Díme con quién andas

I can't remember exactly when I saw "City Across the River" but it was an awfully long time ago on television. But when "Saturday Night Fever" came out with its good guy-bad guy bands of friends who were sometimes dancing and sometimes raiding other gangs and it's last scene on the bridge, I thought, "This is a remake of 'City Across the River.'" We see the main characters of "City Across the River" as high students in a Brooklyn high school taking an industrial arts class. When they get a bit rowdy, the frustrated "shop" teacher yells, "I want it quiet!" One of the students sarcastically calls out in his Brooklyn accent, "Hey! Teach wants it quiet!" Another joins in, "Yeah! Teach wants it quiet!" Within a few seconds each in the entire classroom of students is banging on his shop project with a tool while chanting, "And a one and a two and a Teach wants it quiet. And a one and a two and a Teach wants it quiet!" as they march/dance in a circle around the shop tables. The high school principal arrives, demands the identity of the two ring leaders of this riot, and suspends them. Neither is to return without a parent. The two culprits approach the shop teacher after school and try to effect a reconciliation. "Come on. Gimme a break, would ya? My faddah's in jail and my muddah's gotta woik!" "Yeah, mine too. Give us a break, would ya?" When the shop teacher says it is out of his hands, the two students pull out a zip gun to threaten him. The zip gun goes off and Teach is dead. This is just one of a collection of problems Our Gang has as they are Staying Alive in Brooklyn. And the dance party hasn't even started yet.

Not only have I seen this movie but I also saw it being filmed -The location where it was shot was the Williamsburgh section of Brooklyn NY - The picture was an adaptation of popular book of the time titled "The Amboy Dukes". Amboy Street was actually located in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. I guess the filmmakers didn't think Brownsville was seedy enough so they shot all exterior shots in Williamsburgh. Ironically my family lived in Brownsville before moving to Williamsburgh so you can see how the family fortunes were progressing. My mother had owned a candy store on Pennsylvania Ave. right across the street from Thomas Jefferson High School in Brownsville in the early 1940"s . The movie was shot around the corner from where I lived in Williamsburgh. I recall seeing some of the "gang" sitting in a small panel truck waiting for the set-up to be completed. Sitting there was Tony Curtis. I recall a crowd shot being filmed on Havemyer Street one night. The block was brightly lighted and I remember thinking that they needed an awful lot of light to film. When I actually saw the finished picture this scene was a day time sequence. What did I know. The film crew also placed a billboard on the building at the corner of South 2nd St. (where I lived) and Havemyer Street. "Happy Times Poolhall" it flashed. That billboard was still there months after filming but it reminded me of our brief connection with Hollywood every time I saw it. I sure would like to see this picture come out on DVD so I could constantly play it and see the "old neighborhood".

"City Across the River" is a film about a gang of young punks who are being pulled towards lives of crime by a two-bit hood, Gaggsy. At the same time, a do-gooder, Stan Albert (Stephen McNally), is trying to get through to them and point them towards becoming decent citizens. Of the young punks, the story centers mostly on Frank Cusack....and Frank and his pal end up getting in some very, very serious trouble!

During this era, there were a lot of exploitation films about 'youth gone wild', though I wouldn't place "City Across the River" in this category. It's not so much exploitation but more like a Dead End Kids movie combined with film noir. Overall, a decent picture...though the preachy prologue and epilogue was NOT necessary in the least.

By the way, if you watch the film look for young Tony Curtis and Richard Jaekel as two of the hoodlums in the gang.

There was a boatload of talent in this film; but not from the leads or even supporting actors, except for the incomparable Thelma Ritter. Richard Jaekel went on to a fine career in many roles. But we find a little gem for Anthony Curtis, who is Tony Curtis, of course. He shows little of the promise of his fine later acting career. but certainly fits in Brooklyn. The film could without the corny commentary by the overblown newspaper icon. On its own merit and without voiceover, the film is good enough by itself. So stop making guns in shop, kids.

City Across the River is a 1949 film from Universal about juvenile delinquency. We are treated first to a lecture about it by newspaper columnist Drew Pearson. He appears at the beginning of the film and has a voiceover at the end.

This was Tony Curtis' first credited appearance. He played Mitch under his original billing of Anthony Curtis. He was first discovered by fans while dancing, uncredited, with Yvonne de Carlo in Criss Cross.

The story concerns a Brooklyn neighborhood gang, The Dukes. They're tough kids who take occasional jobs from goombas where they beat someone up, carry handmade guns, go to trade school and can be difficult with teachers.

On the other side is the community center, run by Stan Albert (Stephen McNally), who knows the kids and tries to get them involved in things like basketball. Frankie (Peter Fernandez) is basically a good kid who has been involved with the center, but has fallen in with the Dukes.

His hard-working parents (Thelma Ritter and Luis van Rooten) want to get out of the neighborhood. Frankie's father decides to give up his dream of a grocery store in a better area and instead use their savings to purchase a house. However, a hospital bill takes that money.

The Dukes get into big trouble with a teacher, Mr. Bannon (Robert Osterloh). He demands to see the Dukes' parents. Frankie and Benny (Al Ramsen) try later to reason with him, Benny's zip gun goes off, killing Bannon.

The cops (Jeff Corey and Al Eben) know Frankie was involved, but he won't talk.

A depressing film in a way - even though it was 70 years ago, people still work hard to attempt to better themselves, and it remains difficult. We still have bored, disenfranchised kids everywhere. Dismal.

The actors are very good. Curtis has a small part, but he makes a perfect juvenile. The rest of the gang - those mentioned, plus Joshua Shelley, Richard Jaeckel, Mickey Knox, and Joe Turkel.

The production values aren't as high as other films focusing on juveniles, but the realistic, gritty presentation is right for the subject matter. Maxwell Shane did an effective directing job. Someone commented parts of the area looked like postwar Berlin - true.