LET'S GET TOUGH (Monogram, 1942), a Banner Production directed by Wallace Fox, becomes the ninth entry to the "East Side Kids" series featuring Leo Gorcey (Muggs Maginnis), Bobby Jordan (Danny), Huntz Hall (Glimpy), David Gorcey (Pee-Wee), Bobby Stone (Skinny) and "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison (Scruno). For this edition, the Danny character not only acquires a new last name, "Collins," but a new brother, now enacted by Tom Brown. Gabriel Dell reverts back to villain role, this time as a German-born Nazi named Fritz Heinbach Jr., stationed in the Bowery section of Manhattan with his father.
With the United States into war, the story opens with the East Side Kids and crowd of spectators watching a parade of soldiers marching down the street. Wanting to do something for their country, they first try to enlist in the Army, Marines and finally the Navy, but are all too young to enlist in active duty. Danny Collins (Bobby Jordan) has a brother, Phil (Tom Brown) in the Navy. When he returns home, it is learned that he has been dishonorably discharged. This news has Officer "Pop" Stevens (Robert Armstrong) forbid his sister, Nora (Florence Rice) from ever seeing him again. Wanting to be good citizens, the East Side Kids take the law into their own hands by stirring trouble among an antique shop managed by a Japanese couple, only to be told by Officer Stevens what they did was a serious mistake on their part. Later its owner, Mr. Keno, is found stabbed by the kids, with Glimpy lifting a note from the body with Japanese writing. Making themselves "Junior G-Men," The East Side Kids do some investigating for themselves, to later discover Danny's brother might have some connection with a spy ring known as the Black Dragon Society. Further complications ensue when Nora mysteriously disappears after entering a Japanese tea shop. Featured in the cast are Sam Bernard (Fritz Heinbach Sr.); Philip Ahn (Joe Matsui); and Pat Costello (Randall, the Navy Recruiter).
More drama than comedy, comedy scenes that put this otherwise straight drama off balance are Glimpy taking violin lessons from his music teacher (Jerry Bergen), and another involving the kids with Glimpy's mother (Patsy Moran). While certain scenes are out of character for the East Side Kids, namely bearing false judgment against those who are or happen to be mistaken for Japanese, the duration of the story, with fine mix of propaganda and mystery, improves during its last half hour. Robert Armstrong, best known as Carl Denham in KING KONG (1933), is an asset here, as are the familiar faces of Tom Brown and Florence Rice in support. Theatrically released at 63 minutes, beware of badly edited jump cut 55 minute edition which makes viewing impossible to comprehend.
Available on both home video and DVD format, cable television broadcasts for LET'S GET TOUGH have been on either Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: May 24, 2004) and MGM Plus. Next in the series: SMART ALECKS (1942). (**)
