EAST SIDE KIDS (1940) The East Side Kids | Comedy, Drama, Romance | B&W

East Side Kids is a 1940 film and the first in the East Side Kids film series. It is the only one not to star any of the original six Dead End Kids. The film was released by producer Sam Katzman. This was also his first project at Monogram Pictures, which he joined shortly after the folding of his company Victory Pictures.

SYNOPSIS
After being falsely accused of murder, a group of street kids must uncover the real killer to clear their names. The situation begins when Police Officer Pat O'Day, a former tenement kid himself, tries to reform the local gang by involving them in a boys' police club. Things take a dark turn when club member Danny Dolan's brother, Knuckles, is sentenced to death row for the murder of a treasury agent—a crime Pat is convinced he didn't commit.

Just as Pat vows to help Danny clear Knuckles' name, he is demoted by the police commissioner and assigned to walk a beat, limiting his ability to investigate. Meanwhile, a dangerous counterfeiting ring, led by former tenement kid Mileaway Harris, along with Morris and his girlfriend May, sets up operations in a local shopkeeper's basement. Sensing that Pat might uncover their scheme, Morris hatches a plot to discredit the officer by hiring Pat's boys to distribute advertising leaflets, unknowingly paying them with counterfeit money. When the boys are caught, Pat is implicated in the crime.

Determined to prove his innocence and free Knuckles, Pat takes to the streets. Unaware of Morris' true motives, Danny agrees to deliver a suitcase for him to May. However, the situation spirals out of control when a policeman follows Danny to May's apartment, only to be murdered by Mileaway, who then takes Danny hostage. During the ordeal, Danny discovers that Mileaway is the true killer of the treasury agent, the crime for which Knuckles was framed.

In a desperate pursuit, Pat tracks down Mileaway, leading to a tense chase across town. The chase ends on a rooftop where Danny’s friend Dutch bravely confronts Mileaway. Tragically, both Dutch and Mileaway fall from the rooftop; Dutch is killed, but Mileaway survives long enough to confess to the murder, exonerating both Knuckles and Pat. In the end, justice is served, and the kids are finally cleared of all charges.

CAST & CREW
Hal E. Chester as Fred "Dutch" Kuhn
Harris Berger as Danny Dolan
Frankie Burke as Skinny
Jack Edwards as Algernon 'Mouse' Wilkes
Donald Haines as Peewee
Eddie Brian as Mike
Sam Edwards as Pete
Leon Ames as Pat O'Day
Dennis Moore as Milton 'Mileway' Harris
Joyce Bryant as Molly Dolan
Vince Barnett as Whisper
Dave O'Brien as 'Knuckles' Dolan
Ted Adams as Schmidt
Maxine Leslie as May
Robert Fiske as Cornwall
Jim Farley as Police Captain Moran
Alden 'Stephen' Chase as Detective Joe
Fred Hoose as Mr. Wilkes
Eric Burtis as Eric
Frank Yaconelli as Tony the grocer

Directed by: Robert F. Hill
Written by: William Lively
Produced by: Sam Katzman
Starring:
Leon Ames
Dennis Moore
Joyce Bryant
East Side Kids
Cinematography: Art Reed
Edited by: Earl Turner
Music by: Johnny Lange, Lew Porter
Distributed by: Monogram Pictures Corporation
Release Date: February 10, 1940 (U.S.)
Running Time: 62 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English