'Neath Brooklyn Bridge (1942) User Reviews (12)

"Anyone can build a bridge over water, I'd like to see some guy build one under."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 21 October 2006]

Danny (Bobby Jordan) accidentally gets a murder rap pinned on him in this East Side Kids outing, and the rest of the gang are out to find the real killer. It's a fairly standard adventure for the boys with a few surprises thrown in. Noah Beery Jr. makes an appearance as a former 'charter member' of the gang, which is a little unusual since this is the only film of the series he appeared in. It's convenient though as he turns up to become the romantic interest for Sylvia (Ann Gillis), the stepdaughter of the murder victim.

Marc Lawrence appears as the villain of the piece, a hood named McGaffey who tries to enlist Muggs (Leo Gorcey) in a warehouse heist in exchange for the murder weapon and a chance to clear Danny. If you really think about it, there wasn't much to his plan at any step of the way; he could have been easily outed, and was, by the time the film ended. Such was Lawrence's fate in most films, with over two hundred movie credits, he almost always appeared as a heavy, be it Westerns, mysteries, sci-fi, or the occasional Charlie Chan flick.

As in many of the East Side films, Danny's big brother is portrayed by Dave O'Brien. Here they have an extended one on one scene that goes a bit heavy on the melodrama as Phil tries to get Danny to tell what he knows. Loyalty is a gang member's best trait, so he's not saying anything, but then again, he was basically in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I always enjoy Sunshine Sammy Morrison as Scruno. He doesn't have a lot to do in this one, but the good thing is he doesn't wind up on the end of any stereotyped racial references. Glimpy (Huntz Hall) fires off a few nifty one liners like the one in my summary. He even has one brief shining moment when Muggs promotes him to Vice President of Miscellaneous Stuff. It lasts less than a screen minute, but hey, it was a moment in the sun.

I see this flick rated relatively high for an East Side Kids film, but don't see it as a cut above most. I always felt they did their best work when supporting a name actor, be it Cagney, Bogart or Garfield in vehicles from larger studios. Still if you're a fan, it won't hurt to take this one in. They even manage to focus in on the Brooklyn Bridge a couple of times, just to make sure there's some connection to the title.

Jordan In A Jackpot

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 27 June 2011]

Neath Brooklyn Bridge finds the East Side Kids helping a young girl played by Ann Gillis who is being beaten on by her stepfather Bud Osborne. Leo Gorcey uses the leg of a table to knock him out. Later on Osborne turns up dead and Bobby Jordan who came back for a change of clothes gets himself in a jackpot being found with the dead Osborne.

It's up to the kids on the East Side to help their pal out. The only witness to the crime is J. Arthur Young who is Gillis's grandfather and he's paralyzed and unable to speak and is in a wheelchair.

It's the Navy in the form of former gang member Noah Beery, Jr. who comes to the rescue of all concerned. The fact that Young is also a former sailor helps a great deal in cracking the case and bringing justice to all concerned.

Also in the cast is perennial movie heavy Marc Lawrence and henchman Gabriel Dell. Lawrence is a pretty crafty villain and his downfall comes from leaving a loose end at the scene of the homicide, namely a witness he thinks can't say anything.

This East Side Kids film runs at a nice pace without a let up in any of the action. One of their better films for Monogram.

'Neath Brooklyn Bridge was another enjoyable East Side Kids movie

[tavm · 7/10 · 1 July 2015]

In this East Side Kids flick, the gang encounter a stepfather abusing his stepdaughter as she runs from him. They chase him back and fight him, knocking him out. He ends up dead but it was at the hands of a gangster who arrived later after the kids and the girl left. There's more than that but I'll just now say that I liked the story presented here which had a nice mix of drama and some comedy which is usually provided by Huntz Hall and aided by Leo Gorcey whenever he and Hall bantered. Huntz also had a nice dance sequence with Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison in a demonstration of their expert footwork. Also on hand is Noah Beery Jr. as a former member now a sailor. Ann Gillis plays the girl Sylvia. Anyway, 'Neath Brooklyn Bridge was another enjoyable entry in the series.

Solid Entry

[dougdoepke · 8 May 2021]

Solid Kids knock-about. So can the guys clear their buddy Danny (Jordan) from the cops who're mistakenly holding him as a killer. Good thing the Kids have Navy man Butch (Beery) on their side, especially since he knows Morse Code. The antics fly fast and furious in typical Kids style, from Glimpy's fractured English, to Mug's 'pop-em' style leadership, to Scruno's big-eyed run-around. And catch lovely actress Gillis' sweetly demure Sylvia and the way she emotes with subtle eye shadings. Too bad she didn't have a bigger career. Then too, note the great supporting cast of Hollywood vets: Lawrence as the coldly mastermind McGaffey, O'Brien taking a day off from saddle and six-gun as a cop, and Robinson as the officious chief cop. It's also a good look at fashions from that early war-year of 1942, along with crowded studio streets not expected from these low budget productions. And, oh yes, one more note: over time I've gleaned that any time I see a purported city street blocked off at one end, it's really a studio street, as it is here.

Nonetheless, the Monogram production amounts to an ace hour of nutty entertainment from a crew of guys who deserve a lot more than Hollywood obscurity. So catch up with it if you haven't already.

The East Side Kids: Silent Witness

[lugonian · 6/10 · 18 September 2023]

'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) (**).

Typical East Side Kids adventure

[JohnSeal · 4/10 · 28 April 2004]

This time Muggs, Glimpy and the gang take on a real hard case: gangster Marc Lawrence, a cold-blooded baddie who entraps sweet young thing Ann Gillis (whose most recent film credit remains 2001: A Space Odyssey) in a murder case. Lawrence elevates this Poverty Row billfiller above its station; as always, he brings absolute conviction to his role. There's also a fun subplot involving a wheelchair-bound paraplegic played by Ed Wood regular Bud Osborne. The fact that these films were all shot on a shoestring oddly benefits the East Side Kids movies: the threadbare sets, minimal costuming, and muffed lines add a patina of Bowery believability to these endearing little films.

East Side Trouble

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 5 February 2013]

They help move furniture and admire the architecture of The Brooklyn Bridge. But more importantly, "The Eastside Kids" Leo Gorcey (as Muggs McGinnis), Bobby Jordan (as Danny Lyons), Huntz Hall (as Glimpy), Ernest Morrison (as Scruno), Stanley Clements (as Stash) and Bobby Stone (as Skinny) save beautifully-shaped Anne Gillis (as Sylvia) from her wicked step-father. Unfortunately, this leads to Mr. Jordan being arrested for murder… which leads to Mr. Gorcey being blackmailed into heavy-duty crime...

This average Bowery entry is made engaging by the regular, semi-regular, and guest characterizations. Former "Dead End" kid turned "cheap crook" Gabriel Dell (as Skid) works for accomplished hood Marc Lawrence (as McGuffey). Returning "charter member" of the kid gang Noah Berry Jr. (as Butch) makes his first appearance and gets to romance Ms. Gillis, who hides out with the guys disguised as a boy. Making his last appearance on the Bowery is officer Dave O'Brien, always genuine as Jordan's big brother.

***** 'Neath Brooklyn Bridge (11/20/42) Wallace Fox ~ Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan, Marc Lawrence, Dave O'Brien

Pretty typical of the Bowery Boys films.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 23 January 2016]

Although in many of the Bowery Boys films the gang seemed like a bunch of hoodlums, they were never really THAT larcenous in their films. They just acted tough and the police were forever dogging them. But, as usual, they are the good guys in "'Neath Brooklyn Bridge"....and once again the police suspect one of them. This is because someone was horribly beaten to death and Danny (Bobby Jordan) was arrested because his weapons were on the murder weapon, a bat. Little does anyone know that a mute man who can only speak with his eyes was a witness. As for the gang, they spend a lot of the film taking care of a young lady who is in trouble and eventually they are instrumental in finding the real culprits. On hand as one of the supposed ex-members of the gang (he was a bit old for this...Noah Beery, Jr.).

Overall, this film is pretty typical of a Bowery Boys film--- modestly entertaining and nothing more. Worth seeing if you are a fan but not among their best.

Muggs has to clear himself of murder in one of he better films in the long running East Side Kid series

[dbborroughs · 8/10 · 15 September 2006]

This is one of the best in the long running East Side Kids series.

Here Muggs is tricked into thinking that he killed someone and the only way out of it is to help a criminal with his crooked plans.

What can I say this is a fun romp that sports the regular band of "kids" as well as a young Noah Beery Jr as one of their friends. Of course we know that Muggs didn't do it, and he knows he didn't do it, so the fun is watching to see how he manages to work out who actually did the deed and makes sure they get blamed. The way Muggs finds out is unique and only adds to the enjoyment.

Worth a look for anyone fan or no, who wants a good movie for a moldy oldie movie night.

Lending a helping hand can get you into trouble.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 9 April 2024]

Everybody gets their chance to be a part of the plot in this East Side Kids entry where the gang helps a young woman deal with her abusive stepfather. Young Anne Gillis is trying to take care of her wheelchair bound grandfather, but continuously has to deal with the violent Bud Osborne who after the death of her mother should have had no part of her life. After the boys help her escape, he's murdered by the mob, and Bobby Jordan's Danny is held for questioning.

Jordan's brother (Dave O'Brien) is a cop determined to clear his brother, but of course the gang, led by Mugs (Leo Gorcey), strives to get to the bottom of things. That could help or hinder a case because of their frequent incompetence, but obviously Gramps (who is mute) knows the truth. They just have to figure out how to communicate with him.

There is the usual share of seemingly idiotic cops, snarling gangsters and funny twists that shouldn't help the case but do. Noah Beery Jr. Is a handsome sailor on leave who romances Gillis. Huntz Hall has a funny bit conning two men (including silent comic Snub Pollard) out of soup, and Sammy Morrison is his usual bright smiling self, a total charmer. The film is impacted by the fact that the audience knows who killed the stepfather and obviously that it's going to be wrapped up with little effort or brain power. Mild entertainment, not tough to figure out.

Standard East Side Boys Fare!

[Sylviastel · 8/10 · 6 December 2010]

For a film that has survived 60 years, I wonder why I haven't enjoyed the East Side Boys before. Anyway, I got a DVD with four of their adventures. In this episode, the boys are moving furniture near the tenements by Manhattan's area near the Brooklyn Bridge. They get into a bit of trouble when they spot a beautiful but distracted young woman named Sylvia. Her stepfather wants her and him to leave their tenement apartment but she won't leave her paralyzed grandfather behind. Her stepfather is in some shady dealings. The East Side Boys sure can be tempted into joining the crime scene but choose to make an honest living in tough times. The film was on the end of the Great Depression and Second World War. Despite the predictability, the cast especially Leo Gorcy do a terrific job in making it entertaining.

Really good

[SanteeFats · 8/10 · 6 March 2014]

Another Kids movie. Most of them are pretty good, especially considering the simplistic plots and basic acting that is involved. In this one Mugs and the gang are more good than bad. They come to the rescue of a girl whose step father is beating on her. She only sticks around to take of her paralyzed grandfather. Her step dad gets knocked out by Mugs using a chair leg. The gang leaves to chase the girl when she runs. Now the step father has robbed a local crime boss and the boss climbs through a window, gets his loot back and smashes a gun butt over the guys head. This kills the robber and the boss takes the club Mugs used to hold over his head as evidence. By now the gang has caught up with the girl and take her to their "clubhouse" to hide. Learning that grandpa can communicate with the girl the gang goes and gets him, bringing back to the lair. A former member, now in the Navy, has returned and recognizes that the grandpa is using Morse code. Meanwhile the crime boss has used the non-murder weapon to force Mugs to case a silk warehouse and help rob it. The Navy man takes the girl to the cops with the story grandpa Morsed out. Meanwhile Mugs has the gang stashed in the warehouse and when he lets the crooks in they fight it out and the cops show up. So the baddies get busted, the gang gets a pat on the back and the murder is placed on the right man.