until Huntz Hall joined in 1941, when the lineup was somewhat stabilized. In total, 20 actors were members of the East Side Kids. Dead End Kid Gabriel Dell drifted in and out of the series as a gang member, a reporter, or a small-time hoodlum, as in Million Dollar Kid . In Smart Alecks he's an ex-member who left

880-409: The films released quarterly. Forty-eight Bowery Boys features were made. The last one, In the Money , was released in 1958. Many of the East Side Kids features were re-released by Astor Pictures , Favorite Films, and Savoy Pictures, the latter two companies owned by former Monogram executives Gabriel Dell Gabriel Dell (born Gabriel Marcel Dell Vecchio ; October 8, 1919 – July 3, 1988)

924-434: The films' spontaneous charm. The advent of World War II affected the series and the cast. Four of the films involve enemy spies, Nazi intrigue, and American soldiers. Offscreen, between 1942 and 1944, cast members Morrison, Jordan, Dell, David Gorcey, and Billy Benedict left the series after being drafted. Leo Gorcey, a few days after receiving his draft notice, suffered a near-fatal motorcycle accident. His injuries led to

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968-513: The gang to pursue a life of crime. Rising tough-teen actor Stanley Clements appeared in three films. The stories always centered on the tough, pugnacious "Muggs McGinnis" (Gorcey) or the more innocent, clean-cut "Danny" (Bobby Jordan). Huntz Hall's "Glimpy" began as a minor character who grew in prominence as he was given a larger comedic role over the course of the series. The loose format proved flexible enough to shift back and forth between urban drama ( That Gang of Mine ), murder mystery ( Boys of

1012-574: The gang. The final film in Universal's series, Keep 'Em Slugging , was released in 1943, with Bobby Jordan replacing erstwhile ringleader Billy Halop . Independent producer Sam Katzman cashed in on the Dead End Kids' popularity by producing a low-budget imitation, East Side Kids (1940) with six juvenile actors, including Hally Chester who had appeared with individual Dead Enders in various films, and former Our Gang kid Donald Haines . The film

1056-401: The low budgets, simplistic stories, and crude, assembly-line production of the East Side Kids series, its enduring popularity relies on the cast's rambunctious energy, breezy banter, often ad-libbed and containing inside jokes, fast-paced action, and Leo Gorcey's trademark malapropisms . Eg, "This calls for drastic measurements". By 1945 Leo Gorcey had asserted himself as the top-billed star of

1100-402: The mid-1950s the studio would hire only one or two veteran featured players per film ( Eric Blore , Lyle Talbot , Addison Richards , Barton MacLane , Fritz Feld , Mary Beth Hughes , Byron Foulger , Paul Cavanagh , etc.) and fill out the cast with lesser-known actors. Gorcey had been drinking heavily during the filming of Dig That Uranium (1955), according to Edward Bernds. After filming

1144-451: The new team. This was a one-shot film, designed to cash in on a popular trend. When Dead End Kid Bobby Jordan became available, Katzman signed him for Boys of the City . "The East Side Kids" became a series, released by Monogram Pictures . Monogram was a "budget" studio, making inexpensive films for double-feature theaters. Sam Katzman's productions were even cheaper. A typical major-studio "B" picture cost $ 200,000 to $ 300,000 to make, and

1188-507: The only African-American in the Jordan-Gorcey gang. In the first few films, Dave O'Brien , familiar to audiences from low-budget westerns and serials, and as the accident-prone star of the Pete Smith comedies, played Jordan's older brother Knuckles Dolan, who always seemed to be getting roped into chaperoning the kids from adventure to adventure. O'Brien appeared in different roles as well;

1232-437: The original kids from the play: Leo Gorcey , Huntz Hall , Bobby Jordan , Gabriel Dell , Billy Halop , and Bernard Punsly . In 1938, Warner Brothers signed these six actors for a series of Dead End Kids dramas, the most successful being 1938's Angels with Dirty Faces with James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart , and They Made Me a Criminal in 1939, starring John Garfield . Also in 1938, Universal Pictures offered

1276-526: The participation of the other gang members. He left the series after being injured in an elevator accident. Gabriel Dell returned in the fourth entry, Spook Busters (1946), as "Gabe Moreno," a former member of the gang just out of the Navy with a French war bride in tow. He remained (minus spouse) for the next 16 features. Gabe was a convenient "utility" character, frequently changing jobs (attorney, policeman, song plugger, reporter, television personality) to suit

1320-541: The play— Leo Gorcey , Huntz Hall , Bobby Jordan , Gabriel Dell , Billy Halop , and Bernard Punsly —to appear in the same roles in the film. This led to the making of six other films that shared the collective title "The Dead End Kids". In 1938, Universal launched its own tough-kid series, " Little Tough Guys ." Gradually, Universal recruited most of the original Dead End Kids, so the series ultimately featured " The Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys ." Universal made twelve feature films, and three 12-chapter serials with

1364-414: The same humor-laced crime drama of the previous series, but they gradually shifted to situation comedy (western comedy, prison comedy, military comedy, college comedy, hillbilly comedy, etc.). In 1953 a new producer, Ben Schwalb, hired director Edward Bernds and writer Elwood Ullman , both closely associated with The Three Stooges . The situation-comedy content immediately gave way to all-out slapstick, in

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1408-415: The scenes: "He was even worse on Crashing Las Vegas than he was on Dig That Uranium , and I believe Ben [Schwalb] went to [studio executive] Walter Mirisch and said, 'It won't work; he's impossible and if we're going to continue this series we've got to do it with somebody else'... No, Leo was fired -- he drank too much and he couldn't do his work anymore." The studio owed exhibitors three more films for

1452-501: The series after Dig That Uranium (1956), although an unused Bernds-Ullman script was filmed later as Looking for Danger (1957). The budgets of the series had been lowering gradually. Productions that had formerly been filmed in 10 or 11 days (a speedy schedule to begin with) were now being filmed in five or six days. Cheaper films meant cheaper talent: the Monogram films had featured impressive casts of "name" supporting actors, but by

1496-505: The series, now billed as "Leo Gorcey and The East Side Kids", and insisted that producer Sam Katzman double Gorcey's $ 5,000 salary. Katzman, always cash-conscious, flatly refused and stopped the series after 1945's Come Out Fighting . Undaunted, Gorcey and Bobby Jordan retooled the series as The Bowery Boys . They recruited Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, Billy Benedict, and David Gorcey from The East Side Kids. The Bowery Boys became an exceptionally popular staple of theaters and drive-ins, with

1540-429: The series, which then ended immediately. Bobby Jordan then suggested a meeting with his agent, Jan Grippo. Grippo, Gorcey, and Hall formed Jan Grippo Productions, revamped the format, and rechristened the series The Bowery Boys. (The earlier films' credits appear as "Leo Gorcey and The Bowery Boys".) Gorcey, who owned 40 percent of the company, starred in, produced, and contributed to the scripts. The new series followed

1584-421: The story "pure shit", and Huntz Hall , who became visibly upset when asked about the incident and called the allegation "a fucking lie!") At a subsequent meeting with Allied Artists executives, Gorcey demanded an increase on the 40% interest he held in the series. This was denied, and after a heated exchange, he stormed off the studio lot. Gorcey claimed to have quit, but Edward Bernds offered an opinion from behind

1628-630: The story at hand—and the limited casting budget. Dell often acted as a bridge between the real world and the Bowery gang he would summon to assist him. He reprised one of his East Side Kids roles in Hard Boiled Mahoney (1947), playing a myopic nerd with thick glasses, ascot, and cap. His final appearance was in Blues Busters in 1950, generally regarded as one of the funniest in the series. The early films such as In Fast Company (1946) flirted with

1672-442: The team at one time or another. Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison, "Scruno" in the East Side Kids films, declined an invitation to rejoin the gang. (He later stated in an interview that he "didn't like the setup," possibly referring to the idea of Gorcey and Hall being in the forefront, and being paid much more than the other members.) Bobby Jordan was also unhappy with the direction of the series, which favored Gorcey and Hall and limited

1716-640: Was an American actor and one of the members of what came to be known as the Dead End Kids , then later the East Side Kids and finally The Bowery Boys . Born in New York City, Dell almost made his stage debut a few years before Dead End when he and his sister were slated for roles in The Good Earth with Alla Nazimova and Claude Rains . Dell served in the United States Merchant Marine during World War II. He appeared in numerous films as

1760-408: Was completed, Bernard Gorcey was killed in an automobile accident, devastating his son Leo whose drinking became even heavier. It visibly affected his performance in the following film, Crashing Las Vegas (1956). During filming, he allegedly became violently unhinged, trashing the set and destroying every prop in sight (though this was vehemently denied in the 1980s by both David Gorcey , who called

1804-465: Was filmed in four weeks. Notorious penny-pincher Katzman spent only $ 33,000 per feature and made them in only five to seven days. He wasted no time or money on subtlety, story development, or more than two takes per scene. Leo Gorcey joined the series, with his brother, David Gorcey of the Little Tough Guys. "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison , the first child actor in the Our Gang comedies, was cast as "Scruno,"

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1848-411: Was released by Monogram Pictures. When Bobby Jordan and Leo Gorcey became available in 1940, Katzman signed them and "The East Side Kids" became a Monogram series. Katzman also signed Leo's brother David Gorcey and "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison , another Our Gang alumnus. Original Dead End Kids Huntz Hall and Gabriel Dell followed Jordan and Gorcey to Monogram, as did freelance juvenile Billy Benedict of

1892-415: Was replaced by Butch Williams, with former East Side Kids Bennie Bartlett and Buddy Gorman alternating in the role. The proprietor of the malt shop where they hung out was the panicky Louie Dumbrowski ( Bernard Gorcey , Leo's and David's real-life father). Like the previous incarnations of the team, the members went through a number of changes over the course of the series. Thirteen actors were members of

1936-445: Was successful enough to be renewed for the 1957 season. Four more films were made, with Eddie LeRoy joining the cast as bespectacled "Blinky." The gang returned to the sweet shop, now known as Clancy's Cafe, with its similarly put-upon proprietor Mike Clancy (played first by Percy Helton , then by Dick Elliott ). The studio had been releasing the Bowery Boys comedies to theaters every three months since 1946, and by 1957 they had become

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