Gangster's Boy (1938) User Reviews (6)

"A West Point man never retires in the face of fire..."

[classicsoncall · 5/10 · 21 April 2007]

Monogram Pictures took a stab at the old 'like father, like son' theme in this 1938 picture with somewhat mixed results. Jackie Cooper is credible as the high school senior reacquainting with his father who's been gone for five years, yet that's the main plot point that strains credibility in the ensuing story. Not only was 'Knuckles' Kelly (Robert Warwick) away from his family for that long, but when he returns, his reception is no more anticipated than if he was returning from a day's work. On top of that, the elder Kelly was a racketeering bootlegger, a fact unknown by his son, and appearing to be no more than an inconvenience for his wife Molly (Louise Lorimer). When Larry (Cooper) and the town of Millford learn of his father's former occupation, he begins to withdraw from his circle of friends and second guesses his acceptance to West Point, figuring that his father's political connections might have gotten him his appointment.

The film at least gets a few points for having Larry's high school principal and his core group of close friends remain loyal. They realize that his hard work at becoming class valedictorian and the school's top athlete were his own doing. His toughest sell though is with the father of his two closest chums, Bill Davis (Tommy Wonder), and sister Julie (Lucy Gilman), who Larry is going out with. Their father offers the 'like father, like son' argument to forbid his kids to remain friends. However circumstances conspire to vindicate Larry when the three companions get involved in a car accident, and Bill comes clean for being responsible. Again however, credibility is stretched just a bit when Judge Davis (Selmer Jackson) does a complete hundred eighty degree turn in glad handing Knuckles Kelly in the finale. It's one thing to admit a mistake, but quite another to completely forget that the man was a criminal at least the past five years. Simpler times called for simpler movies.

Say, I wonder if Jackie Cooper actually played the drums in the couple of scenes where he's shown doing so; he sounded pretty good if that's the case. I was impressed too with the Kelly purchase of the rather good sized mansion for a mere seventy eighty thousand, five hundred dollars. Today, you'd have to add another zero to the end of that number to make it work.

Considering the movie was made in 1938, it's not a bad little story, with Cooper portraying a character close to his own age at the time, unlike a lot of modern films where teenagers are often played by actors in their twenties. The same went for his girlfriend in the picture, although Tommy Wonder as brother Bill was actually twenty four. Oh well, I guess it happened in the 1930's too!

My Old Man Was a Bootlegger

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 28 March 2011]

Popular small town Andrew Jackson High School senior Jackie Cooper (as Lawrence "Larry" Kelly) is looking forward to attending West Point with best friend Tommy Wonder (as William "Bill" Davis). Mr. Cooper is also romancing his pal's shapely sister Lucy Gilman (as Julie Davis). Things get even better for Cooper when his father returns, after a long absence. However, jovial and wealthy Robert Warwick (as Tim 'Knuckles' Kelly) comes back into town with a secret - he's an ex-gangster!

When a pair of reporters breaks the news, Cooper is ostracized as a "Gangster's Boy"...

This is a mediocre production for Cooper, who could still be impressive in a good role; alas, they were getting fewer and farther between. Cooper does his best, and plays the drums well. Also impressive are some of his young friends. Telling Cooper, "My old man was a bootlegger too," future "East Side Kids" regular Bobby Stone (as Salvatore) makes a swell impression. And, Mr. Wonder is the highlight, in a great dance routine. Today, he'd be break-dancing at Glendale's Hoover High School...

***** Gangster's Boy (11/16/38) William Nigh ~ Jackie Cooper, Tommy Wonder, Robert Warwick, Bobby Stone

Gangster's Boy was another okay B-movie from a teen Jackie Cooper

[tavm · 6/10 · 10 January 2015]

This was another Monogram B-movie Jackie Cooper made around the late '30s when he was no longer a cute little boy but a teenager that no major studio knew what to do with. As the title implies, he's the son of a former bootlegger-who returns home after being away for awhile-which ostracizes him from much of the high school crowd-when they find out from the papers-except for his best friend, his girlfriend who's his best friend's sister, and the principal. Jackie's just glad to have his father back based on some of their banter though the mother is hesitant at first. The drama is a bit uneven since there's no confrontation between Cooper and his father about his revelation and a music score might have helped in selling the melodrama concerning some of the other dramatic events that happen later on. Still, Cooper was good at what he was given and the supporting cast was okay as well. So on that note, Gangster's Boy is worth a look. P.S. As a Chicago native, I was nicely surprised that player Lucy Gilman was born and died there and was a radio actress as a child.

Just Whose Code Does Jackie Follow?

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 10 May 2010]

In this film Jackie Cooper plays this incredibly straight arrow high school kid who is a star athlete, star academician, plays drums in the local band and dreams of going to West Point with his good friend Tommy Wonder. They're friends even though Cooper lives on the wrong side of the tracks and his father is something of a traveling man. But he's come home to stay now and he's loaded with dough. Who would suspect that Cooper, son of Robert Warwick, is really a Gangster's Boy.

Comes as much of a shock to Jackie as the rest of the town when a nosy reporter breaks the scoop. Overnight he becomes a pariah, the only one who knew was Jackie's mother Louise Lorimer and she's been keeping the secret all these years. It's Wonder's father Selmer Jackson who is leading the shunning of Warwick and his family in the town, though his own kids don't think it's fair.

But Cooper proves more than his worth when he rather stupidly takes the blame for an automobile accident where a kid on bicycle is hit. It was an accident, but there was liquor found in the car. Cooper's ambition maybe West Point, but his code seems to come from the underworld, about not ratting. And of course everyone assumes he's to blame.

No gangland shootouts here, no gangster dialog, instead this is a maudlin story from Monogram with little production values and characters quite unbelievable. The players however are sincere and do give it their best shot. It's one terribly dated film and not very believable.

At least he didn't end up in Boy's Town.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 4 February 2024]

I prefer the subtleties of Jackie Cooper (outside of his early teary eyed pre-teens) over Mickey Rooney. This family film, made the same year Mickey co-starred in "Boy's Town" and became entrenched in film goer's minds as Andy Hardy. Unfortunately Cooper went over to Monogram to do this film, his MGM contract having ended two years before with a film co-starring Rooney and fellow juvenile star Freddie Bartholomew. It's a good film, but mostly forgotten even though it's one of Monogram's A films.

Getting ready go graduate from high school and enter a military academy, Cooper seems to have the world on a string. But out of the blue, his gangster father (Robert Warwick) shows up and the revelation of his past as a bootleg king has him humiliated at the ceremony where the spectators don't applaud his speech. His mother (Louise Latimer) has welcomed her estranged husband home, but obviously this makes Cooper uncomfortable as his dad's reputation reflects on him.

I would call this memorable for some great moral lessons and a few well written speeches, and especially how the young folk refuse to judge their fellow classmate, that action going to their cold parents and later the police. An accident gets Cooper into trouble and it's obvious that this mistake could lead him into a path of destruction and possible crime. I found that the film improved as it went on, and like Cooper being faulted for his lineage, the film faulted for its poverty row production is an interesting metaphor learned from the plotline.

Not bad but a big step down for Cooper's career.

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 19 May 2011]

the late 1930s, Jackie Cooper's stock in Hollywood took a nosedive. The once cute child star from MGM was now a not particularly cute teen--and forced to seek work from third-rate studio Monogram. It's a shame, actually, as the kid could still act--the only thing that changed was his age.

In "Gangster's Boy", Jackie doesn't realize that his absent father is a mobster. Now, after a five year absence, the old man returns--and the neighborhood is abuzz about the guy. Now EVERYONE knows about Cooper's dad and suddenly many of his so-called 'friends' have begun to ostracize him. As a result, all this once-popular student's great plans to attend West Point are on hold. Eventually, however, his fellow students come around and begin to accept him once again--when tragedy strikes in the form of a traffic accident. Many are quick to assume he's guilty, as he's just the son of a gangster.

Overall, the film is about what you'd expect from Monogram. It has fair acting and direction but a far cry from the MGM films. There also are a few uncomfortable moments when the film seemed to be padded with lame dance sequences as well as a chance to hear Cooper play drums (though apparently in slow-motion). It's all watchable but not much more.