Jackie Cooper leads a cast of young actors in "Gallant Sons," from 1940. A group of friends (Cooper, Leo Gorcey, Gene Reynolds, Bonita Granville, William Tracy, Tommy Kelly) set out to prove that Johnny's (Reynolds) father (Ian Hunter), who runs a gambling house, did not murder a woman. He was caught by the police standing over the body holding the murder weapon and was convicted. Byron's (Cooper) dad (Minor Watson) is a newspaper man and naturally covers it in the paper. Johnny and Byron are then on the outs.Byron asks Johnny, if they can find out what really happened the night of the murder, can they just shake hands and forget it, no matter the outcome? Johnny agrees.The kids soon become involved in what turns out to be a case with some interesting clues that also expose a long-held secret that Kate's (Granville) mother (Gail Patrick) knows, which concerns Johnny.Ultimately they take a page out of Hamlet's book in order to solve the case.It's a good story, given energy by the young talent. Jackie Cooper, who was a beautiful little boy and effective actor, made the transition to adult actor, as well as directing and producing and continued until retirement in 1990. In his grown-up years, he played likable men who did not seem to have a lot of angst,as opposed to the roles he played in childhood, and he was always very natural.Leo Gorcey gives the film his "Dead End Kids" performance, and Bonita Granville is her usual pretty and vivacious self. Gail Patrick, with her beautiful speaking voice, is elegant and lovely. Both Granville and Patrick are known for off-camera work -- Granville being the owner of TV's Lassie, and Gail Patrick as the producer of TV's Perry Mason.Enjoyable. I admit to loving Jackie Cooper - my mother used to talk about seeing him in the movies when she was a child, and I watched him faithfully on "The People's Choice" and "Hennessy."

This movie has all the trappings of kids film, but it is a who dun it. In a salute to Jackie Cooper, this gem was run recently on TCM but this movie has a whole ensemble cast with Cooper.It seems one of the kids in this has his father in jail for murder, a murder of which he is innocent. This one goes much deeper. It seems there is a real person who committed the crime. The kids here go through a long trail to find him. Then they invite him to the high school play they have put together to expose him.Though this was an MGM B picture without Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland, it has a much too serious tone for those stars. This one is well produced and the cast features some of the East Side/ Dead End Kids from other films. I found it quite engrossing as it is kind of a "Saved By The Bell " only this is the adult version and it is pulled off about as well as it could have been done.George Seitz who directed the Andy Hardy series did this one and it gives you the feeling of the veteran director's work.

Some of the best known juvenile stars from pretty disparate movie backgrounds got together for Gallant Sons, a comedy/drama in which the gang gets together to solve a mystery for which one of their fathers has been arrested.Gene Reynolds is the kid whom they are trying to help. His father is Ian Hunter who is a professional gambler, owner of a swank club who's been accused of murdering a woman who had something on him. The rest of the group is Jackie Cooper, June Preisser, Bonita Granville, Leo Gorcey, Tommy Kelly, and William Tracy. After a little Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew type sleuthing, when they have their suspect in mind the boys use a bit from none other than Master Will Shakespeare himself. As Hamlet said, 'the play's the thing where I'll catch the conscience of the king' and the kids put on a play to get their quarry rattled enough to confess. The juvenile cast is most appealing and Gail Patrick is also in the film, taking a break from her usual roles as the 'other' woman.This is a fine film from MGM's B picture unit. And for once MGM did a film about young people without Mickey and Judy getting together to 'put on a show'. Come to think of it, that is what the kids did here.

This is such a find and succeeds so far beyond any reasonable expectations one might bring to it, I'm tempted to rate it a "10."The only flaw, to my mind, was including Leo Gorcey in the cast of juveniles; but he is relatively toned down.Gene Reynolds was a most appealing actor playing in this age range. Here, we see him looking a little plump (especially in the derriere); but he was handsome and a fine actor. Too bad his career as a star didn't continue into adulthood. (He made a big name for himself behind the scenes, but that was a loss, because here and in such movies as "The Get-Away" he was an excellent actor.)The plot involves two friends, one of whose father is put in jail for a murder he didn't commit. The other's father is a newspaper man who printed the story.These two and their pals do some good sleuthing and come up with a suspect. To smoke him out, they put on a play, a la the play within the play in "Hamlet," which they feel will make him confess.It's all suspenseful, exciting, and fun.