Million Dollar Kid (1944) User Reviews

Gotham City Mugging

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 15 March 2009]

After Leo Gorcey (as Muggs McGinnis) laments the rise of muggings in the city, "The East Side Kids" admit Al Stone (as Herbie), a cousin of Huntz Hall (as Glimpy McClosky), into the club. They join mates William "Billy" Benedict (as Skinny), David "Dave" Durand (as Dave aka Danny), Bobby Stone (as Rocky), Jimmy Strand (as Lou aka Pinkie), and Buddy "Bud" Gorman (as Stinkie aka Slug) to save millionaire Herbert Hayes (as John H. Cortland) from a mugging.

Befriending the grateful Mr. Hayes, Gorcey and the Kids discover the wealthy man's young son is a closeted juvenile delinquent. For kicks, Johnny Duncan (as Roy Cortland) aka the "Million Dollar Kid" hangs out in pool halls with derelicts like Gabriel Dell (as Lefty). Moreover, young Duncan's pretty sister, Louise Currie (as Louise Cortland), may be engaged to a gangster. Out of respect and admiration for the older millionaire, Gorcey and pals decide they must reform young Duncan, and investigate his sister's French fiancé.

This one is predictable, but fun. The subtle, satirical humor works very well - it starts with Gorcey quizzing club applicant "Herbie" about his age (obviously more than two times 14 years old) and reaches a peak as Gorcey has a great "bit" with his (real) father, playing a short messenger with a chip on his shoulder. It's also nice to see Duncan featured; he becomes an official "East Side Kid" herein, and will play "Robin" in the 1949 "Batman" series.

***** Million Dollar Kid (2/18/44) Wallace Fox ~ Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Johnny Duncan, Herbert Heyes

"Yeah you're not stupid, you just got a shortage of corrugation in the cerebellum."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 25 January 2006]

"Million Dollar Kid" is probably as close as you'll get to a tear jerker from an East Side Kids film, as the boys are befriended by wealthy businessman John Cortland (Herbert Heyes). Oddly, Cortland's character is rescued from a mugging by Muggs McGinnis (Leo Gorcey) and his gang, but the kicker is that one of the muggers is Cortland's own son Roy (Johnny Duncan). In another twist, regular East Sider Gabriel Dell is cast as one of the bad guys named Lefty. There are a number of side stories thrown in for good measure involving Cortland's daughter Louise (Louise Currie), and the death of Cortland's "good" son in the military, but those seem to be thrown in more for human interest than to advance the main story line.

If you're following the credits, you'll be left confused by the mention of characters Danny, Pinkie, and Stinkie, as they're introduced by Muggs as Dave, Lou and Slug. At least one of the names is corrected by Muggs later when he talks directly to Dave (David Durand).

I'm always intrigued when a period film references historical events to keep the movie in perspective. Following the dismissal of butler Spevin (Robert Grieg), Louise mentions how hard it will be to find a maid and cook with the war on (WW II), something I would never have considered.

Leo Gorcey's dad Bernard puts in a quick cameo in this one as a messenger exchanging some snappy dialog with Muggs. Catch Muggs' expression when Dad makes his first appearance. Speaking of Gorcey, he's full of his usual malapropisms in the film. Among my favorites, when he sends lounge singer Maisie Dunbar into the Cortland party to serve Louise's two timing boyfriend - "Remember, don't be too melodrastic".

Also on hand is Lou Costello's older brother Pat as Lefty's accomplice Spike, though I can't recall that name ever being used. You'll see his name regularly listed as a producer on the Abbott and Costello TV Series of the early 1950's.

Unlike a number of the films featuring the East Side Kids, this entry stands on it's own as a credible story. I find some of their films to be rather weak, with most of their best work backing a major star like Jimmy Cagney in "Angels With Dirty Faces". The added bonus here is learning the real name of their gang at the end of the film, it's the East Side Social Improvement Club!

Enjoyable series entry

[JohnSeal · 5/10 · 22 September 2004]

The East Side Kids, now sans Sunshine Sammy Morrison and Bobby Jordan but with Huntz Hall and Billy Benedict, rescue a rich passerby (Herbert Heyes, later to play Mr. Gimble in Miracle on 34th Street) from a mugger. The grateful tycoon invites the boys over to his pad, where a fully equipped gymnasium awaits them. There are subplots involving Heyes ne'e'r do well son (Johnny Duncan, a few years before playing Robin in the Columbia serial Batman and Robin )and his feisty daughter (Louise Currie). The otherwise unknown Al Stone delivers an amusing one-off performance as cousin Herbie, an erstwhile East Side Kid whose relationship with Muggs and Glimpy is somewhat convoluted. One of the wittier series entries.

Good East Side Kids Feature

[Snow Leopard · 26 January 2006]

This is easily among the better of the many features starring the East Side Kids. It has an interesting story that includes some thoughtful moments in addition to the broad humor. It also has plenty of the group's spontaneous horsing around, and it includes a funny (and all too brief) scene between Leo Gorcey as Muggs and his father Bernard as a messenger.

The story has Muggs, Glimpy, and the rest of the crew saving a rich man from a mugging, befriending him, and then trying to protect him and his family from a variety of criminals and impostors. It works surprisingly well, even most of the more serious moments. Gorcey's style is effective in this kind of story, because he keeps his character's hardened edge even when he is doing something good, thereby usually making him more believable.

The main emphasis is still, of course, the raucous comedy, and the gang gets some good moments at the expense of all of the other characters at one time or another. It's a good movie, and it's probably one of the entries in the series most worth seeing.

Reforming A Rich Kid

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 5 January 2007]

The East Side Kids save millionaire Herbert Hayes from a mugging and in gratitude he allows them the use of a gymnasium he put in his mansion. There Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall and the rest of the gang prove to be handy friends to have for Hayes and his whole family. They expose a fortune hunting phony who is looking to marry daughter Louise Currie and also save younger son Johnny Duncan from the criminal crowd he's starting to run with.

It's the East Side Kids with Monogram pictures so of course don't expect Citizen Kane. Still it's a reasonably entertaining outing for the East Side urchins.

Look for a very funny performance from Iris Adrian who helps the boys expose fortune hunter Stanley Brown. Also for one of the few times in his career, Noah Beery, Sr. is a good guy as the understanding police captain.

Meet the goid hearted mugs of the lower east side.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 2 May 2020]

Muggs and Gimpy are back (not to mention Pinkie and Stinkie and Spike!) In this enjoyable Eastside Kids comedy/drama where, satisfied that they've kept the criminal element out of their neighborhood, the gang takes on a new challenge: playing "Little Mr. Fix its" for the wealthy but kind Herbert Heyes Hyundai rescued from being beaten up in the alley by a group of muggers. Finding his wallet, they are arrested for the mugging, but Heyes goes out of his way to clear them and offers them the use of the gymnasium in his huge home. They discover that he has major problems with his children, all involved in some sort of criminal element, and the young son (Johnny Duncan) recognized by Mugs as one of the gang who attacked his own father. Daughter Louise Currie is also involved with a known criminal, and it's up to the gang to show them the right way back to respectability.

It's funny to see the East Side Kids here being more help to society than their female screen counterparts of the time, Judy Garland and Deanna Durbin. the film is fast and funny yet filled with cliches, but the lovable malapropisms are always hysterical to hear. Veteran loudmouth character actress Iris Adrian gets a few slams at her own expense from the gang, and the lovable Mary Gordon is also there to dispense motherly wisdom when she is brought into Heyes's house as a cook. Robert Greig gets a good takedown by Gorcey as the butler Heyes fires. Look quickly for Gorcey's father, Bernard, briefly seen here playing a telegram deliverer.

Much better than usual

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 5 January 2016]

This installment of the East Side Kids finds the gang very much reformed and even, dare I say it, kind of sweet! Early in the episode, the gang see an old guy getting mugged...and they save the guy. Given the gang's reputation, the police immediately think THEY mugged the guy but the man speaks up for them. In fact, he's quite rich and invites them to use his gymnasium any time they want! The man seems great...and that's why things get tough later in the show. The gang realizes that one of the muggers was actually the man's own son!! But, learning that his oldest son was just killed in the war, Muggs and the rest conspire to not only reform the young man but beat the tar out of his 'associates'! Yes, the East Side Kids are, in effect, social workers!!

This is an enjoyable installment--one of the better ones in the series. I think most of this is because too often, Muggs was a complete jerk but here he's more likable and less jerkish! A definite improvement and an interesting story. My only real complaint are that a few of the 'kids' are really, really old...especially Herbie...who was really about 35 and supposed to be a teen!!!

Million Dollar Kid was another enjoyable East Side Kids feature

[tavm · 8/10 · 8 July 2015]

In this East Side Kids entry, the gang help keep a wealthy man from being mugged and get use of his gym as the reward. They find out he has two sons and a daughter, all grown. One of those sons is in service, the daughter is supposedly engaged to someone also like that, and another of the sons is...Don't want to reveal too much here. Let's just say some reforming is warranted. Among returning players are Noah Beery Sr.-previously in Clancy Street Boys-playing a police captain and Pat Costello-Lou's brother, previously in Bowery Blitzkrieg-as one of the lowlifes. I liked this one very much especially when someone like Iris Adrian is featured. So on that note, Million Dollar Kid is well worth seeing. P.S. This was the first of the series not to feature Bobby Jordan, who was drafted, or Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison, who eventually left show business after one more film appearance. I'll mention what happened to him after I review that movie-Greenwich Village-in a few days...

The East Side Kids: Pride of the Bowery

[lugonian · 7/10 · 6 February 2024]

MILLION DOLLAR KID (Monogram, 1944), a Banner Production under direction by Wallace Fox, marks the 16th installment of the "East Side Kids" franchise. After a couple of previous solid comedies, namely CLANCY STREET BOYS (1943), MILLION DOLLAR KID reverts back to a mix dose of comedy/melodrama, with some improvement to hold interest through much of its 65 minutes.

The story opens with Muggs Maginnis (Leo Gorcey), president of the East Side Kids club, including Glimpy McGlosky (Huntz Hall), David Durand (Danny in credits, called Dave in story), Jimmy Strand (Pinky), Bobby Stone (Rocky), Buddy Gorman (Stinky), and Billy Benedict (Skinny), reading a newspaper article involving a series of muggings taking place in their neighborhood. Before deputizing the gang to hold watch on the street corners, Muggs makes the acquaintance of Herbie (Al Stone), Glimpy's cousin, who happens to be just as goofy as Glimpy. Later that evening, a mugging is taking place. Witnessed by East Side Kids, they run to the alley to assist John H. Cortland (Herbert Heyes), a millionaire on his way to the drugstore while his limousine is being serviced by his chauffeur. After Courtland departs, his pocketbook is found, having the boys accused of the muggings by a policeman and escorted to the station. After Captain Mathews (Noah Berry) notifies the owner of the pocketbook, Cortland arrives where he speaks on behalf of the boys, insisting they are not the ones who held him up. Grateful for their help, Cortland shows his appreciation by having Muggs and his boys come to his mansion on Sutton Place where he rewards them access to his indoor gymnasium belonging to his elder son, John Jr., now a flier in the service. During the course of the story, Cortland, very fond of the boys, introduces them to his charming daughter, Louise (Louise Currie), engaged to a Frenchman, Lieutenant Andre DuPrey (Stanley Brown), and his younger son, Roy (Johnny Duncan). Muggs, however, not only suspects Roy might be connected with the muggers giving his neighborhood a bad name, but DuPrey not the man he pretends to be. Supporting players include Mary Gordon and Patsy Moran playing the mothers of Muggs and Glimpy who help out as cook and maid at Louise's engagement party after their servant, Spevin (Robert Greig) is dismissed; with Iris Adrian (Mazie Dunbar, performer at the Zig Zag Club); Pat Costello (Spike) and Gabriel Dell (Lefty). Look quickly for Leo's father, Bernard Gorcey in cameo playing a Western Union Man doing a comedy gig with Muggs reminiscent to the comedy routine famously performed by the team of Abbott and Costello.

What makes MILLION DOLLAR KID enjoyable is showing the East Side Kids as concerned city boys acting as guardian angels to victims of crime, and the natural bonding between opposites as the East Side Kids and the rich man and how they become involved in each other's personal lives. This is another installment where Gabriel Dell can play an East Side Kid member in one film, a rival in another. This time he plays a gang leader spending time observing the streets with his partner (Pat Costello) from the poolhall. Though the story of straightening out a wayward rich boy gone wrong may seem overly familiar, the writers of the story give this a feel of originality. With some few laughs inserted into the dramatic elements, be sure not to miss out on the climatic finish.

Available on DVD, MILLION DOLLAR KID, which has had some cable television broadcasts, namely Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: September 14, 2004) and MGM Plus, are often shown in shorter prints missing the opening few minutes of the story. Next installment: FOLLOW THE LEADER (1944). (**1/2)

Decent

[SanteeFats · 9/10 · 3 August 2013]

Another very good East Side Kids movie. I like them and own several myself. In this one the gang saves a rich man from a mugging. He rewards them by taking them to his mansion where he makes a fully equipped gym (for that time) available to the boys plus access to his mansion. The younger son (his older son was killed in the war) has turned in to a semi-bad apple. He was even involved in his own fathers mugging, the one that the guys saved the father from. The guys find out about all this and decide to straighten the son out. While it proves difficult they manage to come through and turn everything around, saving the son and beating the bad guys. The introduction of a new character named Archie, supposedly Blimpy's cousin, proves to be a real laugh. Muggs and the gang really come through in this film. They go after local muggers to keep their neighborhood clean, this is when they rescued the rich man. They show up the faking not French con man who is trying to marry the rich man's daughter and they straighten out the spoiled number two son. A lot of this movie is kind of trite but it is still an extremely good movie.

The East Side Boys help a millionaire!

[Sylviastel · 8/10 · 10 December 2010]

They should have been called the Bowery Boys in my opinion. This film takes place during World War II in New York City and doesn't forget that there is a war going on the world at the time. Leo Gorcey plays Malone, the leader of the East Side Boys who live in the Bowery which was the poor side of Manhattan. In this film episode, the East Side Boys help a millionaire when he is attacked by thieves. The East Side Boys save the day and the millionaire's gratitude is quite generous. He invites the boys to his wealthy home and introduces him to the pretty young lady who is engaged to a questionable foreigner and his son who lives at home. The millionaire's other son is off in the war. There is a party and the boys help out. This film was cute for it's time period and doesn't shy away but also entertaining with some laughs along the way.

Laughs With A Serious Side

[dougdoepke · 7 December 2020]

One of the milder Kids cut-ups from that generally hilarious series. There're still chuckles aplenty from the trademark fractured grammar to the slappy roughhousing. As usual, Gorcey and Hall shine in their comical roles, though Hall trades more slams with Herbie (Stone) than with Gorcey-- Stone acting and looking like goofus Curley from The Three Stooges. My favorite part is with the brassy, blonde Iris Adrian as cheap floozie Mazie. She's a perfect female counterpart to the crack-up boys. I wish they had more scenes together, the comedic potential is certainly there.

Still, there's more serious plotting to the story than the usual comedic throw-aways. Unfortunately, however, the serious side doesn't always blend well with the usual nonsense humor. Still, the non-comedic side is understandable since 1943 was war time, so things had to serious up a bit. Note the close relationship between the wealthy, non-comical Cortland family and the comical poor-boy East-siders. That's likely a touch of needed class solidarity during those trying times when such was needed. At the same time, I expect that also accounts for the Kids becoming self-proclaimed 'do-gooders', a departure from their usual 'just a bunch of tough guys' behavior. That too's understandable given the overall need for not only class solidarity but national solidarity, as well. However, these serious sides don't always complement the kind of throw-away humor that elevated the series to sheer escapist entertainment.

Despite this sober side, fans can't help but be amused by the priceless lunacy of stars Hall and Gorcey-- always a sure bet. So, catch it up anyway. (In passing-- I couldn't help noticing a surprising resemblance between actor Durand (Dave), a striped sweater gang member, and a young Marlon Brando. See what you think.)