East Side Kids: Clancy Street Boys (1943)

[Scott]

CLANCY STREET BOYS (1943) - This is a good East Side Kids (a.k.a. The Bowery Boys) film as Ethelbert "Mugs" McGinnis begins the movie with his birthday and later finds out that his deceased father lied to his rich Texan uncle about how many kids they had and Mugs must help his mom by getting the gang to act in place of his fictitious brothers and sister. The gags are well done and it's a lot of fun. Use to watch these guys every Sunday morning on WPIX from New York in the 70's just before ABBOTT AND COSTELLO who would also come on every Sunday.



If you want to read up on the East Side Kids (a.k.a. Bowery Boys) you can find more info at http://boweryboys.bobfinnan.com/

Bought this double DVD for  $1 also has THAT GANG OF MINE (1940) which isn't as funny as CLANCY STREET BOYS (1943) and the sound quality is very poor.

The DVD also has and extra of THE THREE STOOGES in color minus Curly as they had some other actor stand in for him and they weren't as funny. Moe and Larry where much older in this short

Overall a great price for $1 at Target. You'll enjoy THE CLANCY STREET BOYS and it was decent DVD quality, but THAT GANG OF MINE sound was muffled to the point of distraction. My BURNS AND ALLEN DVD sets are also bad sound quality. Would like to get a hold on some quality BURNS AND ALLEN TV show episodes.

[Scottie]

What's the East Side Kids' gimmick? What era are they from? Are the a fun gang in that they do gags like the Little Rascals, or are they rough tumblers with jackets and switchblades. I've never heard of them, so I don't know.

Haha, kids with switchblades. Maybe they shouldn't be so tough. They'll put their own eye out figuring out the switchblade before they ever rumble with those diaper wearing Time Out Boys.

[The Burgomaster]

Scott:

It's about time that someone nominated you for an award.  Your posts definitely cover a wider range of movies than anyone else in this forum.  I'm impressed.

As for the East Side Kids, I must say that I'm a fan, but I haven't watched many of their movies in recent years.  (And, when I refer to the East Side Kids, I also mean the Dead End Kids and the Bowery Boys).

If you haven't already seen some of their more serious films, you should check them out.  My all time favorite is ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (with James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Ann Sheridan, and Humphrey Bogart).  Some other good ones are THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL (with John Garfield), DEAD END (with Bogey again), and ANGELS WASH THEIR FACES (with Ronald Reagan!!!!!)

Billy Halop was my favorite original Dead End Kid.  He was the leader of the gang in the early days.  If you want to see him in a surprisingly good role, check out TOM BROWN'S SCHOOL DAYS (1940), where he plays a bully at an English boys' school in the 1800s.  He also played Munson the cab driver on several episodes ALL IN THE FAMILY back in the 1970s.  He had the same distinctive voice as when he was a kid!    

[Scott]

Burgomaster I think your the one to win the award. You know a bit more about the Bowery Boys than I do. I remember them well, mostly just remember they where funny. I was about 10 or under when I use to watch them occasionally, but I would never missed ABBOTT AND COSTELLO on Sunday mornings just after them.

Scottie they are like young gangsters or juvinile deliquents. A step up from the THE LITTLE RASCALS and a tad under the likes of James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson, and Humphrey Bogart. Check them out you'll enjoy them.

By the way Hal Roach the creator of THE LITTLE RASCALS grew up and was buried in my hometown area of Elmira N.Y. The same cemetary Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) is buried in.

Clemens married a local Elmira girl and spent his summers there writing some of his best stories. Clemens home was in Hartford Conneticut. Grew up in Hanibal Missouri, and went to Virginia City Nevada in search of gold, and lived once lived in San Fransisco and eventually travelled the world.

Rod Sterling was also from our area. I think I'm off topic now.