''Million Dollar Kid'' is a 1944 American film directed by

Wallace Fox Wallace Fox (March 9, 1895 – June 30, 1958) was an American film director. He directed more than 80 films between 1927 and 1953. He was born in Purcell, Oklahoma, and died in Hollywood, California. Selected filmography * '' Trail of Co ...

starring the East Side Kids.

Plot

In the East Side Kids' clubhouse, Muggs McGinnis laments the epidemic of mugging that has been plaguing their streets. While waiting outside a store that afternoon, the boys witness a man being attacked in the alley and come to his defense, chasing away his assailants. In gratitude, the man, millionaire John Cortland, hands Muggs his business card. When the cynical Muggs tosses the card in a garbage can, Glimpy McClosky digs it out and finds the man's cash-laden wallet in the trash. After the boys deliver the wallet to Capt. Mathews of the police department, the captain mistakes them for the thieves and arrests them. Cortland soon arrives at the police station to claim his wallet, however, and identifies the boys as his rescuers. Upon discovering that the boys long for a gymnasium, Cortland invites them to his house the next day. There, Cortland shows them his son John Jr.'s basement gymnasium, and after explaining that John is overseas fighting, he offers the boys the use of the facilities. Escorting the boys upstairs, Cortland introduces them to his pretty daughter Louise and his son Roy, whose hand has been sprained. Noting Roy's injured hand, Muggs begins to suspect that he was involved in the robbery, but when Capt. Mathews asks for a description of the thieves, Muggs refuses to cooperate. Soon after, Louise's fiancé, French soldier Lt. Andre Dupree, arrives, and Louise informs her father that all the servants have quit, thus jeopardizing a dinner party she had planned for that evening. Attracted to Louise, Muggs suggests that his mother and Mrs. McClosky would be happy to cook and serve for the party. When Muggs overhears Andre drop his French accent during a phone conversation, he begins to suspect that he is a phony and decides to follow him. Muggs and Glimpy trail Andre to the Zig Zag Club, where he meets his paramour, showgirl Maizie Dunbar. Deciding to tell Louise the truth about her fiancé, Muggs and Glimpy return to the Cortland mansion, but Louise refuses to believe their story. Meanwhile, the other boys are walking past the neighborhood pool hall when they see Roy playing pool with two of the robbers. When Muggs returns to the clubhouse, the boys tell him about spotting Roy at the pool hall. Later that night, Muggs takes Maizie to the Cortland party, and when she sees Andre flirting with Louise, she jealously confronts him. After overhearing their heated conversation, Louise finally realizes that Andre is a gigolo and asks him to leave. Later, the doorbell rings, and when Muggs answers it, he is handed a telegram, notifying the Cortlands of John's death in combat. Summoning Cortland from the dinner table, Muggs gives him the bad news. Grief-stricken, Cortland faints and the boys carry him to his room. While upstairs, they sneak into Roy's room and find a cap worn by one of the robbers. Muggs vows to reform the boy, and after the party, the boys follow Roy to the pool hall. In the ensuing fight, Roy runs away and Muggs and the others chase him. During the mêlée, the crooks capture Skinny and take him hostage. When the boys catch Roy, Muggs challenges him to a boxing match to teach him a lesson. Hearing shouts coming from the gymnasium, Cortland goes to investigate and overhears Muggs interrogating Roy about the robbery. Soon after, Louise appears and announces that she has just received a phone call from Lefty, one of the crooks, who is threatening to harm Skinny if Roy informs on him. Angered, Roy agrees to lead the boys to Lefty's hideout. Once there, a brawl ensues and Muggs sends Roy home to safety. After subduing the crooks, Muggs and the boys deliver them to Capt. Mathews at police headquarters. Soon after, Roy enters the captain's office and turns himself in. When Muggs eloquently defends Roy and pleads for leniency, the captain decides to release Roy and suggests that Muggs champion the boy's case in court. Just then, Cortland arrives and, after forgiving his son, offers Muggs and the boys his heartfelt thanks.

Cast

The East Side Kids

Leo Gorcey Leo Bernard Gorcey (June 3, 1917– June 2, 1969) was an American stage and film actor, famous for portraying the leader of a group of hooligans known variously as the Dead End Kids, the East Side Kids and, as adults, The Bowery Boys. Gorcey was ...

as Muggs McGinnis *

Huntz Hall Henry Richard "Huntz" Hall (August 15, 1920 – January 30, 1999) was an American radio, stage, and movie performer who appeared in the popular " Dead End Kids" movies, including ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (1938), and in the later " Bowery ...

as Glimpy McClosky *

Billy Benedict William Benedict (April 16, 1917 – November 25, 1999), was an American actor, perhaps best known for playing "Whitey" in Monogram Pictures' The Bowery Boys series. Early years Benedict was born in Haskell, Oklahoma, After his father's dea ...

as Skinny *

Al Stone The East Side Kids were characters in a series of 22 films released by Monogram Pictures from 1940 through 1945. Many of them were originally part of The Dead End Kids and The Little Tough Guys, and several of them later became members of The B ...

as Herbie, Glimpy's cousin * David Durand as Danny (a.k.a. Dave) *

Jimmy Strand The East Side Kids were characters in a series of 22 films released by Monogram Pictures from 1940 through 1945. Many of them were originally part of The Dead End Kids and The Little Tough Guys, and several of them later became members of The B ...

as Pinkie (a.k.a. Lou) *

Buddy Gorman Charles J. "Buddy" Gorman''Hollywood's Made-To-Order-Punks: The Complete Film History of the Dead End Kids, Little Tough Guys, East Side Kids, and Bowery Boys,'' Richard Roat, BearManor Media, 2010. (September 2, 1921 – April 1, 2010) was an A ...

as Stinkie (a.k.a. Slug) * Bobby Stone as Rocky (uncredited)

Remaining cast

Gabriel Dell Gabriel Dell (born Gabriel Marcel Dell Vecchio; October 8, 1919 – July 3, 1988) was an American actor and one of the members of what came to be known as the Dead End Kids, then later the East Side Kids and finally The Bowery Boys. Acting car ...

as Lefty *

Louise Currie Louise Currie (born Louise Gunter; April 7, 1913 – September 8, 2013) was an American film actress, active from 1940 into the early 1950s. Biography Currie was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the daughter of Charles W. Gunter, a banker, ...

as Louise Cortland *

Noah Beery Noah Nicholas Beery (January 17, 1882 – April 1, 1946) was an American actor who appeared in films from 1913 until his death in 1946. He was the older brother of Academy Award-winning actor Wallace Beery as well as the father of prominen ...

as Captain Mathews *

Iris Adrian Iris Adrian Hostetter (May 29, 1912 – September 17, 1994) was an American stage, film actress and dancer. Life and career Adrian was an only child, born in Los Angeles, California, to Florence (née Van Every) and Adrian Earl Hostetter, who ...

as Mazie Dunbar *

Herbert Heyes Herbert Harrison Heyes (August 3, 1889 – May 31, 1958) was an American film actor. He appeared in nearly 100 films between 1915 and 1956, including the famed 1947 film '' Miracle on 34th Street'', in which he played an ahistorical "Mr. Gimbel ...

as John H. Cortland *

Robert Greig Robert Greig (December 27, 1879 – June 27, 1958) was an Australian-American actor who appeared in more than 100 films between 1930 and 1949, usually as the dutiful butler. Born Arthur Alfred Bede Greig, he was the nephew of Australian pol ...

as Spevin - Cortlands' Butler * Johnny Duncan as Roy Cortland * Stanley Brown as Lt. Andre Dupree *

Patsy Moran Patsy Moran (born 1951) was an Irish hurler who played for club Kilkenny Championship clubs Muckalee/Ballyfoyle Rangers and St Martin's. He played at senior level for the Kilkenny county team for a brief period, during which time he usually ...

as Mrs. McClosky * Mary Gordon as Mrs. McGinnis * Pat Costello as Spike *

Bernard Gorcey Bernard Gorcey (9 January 1886 – 11 September 1955) was a Russian-born American actor. He began in Vaudeville, performed on Broadway, and appeared in multiple shorts and films. He portrayed ice cream shop proprietor Louie Dumbrowski i ...

as Messenger with Telegram (uncredited) *

Merrill McCormick William Merrill McCormick (February 5, 1892 – August 19, 1953) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1916 and 1953. William Merrill McCormick was born on February 5, 1892, in Denver, Colorado. McCormick ap ...

as An Arab (uncredited) * Pat McKee as Fink, the Pool Hall Proprietor (uncredited)

Notes

* Only East Side Kids film for Al Stone. Stone will forever be remembered by fans of the series as Glimpy (

)'s obnoxious cousin Herbie. *

's father, Bernard, has a cameo as a telegram messenger. * Although playing "Lefty", a villain in this film, actor

was also a regular member of the Dead Ends Kids and East Side Kids.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Million Dollar Kid 1944 films American black-and-white films 1944 comedy films Monogram Pictures films Films produced by Sam Katzman American comedy films Films directed by Wallace Fox East Side Kids 1940s English-language films 1940s American films