'NEATH BROOKLYN BRIDGE (Monogram Pictures, 1942), directed by Wallace Fox, stars The East Side Kids (Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan, Huntz Hall, "Sunshine" Sammy Morrison, Stanley Clements and Bobby Stone) in their eleventh installment to one of the studio's most popular series. Though Gabriel Dell's name is listed among the gang members, he's actually a rival character playing a different role from one movie to the next, which started with his debut segment for MR. WISE GUY (1942). A near improvement over the previous episodes mainly because it doesn't focus on the Gorcey's arrogant character through long stretches that often causes friction between him and his friends. With one of the many landmarks of New York City being the Brooklyn Bridge, aside from its opening shot and the boys sitting on the pier admiring the bridge from afar, that's where the mention of the Brooklyn Bridge begins and ends, leading to the gang in another venture of trouble, rumbling and some comedy.
The story begins with Muggs (Leo Gorcey), Danny Lyons (Bobby Jordan), Scruno ("Sunshine" Sammy Morrison), Pee-Wee (David Gorcey), Stash (Stanley Clements) and Skinny (Bobby Stone) helping Glimpy (Huntz Hall) and his mother (Patsy Moran) move to a new apartment. Muggs is approached by Skid (Gabriel Dell), a big shot working for McCaffy (Marc Lawrence), manager of the Bridge Cafe, to make some easy money by doing a job for him. With Muggs' attempt to stay honest, which makes Danny's brother, police officer Phil Lyons (Dave O'Brien) happy, situations occur to change all that. Morley (Bud Osborne) enters McCaffy's office and gun-points McCaffy to give him the money owed him for a job. Placing McCaffy, Skid and Sniffy (Jack Raymond) in the office closet, Morley takes the money from the safe and escapes through the window. He returns home ordering his stepdaughter, Sylvia (Anne Gillis), to pack up and leave with him. Sylvia refuses due to her caring for her paralyzed wheelchair-bound grandfather (J. Arthur Young). When Morley gets physically abusive with Sylvia, she runs outside the building that attracts the East Side Kids to come to her rescue. Leaving Morley unconscious in the living room, the boys locate the runaway Sylvia on the pier to find out what it's all about. Getting the full story, the kids agree to hide Sylvia in their clubhouse disguised as a boy. In the meantime, Danny returns to the apartment to get Sylvia's clothes only to be confronted by the police for the murder and arrest of Morley (whose body now rests in the kitchen), with the only witness being Sylvia's grandfather, who is unable to speak on Danny's behalf. With the police guarding the building, the gang must plot on how to get the old man out of the apartment and back into the care of the hidden Sylvia while trying to clear Danny. Co-starring Noah Beery Jr (Butch, a member of the East Side Kids on leave from the Navy); Dewey Robinson (The Police Captain); Betty Wells (Bunny) and Jack Mulhall (Sergeant Clancy).
Bobby Jordan and Dave O'Brien return playing brothers, again. Initially their roles for PRIDE OF THE BOWERY and BOYS OF THE CITY (both 1940) had them playing Danny and Knuckles Dolan. For FLYING WILD and SPOOKS RUN WILD (both 1941), Jordan resumes his Danny role while O'Brien plays different characters. For 'NEATH BROOKLY BRIDGE, they assume new surnames of Lyons rather than Dolan. Overlooking these inconsistencies, for what it's worth, 'NEATH BROOKLYN BRIDGE is quite entertaining. While Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall have minimum comedic byplay, before the 60 minutes is over, their closing scene is something not to be missed.
Available on video cassette and DVD formats, 'NEATH BROOKLYN BRIDGE has played on cable television, notably Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: April 26, 2004). Next installment: KID DYMANITE (1943) (**).
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