The title doesn't really fit very well, as the Dead End Kids didn't pick up any criminal tips or associations from other inmates, who were barely present. On the other hand, the warden and captain of the guards were engaging in criminal activity. A more appropriate title would have been "Reforming Reform Schools". This was also the theme of the pre-code Warner film "The Mayor of Hell", where James Cagney played the crusading reformer. Here, Humphrey Bogart takes his place. However, I don't think the screenplay for this film was near as good. Nonetheless, it's still entertaining, if you like that type of film.
This was the second film featuring the Dead End Kids, and the first sponsored by Warner. I rate it as more interesting than the first: "Dead End", which was a film version of the popular Broadway stage show. Clearly, the 'Kids' look much older than just the year before, now looking like adults, as they would in their various guises for the next 18 years, in some cases. Bogey was the or a leading man in both films. However, in "Dead End", he played a rather deranged gangster. Here, he goes way overboard in trying to be a nice guy to the inmates of a previously notorious prison-like school, with a reputation for turning out a high percentage of future criminals. Bogey, as Mark Broden, lectures the previous warden: "This is a school you're running, not a prison. If you want these kids to turn out as good citizens, you have to treat them as human beings". The old warden didn't necessarily agree with Bogey's proposals for reformation, hence Bogey fired him, and took his place.
Unfortunately, Bogey's character often isn't believable. When he tells the Kids to paint their dorm, to give them something to do, they act like naughty elementary school kids. Two are going up and down on a seesaw, while slapping paint on the wall. Another swings back and forth in a swing, while dabbing paint on the wall and on a kid who's in his way. Paint is all over the floor and on the kids. When Bogey checks on them, he acts as if they are doing a good job!...........When they are assigned to manage and stoke the fire under the 2 boilers, Frankie, who is the Kids leader, decides to express his dislike of his situation by super-stoking the fire, causing the boiler pressures to well-exceed the safe limit. Sure enough, first one, then the other explodes, causing much damage to the surrounding area. They were lucky the boilers weren't launched through the floor of the next level, as sometimes happens. After his initial panic, Bogie's response is 'Ah shucks, you guys made a mistake. That's OK, we'll fix it'!!
The Kids are much more interesting than in their first film, periodically making trouble, trying Bogey's liberal policies. The gang had all been sent to reform school because they refused to divulge which one had cracked the skull of the shop proprietor. When an adult finally overheard that Gorcey had done it, was he arrested and charged with battery? Not a chance! At film's end, he is given early parole, like the others, for supposed good behavior, for a mightily contrived happy ending!
The last section involves the blackmail of Gorcey by the captain of the guards, who threatens to tell Bogey, who will probably send him to a much worse reform school, he is told, unless he does what he is told. The captain and the previous warden were long involved in embezzling money form school funds. They rightly fear that Bogey will eventually find the evidence for such. In fact, Bogey has just made this discovery. So, they want Bogey dead, and his revolutionary policies discredited, so that the warden hopefully can resume his previous position. Their plan is use some of the gullible Kids in accomplishing both these goals in one operation. Gorcey is given the captain's keys to his car and his gun, and told to seek out Frankie and tell him that he stole these. Also, tell Frankie that Bogey is romancing his sister Sue, rather than being at the school. At first, Frankie doesn't show interest. But, soon, he's hopping mad and corrals the others to accompany him to the house where he and Sue live. He climbs the fire escape and climbs through a window. He finds Bogey and Sue in the kitchen, taking and cooking. Nonetheless, he points the gun at Bogey and says some threatening things. Sue hits his arm, just before the gun goes off. Bogey wrestles the gun from him and calms him down. Frankie, followed by Bogey, exit the open window. Frankie goes after Gorcey, pinning him to the ground, choking him. Bogey pulls him off and calls a friend, who says the ex-warden and commissioner are heading for the school to confirm the captain's claim that the Kids escaped. Thus, Bogey, Sue, and the Kids speed to get to the school first. They do, seemingly asleep in their bunks when the ex- warden, commissioner, and captain check out their room. Bogey arrests the ex-warden and captain for their embezzling, and we are ready for the finale.
See it, free, at YouTube, or buy the DVD, if this sounds interesting.
