That Gang Of Mine

That Gang Of Mine
1940 - Monogram
Directed by Joseph H. Lewis


(from my personal collection)


SYNOPSIS

Muggs (Leo Gorcey) dreams of being a jockey and making serious dough, even though he's never even been on a horse. As he and his fellow East Side Kids' clubhouse is getting painted, the group hangs out at an abandoned stable. Muggs lives out his dream riding a sawhorse, with the others cheering him on, as Danny (Bobby Jordan) plays an impassioned radio announcer calling the faux-race.
Muggs falls and literally lands on top of a Thoroughbred horse. The horse and his owner Ben (Clarence Muse) are taking refuge at the stable after a long trip from Kentucky. The kids get some money (legally) to get Muggs riding the horse (named Blue Knight) in a race. Ben trains Muggs, but Muggs isn't as fearless as he makes himself out to be. He's scared of speed.
Meanwhile, some crooked gamblers try to keep Blue Knight out of the race by burning down the stable. The horse escapes and Muggs pulls a gravely injured Ben from the blaze.
Muggs is forced to come to terms with his shortcomings as a jockey and convinces another racer to take his place, so Ben has a better chance of seeing his horse win, before he dies.

MY THOUGHTS

The East Side Kids films could be summed up in one word, horrible. The films were shot in less than a week for a budget of what looks like 25 bucks, none of which seemingly went to the screenwriters. I should frown upon them and have nothing but contempt for them... but I LOVE them. This was the third of the 22 films in the series.

The real key to their enduring success are the performances of Gorcey, Jordan, and Morrison (later Huntz Hall and Gabriel Dell.)

Leo Gorcey shows much more range than he really ever did before or after here. Muggs' inner struggle over his fears of racing and/or letting his friends down really humanizes him and seems less cartoonish than he usually did.

Bobby Jordan is insanely likable. His Danny is a great friend to Muggs and can be serious and quick witted. The two actors play off each other well, which you have to chalk up to their 5 year working relationship (by this point.) Jordan's a very underrated actor.

'Sunshine Sammy' Morrison is also a delight. He's the goofy comic relief here. The writers of the series often saddled him with nauseating levels of racism. Here he mentions that his 'pappy was from Kentuck.' This was only an inkling that was to come, which many would exclaim:



Character actor Clarence Muse is able to rise above any of the racial stereotyping based on his strong performance. Ben is a sagely teacher and Muse delivers what just might be the best 'guest' performance in the series.

There is a great bit of slapstick at the beginning of the film as Danny, Scruno, and the boys are 'redecorating' the outside of their club. Once Blue Knight comes into the picture the siliness takes a back seat to the drama, but the transition is done in a smooth manner.

The horse racing scenes are well shot, despite the time and budget constraints.

This is not one of the best of the series, yet not one of the worst. It is an entertaining way to spend 62 minutes.

A recent interview with the only surviving East Side Kid from this film, Eugene (Algy) Francis, can be found here, courtesy of www.filmsofthegoldenage.com