East Side Kids Classics Triple Feature (Spooks Run Wild / Bowery Blitzkrieg / Smart Alecks)

Starring: East Side Kids Director: Phil Rosen & Wallace W. Fox

DVD Features:

Description by OLDIES.com:

Spooks Run Wild (1941, B&W): The haunted house thriller Spooks Run Wild brings together horror legend Bela Lugosi and the unique comedy of the East Side Kids. City denizens, the East Side Kids, are sent to a summer camp in the country against their will. On their way, they learn about a monster killer that's loose in the area. While passing through a cemetery late at night, Pee Wee is shot. Seeking help, they arrive at the castle of the sinister Nardo (Lugosi) and his dwarf henchman (Angelo Rossitto). The boys are convinced that Nardo is the vampire-at-large. With the help of famed "monster hunter" Von Grosch (Dennis Moore) and young attorney Jeff Dixon (Dave O'Brien), the fearless kids joke and smart aleck their way to trapping the killer.

Bowery Blitzkrieg (1941, B&W): Danny Breslin (Bobby Jordan) is a good kid in danger of going bad under the influence of criminal Monk Martin (Bobby Stone). Danny is disqualified from an upcoming Golden Gloves boxing championship, so his friend Muggs (Leo Gorcey) takes his place. Monk and his gambling henchmen convince the public that Muggs intends to throw the fight. The boys - "good" kid Danny and the streetwise Muggs - are pitted against each other in this timeless yarn about integrity, decency, friendship, and greed. Here, Huntz Hall makes his first of 65 consecutive appearances as an East Side Kid or Bowery Boy member. Also of note is Keye Luke (Charlie Chan's #1 son) as an Irishman named Clancy, Minerva Urecal (Monogram's resident matron of gloom) as a reform school officer, and Charlotte Henry (Bo Peep of March of the Wooden Soldiers) in her last screen appearance.

Smart Alecks (1942, B&W): The East Side Kids throw Hank (Gabriel Dell) out of the gang when he starts working for crook Butch Brocalli. Danny earns a reward by being instrumental in Butch's arrest, and wants to surprise everyone by buying baseball uniforms for the boys. Muggs, however, mistakenly assumes that Danny is trying to keep the money - so he and other gang members force Danny to turn over the cash so they can buy an old car. Danny is seriously beaten when Brocalli escapes.The gang members offer to sell their newfound car to pay for Danny's much needed operation, but a kind-hearted brain surgeon, Dr. Ornsby, comes up with his own solution. One of the most serious of the Monogram comedies, Leo Gorcey's dramatic prayer for Danny's recovery is a rare and unforgettable moment in the East Side Kids series.

Product Description:

SPOOKS RUN WILD: The East Side Kids series details the trials and tribulations of a group of Bowery boys in 1940s New York City who choose to enter the boxing ring rather than turn to a life of crime. In this installment of the series, Muggs McGinnis (Leo Gorcey) and his gang help a youngster in danger of getting mixed up with gangsters.

BOWERY BLITZKRIEG: The East Side Kids get a chance to sample the other side of life when they are sent to the country to learn how to live beyond the streets. When they get to the house they are supposed to stay in they discover that it is haunted. It is also run by one of the most terrifying men they have ever met. Bela Lugosi stars as the mad killer in this house of horror. Now he has to tangle with our favorite gang.

SMART ALECKS: The boys are in dutch when they help capture a crook and inadvertently get involved with gangsters.

Plot Keywords:

1940s | Comedy | Slapstick | Slapstick Comedy | Vintage

Cast and Crew: