East Side Kids

Bob Hill's East Side Kids (1940) was the odd opening entry in the long-running Monogram Pictures series -- odd mostly because it wasn't really part of the series, merely introducing the concept of a Lower East Side gang of would-be hooligans and their popular name. The movie looks fairly decent, not too much worse than it did on television in the 1960s, a little softer and darker, but not so it's unwatchable. And given the fact that the Monogram Pictures library is so neglected by whoever owns it that it's unlikely ever to turn up in an authorized edition, there are worse quality releases for which we might settle. The detail is sometimes lacking and some darker shots are fuzzy, but everything is viewable and the sound is far more consistent, a bit cleaner than the image and nice and loud. There are a couple of rough spots in the print -- it's been 25 years since this reviewer has seen the movie, but I seem to remember the scene in which Alden Chase's detective is shot by Dennis Moore being a little more graphic, in terms of the officer collapsing with the gunshot. Otherwise, this is a perfectly fine, budget-priced representation of the movie that may well have to suffice -- what's more, the movie is exciting enough in its own terms so that it may well appeal to viewers beyond the fans of the Dead End Kids/East Side Kids/Bowery Boys (who may well be the least interested of potential viewers, since none of the core players are present, just second-string cast members such as Hally Chester and Donald Haines, along with future series player Dave O'Brien). The 62-minute feature is broken down adequately by the standard Alpha Video six chapters, and the disc opens on a simple single-layer menu.