O Pequeno Gangster

Popular small town Andrew Jackson High School senior Jackie Cooper (as Lawrence "Larry" Kelly) is looking forward to attending West Point with best friend Tommy Wonder (as William "Bill" Davis). Mr. Cooper is also romancing his pal's shapely sister Lucy Gilman (as Julie Davis). Things get even better for Cooper when his father returns, after a long absence. However, jovial and wealthy Robert Warwick (as Tim 'Knuckles' Kelly) comes back into town with a secret - he's an ex-gangster!

When a pair of reporters breaks the news, Cooper is ostracized as a "Gangster's Boy"...

This is a mediocre production for Cooper, who could still be impressive in a good role; alas, they were getting fewer and farther between. Cooper does his best, and plays the drums well. Also impressive are some of his young friends. Telling Cooper, "My old man was a bootlegger too," future "East Side Kids" regular Bobby Stone (as Salvatore) makes a swell impression. And, Mr. Wonder is the highlight, in a great dance routine. Today, he'd be break-dancing at Glendale's Hoover High School...

***** Gangster's Boy (11/16/38) William Nigh ~ Jackie Cooper, Tommy Wonder, Robert Warwick, Bobby Stone

This was another Monogram B-movie Jackie Cooper made around the late '30s when he was no longer a cute little boy but a teenager that no major studio knew what to do with. As the title implies, he's the son of a former bootlegger-who returns home after being away for awhile-which ostracizes him from much of the high school crowd-when they find out from the papers-except for his best friend, his girlfriend who's his best friend's sister, and the principal. Jackie's just glad to have his father back based on some of their banter though the mother is hesitant at first. The drama is a bit uneven since there's no confrontation between Cooper and his father about his revelation and a music score might have helped in selling the melodrama concerning some of the other dramatic events that happen later on. Still, Cooper was good at what he was given and the supporting cast was okay as well. So on that note, Gangster's Boy is worth a look. P.S. As a Chicago native, I was nicely surprised that player Lucy Gilman was born and died there and was a radio actress as a child.

In this film Jackie Cooper plays this incredibly straight arrow high school kid who is a star athlete, star academician, plays drums in the local band and dreams of going to West Point with his good friend Tommy Wonder. They're friends even though Cooper lives on the wrong side of the tracks and his father is something of a traveling man. But he's come home to stay now and he's loaded with dough. Who would suspect that Cooper, son of Robert Warwick, is really a Gangster's Boy.

Comes as much of a shock to Jackie as the rest of the town when a nosy reporter breaks the scoop. Overnight he becomes a pariah, the only one who knew was Jackie's mother Louise Lorimer and she's been keeping the secret all these years. It's Wonder's father Selmer Jackson who is leading the shunning of Warwick and his family in the town, though his own kids don't think it's fair.

But Cooper proves more than his worth when he rather stupidly takes the blame for an automobile accident where a kid on bicycle is hit. It was an accident, but there was liquor found in the car. Cooper's ambition maybe West Point, but his code seems to come from the underworld, about not ratting. And of course everyone assumes he's to blame.

No gangland shootouts here, no gangster dialog, instead this is a maudlin story from Monogram with little production values and characters quite unbelievable. The players however are sincere and do give it their best shot. It's one terribly dated film and not very believable.