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.
