That Gang of Mine

With his gang's clubhouse closed for repairs, Bobby Jordan (as Danny Dolan) moves "The East Side Kids" back to a (horse) stable hangout. There, young Mr. Jordan, hard-boiled Leo Gorcey (as Muggs Maloney), Ernest "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison (as Scruno), David Gorcey (as Peewee), and Donald Haines (as Skinny) meet ageing horseman Clarence Muse (as Ben). Jordan and Mr. Muse help Mr. Gorcey realize his dream - to become a professional jockey. For "That Gang of Mine", Jordan is incredibly appealing, Gorcey is a natural jockey wannabe, and Muse contributes an engaging "guest" performance. Director Joseph H. Lewis makes the most of ordinary production values.

***** That Gang of Mine (9/23/40) Joseph H. Lewis ~ Bobby Jordan, Leo Gorcey, Clarence Muse

This is the second East Side Kids film to feature former Our Ganger Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison as Scruno. In this one, Muggs (Leo Gorcey) wants to be a jockey and so when Clarence Muse arrives at the gang's barn with a horse, Muggs befriends Muse and gets his chance. Now in some films, an unlikely hero cast as the lead usually emerges triumphant against all odds. What happens here I'll just let you find out when you decide to watch this and yes, That Gang of Mine is worth a look for any fan of the East Side Kids. Another point of interest is Ernie Morrison's character having an interesting dialogue with Muse about Muggs and their take of his chances and how they know about what they know. Also, Mr. Morrison does an entertaining tap dancing scene when Muse sings a song.

Plot-- Gorcey's convinced beyond reason that he's a born jockey and can win a trophy race if he can just ride his favorite horse. And that's despite the riding mistakes he keeps making and the Kids' own doubts. So what's the outcome going to be.

The flick's more dramatic than most Kids entries. The slap-happy's at a minimum, while Gorcey's efforts at becoming a jockey aboard promising race horse Blue Knight takes over the storyline. Gorcey shows his acting chops, going through more moods than usual as he confronts many horse-riding set-backs. Movie really belongs to veteran Black actor Clarence Muse as Blue Knight's loving care-taker. Significantly, Black-man Muse's character remains sympathetic, worldly wise, and not mocked for laughs in the style of the day. Still, there are some amusing lines as when one Kid says he has an idea while another Kid wonders if it hurts! Anyway, the entry has its own particular merits, along with a rather surprise ending that I wasn't expecting. But don't look for many humorous head-swats, or antics from that great looney, Huntz Hall.

This is a solid East Side Kids feature that combines their familiar style with an equally familiar story setup about a young man's dream, producing something slightly different from either. It successfully avoids being predictable, while offering Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan, and the rest plenty of chances to display their boisterous style.

The story has Gorcey, as Muggs, dreaming of becoming a famous jockey. This seemingly unsuitable choice of profession sets up an interesting story that even has a few thoughtful moments. Clarence Muse does quite a good job as Muggs's kindly, wise mentor (and as a side-note, it's one of the better roles for an African-American to be found in the B-movies of the era). While the other adult characters are mostly one-dimensional, they each serve a purpose in the way that things turn out.

Along the way there are a number of chances for Gorcey, Jordan, and the rest to engage in some amusing silliness, yet director Joseph H. Lewis maintains a decent balance between that and more substantial material. As a result, it's not bad at all, and is worth seeing, at least for those who like the East Side Kids and their style.

THAT GANG OF MINE (Monogram, 1940), directed by Joseph H. Lewis, the third in the "East Side Kids" series, should have been titled THAT HORSE OF MINE. Rather than a story dealing with rival gangs with street rumbles, it more about horse racing set outside New York City's Bowery section where the East Side Kids reside. For its second official installment featuring series regulars as Bobby Jordan, Leo Gorcey, Donald Haines, David Gorcey, "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison and Eugene Francis, it also became Dave O'Brien's final role as Danny's older brother and guardian, "Knuckles." O'Brien would return for three more installments playing different characters. Though Bobby Jordan (the one with the striped shirt) continues to head the cast, the story, as in most of the series, centers mostly on the second-billed Leo Gorcey.

The story opens with the Eastside Kids, Danny Dolan (Bobby Jordan), Pee-Wee (David Gorcey), Skinny (Donald Haines) and Scruno (Sammy Morrison) fooling around while supposedly to be painting their club. Muggs Maloney (Leo Gorcey), who feels "work is for suckers," is seen waiting for a letter from Jimmy Sullivan, a notable jockey, which doesn't get delivered. It's soon learned that Muggs ambition is to become a jockey. With the suggestion of Danny's brother, "Knuckles" (Dave O'Brien), the boys get some racing atmosphere by coming to the Acme stable. While there, they meet Ben (Clarence Muse), an old horseman from Kentucky down on his luck living in the barn with his prized possession thoroughbred racehorse, Blue Knight. It's Ben who becomes Muggs' trainer with Algernon "Algy" Wilkes (Eugene Francis), a sophisticated friend of the East Side Kids, to have his father, Conrad (Milton Kibbee) put up the $100 entrance fee for Muggs. Though the horse is recognized by Morgan (Forrest Taylor) to have great racing potential, Muggs loses his confidence as a jockey to later find his idol Jimmy Sullivan (Nick Wall) to be a major disappointment; and gamblers, Nick Buffalo (Wilbur Mack) and "Blackie" Towne (Richard B, Terry) entering the scene to throw the race. Co-starring Joyce Bryant (Knuckle's Girl, Louise) and Hazel Keener (Mrs. Wilkes) in supporting roles.

Clocked at 62 minutes (with Savoy Pictures reissue being five minutes shorter), THAT GANG OF MINE is a satisfactory time filler. Little comedy to this straight-laced drama. There is a moment where deep singing voice of Clarence Muse vocalizing "All God's Children" while Scruno goes into his dance. The idea of placing Muggs as a jockey would turn up again in MR. MUGGS RIDES AGAIN (Monogram, 1945), one of the last films of the "East Side Kids" series.

Although the movie contains some interesting tracking and camera shots, some portions are still poorly edited, the true charm of Monogram Pictures. Regardless of its faults, this series did improve from one film to the next before coming to a close in 1945, and revamped far more successfully as "The Bowery Boys" series (1946-1958) headed by Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hal respectively.

Available on video cassette and DVD format, THAT GANG OF MINE turned up on cable television, notably Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: September 13, 2004). Next installment: PRIDE OF THE BOWERY (1941) starring Leo Gorcey and Bobby Jordan in that order. (**1/2)