That Gang of Mine was the second Monogram East Side Kids movie and was the first to feature Leo Gorcey as Muggs, the archetypal character he would play uninterrupted for the next seventeen years. Thanks to his small stature, he gets roped into jockeying in this episode, and while the narrative is no more complex or interesting than in any of the other series entries, the film has points of interest. First and foremost is the direction of Joseph H. Lewis, the 'B' specialist who is remembered today for Gun Crazy and The Big Combo. Lewis does his best to create interesting moments in the film, notably during an opening sequence atop a swaying gangplank. Also of considerable interest is the third billed presence of Clarence Muse as Ben, the African-American trainer of the horse Muggs' is going to ride. Whilst his role isn't entirely free of the racial stereotyping of the period, Muse is such a fine actor that he inevitably rises above it, offering perhaps the finest acting performance of ANY of the post-Warners East Side Kids/Bowery Boys productions. It's also worth noting that Sam--the analogous character in the recent Hollywood production Seabiscuit--has virtually no dialogue and simply follows orders. Things really haven't changed as much as we'd like to think they have.
