Little Tough Guy

This film is one of the earliest incarnations of The Dead End Kids--a group of lovable tough teens who were first introduced in the play "Dead End" and who appeared in several films for Warner Brothers AND Universal. The Warner films were more popular (as well as better) and included "Dead End" (the movie version of the play) and "Crime School". As for Universal, they hired some of these boys away from Warner for a few films and serials. Not only the composition of the Dead End Kids changed over the years but so did their name--being renamed 'The Little Toughguys' (for Universal), then The East Side Kids and ultimately The Bowery Boys. Lovers of these films will no doubt recognize Huntz Hall, Billy Halop and even David Gorcey (Leo's brother) in "Little Tough Guys" but many of the other regulars of the era are missing (Bobby Jordan and Leo Gorcey were not signed by Universal and would return later after the Little Toughguy films ended). In total, they'd make 89 films and three serials for four different studios! Confusing? A bit...but is "Little Toughguys" any good? That IS the important thing as far as this review goes.

Johnny Boyland (Billy Halop) is mad. His father was convicted of murder. The family is evicted and Johnny's sister is fired because of her father...even though she'd done nothing wrong. The family is clearly in crisis. Not surprisingly, Johnny vows to be bad and lead a life of crime. So, he assembles a gang which turns out to be financed by the teenage son of the District Attorney who convicted Johnny's father! What gives? What's really going on here?!

This is pretty typical of these earlier films featuring the boys--with a strong emphasis on crime and rehabilitation. In other words, they have a strong social conscience. Later the boys would be less criminal...more just knuckleheads! All in all, entertaining and very similar to other early films from these boys.

This film gives great insight as to how life was for many "street" kids in NYC right after the depression and it is eerily similar to the plight of street kids in NYC today. The "dead end kids" is an awesome name. They are wanna be thugs; Violent, aggressive, uneducated, beligerent, witty and daring. One kid even wears a yankee baseball jersey with # 3 on the back just like the kids wear Derek Jeter jerseys today.)

Up until a few years ago, the lower east side was a similarly tough area, except it was inhabited by mostly people of color. Gentrification began in the 90s and has since transformed the lower east side into an affluent, yuppie filled, unaffordable place to live for the average citizen of any color in NYC.

While watching the movie, I listened to the street-slang and trouble-making behavior of the "dead end kids", and I couldn't help but saying to myself that this would be a so called "hood" film if it had been made today, like "Juice" starring Omar Epps and Tupac. Funny how the names and faces have changed, but the story is still the same.

Being from NYC myself, I felt suspended in time while watching it. My Mom was 2 and my father(may he rest in peace) was 11 in 1938.

The weakest and least known of all the film series spawned from the "Dead End" Kids were those made by Universal. These Universal films which were cranked out between 1938 and 1943, overlapped the concurrent "Dead End" Kids at Warner Bros (1938-1939), and The East Side Kids films (1940-1945) at Monogram. LITTLE TOUGH GUY was the first of Universals contribution to the series. This first entry is only passable. The first half is poorly directed and many elements are hard to take. The second half, when the kids go on a wild crime spree comes off better. Of interest to fans of the series is seeing Huntz Hall, in a departure from playing his usual dumbbell role, plays a real tough guy in this one. This was also David Gorceys first appearance in the series. His more famous brother Leo was not in this one (nor any of the subsequent Universal entries). Hally Chester also makes him debut as a gang member in this one (he previously had a bit part in CRIME SCHOOL.)

In their third team appearance, "The 'Dead End' Kids" are: Billy Halop (as Johnny Boylan), Huntz Hall (as "Pig"), Gabriel Dell (as "String"), Bernard Punsly (as "Ape"), Hal E. "Hally" Chester (as "Dopey"), and David Gorcey (as "Sniper"). After this film, Universal Pictures, the third of several studios to cash in on the Kids' popularity, adopted "Little Tough Guys" as a series co-title; possibly, in case United Artists or Warner Brothers legally challenged their use of "Dead End Kids". In this film "Little Tough Guy" refers to Mr. Halop only, the leader of the pack.

Universal was only able to obtain four original "Dead Enders" for their first outing; so, substituting for Bobby Jordan and Leo Gorcey, and making their first appearances as members of the expanding "Bowery" team, are "Hally" Chester and David Gorcey (Leo's brother). Both would continue with the group. Brat packer Jackie Searl (as Cyril Gerrard), who not only joins, but also takes over as "Little Tough Guys" leader, would only make a couple of peripheral reappearances. Herein, his snobbishness balances the grim and gritty quite nicely.

Although you wouldn't expect it, this is one of the best "little" films in the whole "Dead End-East Side-Bowery Kid" cache. The plot is fairly typical, but handled well - Halop's teen angst turns to anger after his father is wrongly arrested, for killing a policeman. Following a miscarriage of justice, Halop soothes his sorrows by descending into a "Dead End" lifestyle. Halop has a firm grasp of this material, and performs the melodrama with his usual expertise.

Another cast member tuning in an excellent performance is matronly Marjorie Main (as Mrs. Boylan). A keen actress, Ms. Main gives her "mother" character an almost unseemly underbelly. Note how Main's "theatrics" fit perfectly with the lines her children address her with: daughter Helen Parish (as Kay Boylan) says, "Oh Mom, quit acting," and Halop tells Main, "Gee, Ma, you look just like a movie star." So, Main plays her part as a failed movie star, lamenting her age and poverty.

The 1930s New York City interior and exterior sets are terrific. Halop says, "I gotta keep moving," and director Harold Young fills the running time with a lot of movement - there are people everywhere. Both Young and photographer Elwood Bredell excel. Ms. Parrish and Robert Wilcox (as Paul Wilson) are sweet, in the "romantic" adult roles. There are a myriad of extras, with Richard Selzer (as Bud) among the "worst dressed" background kids - later, Mr. Selzer became the "Top 10" fashion conscious "Mr. Blackwell".

******** Little Tough Guy (7/22/38) Harold Young ~ Billy Halop, Jackie Searl, Marjorie Main

LITTLE TOUGH GUY (Universal, 1938), directed by Harold Young, best known for his direction of the British adventure classic, THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (1934), became the studio's answer and contribution to the Samuel Goldwyn social drama, DEAD END (1937). Though not as classic as DEAD END nor ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (Warner Brothers, 1938), thus missing tough guy leadership provided by either Humphrey Bogart or James Cagney, LITTLE TOUGH GUY contains some of the familiar plot elements along with gang members from the aforementioned dramas as Billy Halop, Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, and Bernard Punsley, yet missing Leo Gorcey and Bobby Jordan in the process. There's even an added attraction of Marjorie Main from DEAD END once again playing the long suffering mother, with little or no opportunity doing her forte in comedy.

Set in the tenements of New York City, the story revolves around the Boylan family: Kay (Helen Parrish), the eldest child of Jim and Mrs. Boylan (Edward Pawley and Marjorie Main), engaged to marry Paul Wilson (Robert Wilcox). She also has a younger teenage brother named Johnny (Billy Halop) who would rather be working than going to school. Johnny is admired by Rita Belle Warren (Peggy Stewart), but gives little attention to how he feels about her. As unemployed Jim Boylan attempts finding a new job at a factory where employees are striking for better wages, he's later accused and arrested for the murder of a policeman. For this, Johnny finds himself being ignored by his friends; Kay loses her job and breaks her engagement to Paul; leading to the Boylans become evicted from their apartment, having to move to another part of town. As Johnny earns money selling newspapers on street corners, he encounters gang leader "Pig" (Huntz Hall). Following a street fight in which Johnny wins, he soon develops a lasting friendship with Pig and his gang, String (Gabriel Dell), Sniper (David Gorcey) and Dopey (Hally Chester). After his father is found guilty and executed, Johnny and his new friends join forces in forming a crime wave on their own, even taking in Cyril Gerrard (Jackie Searl), a bored rich kid out for adventure, and getting deeper in trouble along the way. Featuring Helen MacKeller, Olin Howland, Charles Trowbridge and Robert Homans in smaller roles.

What makes LITTLE TOUGH GUY most interesting, especially for anyone familiar with the much latter and better known works of Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall in the long-running "Bowery Boys" series for Monogram (1946-1958) is the presence of Huntz Hall. Better known for playing goofy characters from that series, he's believably good playing a tough gang leader. Though the first half of the plot development revolves around Billy Halop and other characters (Robert Wilcox and Helen Parrish), the second half builds up considerably involving the teenage crime wave.

Interestingly, Universal produced what developed into "The Little Tough Guys" series (1938-1943), but aside from the 85 minute LITTLE TOUGH GUY playing as part of a 45-minute featurette in public television's "Matinee at the Bijou" in the 1980s, and becoming available on both video cassette and DVD, the subsequent films that followed, with Halop playing different character roles in some, never became as famous as Monogram's most televised "East Side Kids" and "The Bowery Boys." LITTLE TOUGH GUY does not go without interest and should be considered for viewing at least once. (**1/2)