Sucursal do Inferno

When you come down to it, THE DEAD END KIDS were a teenage version of OUR GANG/THE LITTLE RASCALS, only with more trouble on their hands! These guys were a phenom when they all made their debut in the iconic DEAD END (1937) for Warner Brothers. And it's not to say, as I have mentioned in my last review, that they didn't drive ole Jack Warner and company bonkers with their antics, both on and off the screen! That said, the kids had an immense amount of talent, of course lead by the outrageous Leo Gorcey! Gorcey admitted in a 1960s radio interview (on YOUTUBE) that they did a lot of crazy stuff on the lot and were very lucky. No one in Hollywood had ever seen their likes before, and perhaps that was made them so original. Here, the gang goes after distinguished Grant Mitchell, who runs a reformatory like a prison. This scenario is not new by any means, but it makes for some dynamic confrontations, including poor Bobby Jordon being locked in a freezer by Mitchell and eventually dying.

The kids are aided by Stanley Fields (as Buck) a Runyanesque character if there ever was one, playing a reformed gangster himself who steals a lot of scenes here! Fields was in high demand throughout the 1930s up until his sudden death in 1941. This film marks Ronald Reagan's first appearance with the Dead End Kids, portraying Jim, a social worker who is watching over the boys. It was either Gorcey or Huntz Hall, in later years, that said Reagan (behind the scenes) was originally a bit scared of them and kept his distance! At least in this film. Beautiful Margaret Lindsay plays Beth, the other social worker and, of course, love interest for Reagan. There are some publicity shots of Lindsay and Gorcey kidding around and look like they are genuinely enjoying each others company (she was not married at the time!), so there are two sides to a story! Gorcey also said he had a crush on Ann Sheridan, who he worked with at WB. Also the great Vera Lewis is in the cast as Sarah, who majored in matronly roles for decades, later to appear in the Bowery Boys SPOOK BUSTERS as a mean old lady! She was in many classics. Note the cool names the guys have; Gorcey plays Gyp, Hall plays Bingo and Gabe Dell as Ace. This was directed by veteran German silent film director EA DuPont, who did a superb job, especially with the powerful ending. Always on Warner Brothers box set dvd.

Hell's Kitchen (1939)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

The Dead End Kids star in this remake of The Mayor of Hell and Crime School. This time out (again) a gangster (Stanley Fields) gets out of going to prison but he must do good in the community so he gets involved with a reform school where he soon learns that the owner is abusing the boys. If you've seen either of the previous versions then you won't be shocked by anything that happens here but Fields is good enough to raise the material to a watchable level. There's several failed attempts at humor, which brings the film down some but the drama is pretty strong throughout. Ronald Reagan plays Fields lawyer.

Crime boss Buck Caesar gets a suspended sentence. Supported by his nephew and lawyer Jim Donahue (Ronald Reagan), he decides to go legit. His criminal minions are not so supportive. Jim suggests contributing to a reform school for boys. Unbeknownst to them, the place is a cruel place run by Krispan. He fires caring teacher Beth Avery which happens to be seen by Buck and Jim. Buck is taking over. He intends to reform the reform school.

It's the "Dead End" kids. It's their third movie. The subject matter is still serious with some moments of humor. It has the stiff acting of Ronald Reagan. He's the quintessential square jaw actor. Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall are still only two of the boys. It's good standard Dead End Kids.

Once again RONALD REAGAN is involved with The Dead End Kids, only this time the romantic interest is supplied by MARGARET LINDSAY rather than ANN SHERIDAN. Otherwise, the plot here resembles the studio's other Dead End Kids entry, ANGELS WASH THEIR FACES produced the same year, in that the Kids put the bad man on trial and eventually put him out of business.

GRANT WITHERS is the corrupt principal of a reform school who uses dirty tactics to keep his kids in line, even to the point of punishing a sick kid who fails to survive solitary confinement. It's up to Ronald Reagan, on the good side of the law with Margaret Lindsay, to urge the boys not to take vigilante justice.

Warner Bros. apparently intended this to be a showcase, not for Reagan or Lindsay, but The Dead End Kids who get all the prominence in the script. It's all got a familiar ring, but is directed in brisk style by Lewis Seiler and is lively enough to hold the interest.

Nevertheless, it never rises above the ordinary and the overall impression is that of a formula crime melodrama, the kind that Warners churned out pretty frequently in the late '30s and early '40s.

That doesn't mean "Hell's Kitchen" isn't worth a viewing though. The cast is fantastic, where you have the Dead End Kids, Ronald Reagan, the gorgeous Margaret Lindsey, and other familiar faces. Stanley Fields is a decent mug leaving the rackets, and Grant Mitchell also plays a fantastic evil head of the reform school.

Fields plays Buck, who is on probation and wants to clean up the school. There are some decent curiosities, like hockey footage that resembles a 1939 version of "Slap Shot," and Frankie Burke, the Cagney lookalike (and soundalike) first seen as a young Rocky Sullivan in "Angels with Dirty Faces." His film career lasted only four years but he managed to appear in no less than eighteen films.

As good as Stanley Fields is, it's tough to beat Cagney in "The Mayor of Hell," which also had the advantage of being pre-code. The Dead End Kids take over the movie, with Billy Halop and Leo Gorcey getting the most lines.

Overall, a decent enough movie, but not one you'll be in a rush to view again. Still, decent.