Although in many of the Bowery Boys films the gang seemed like a bunch of hoodlums, they were never really THAT larcenous in their films. They just acted tough and the police were forever dogging them. But, as usual, they are the good guys in "'Neath Brooklyn Bridge"....and once again the police suspect one of them. This is because someone was horribly beaten to death and Danny (Bobby Jordan) was arrested because his weapons were on the murder weapon, a bat. Little does anyone know that a mute man who can only speak with his eyes was a witness. As for the gang, they spend a lot of the film taking care of a young lady who is in trouble and eventually they are instrumental in finding the real culprits. On hand as one of the supposed ex-members of the gang (he was a bit old for this...Noah Beery, Jr.).Overall, this film is pretty typical of a Bowery Boys film--- modestly entertaining and nothing more. Worth seeing if you are a fan but not among their best.

In this East Side Kids flick, the gang encounter a stepfather abusing his stepdaughter as she runs from him. They chase him back and fight him, knocking him out. He ends up dead but it was at the hands of a gangster who arrived later after the kids and the girl left. There's more than that but I'll just now say that I liked the story presented here which had a nice mix of drama and some comedy which is usually provided by Huntz Hall and aided by Leo Gorcey whenever he and Hall bantered. Huntz also had a nice dance sequence with Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison in a demonstration of their expert footwork. Also on hand is Noah Beery Jr. as a former member now a sailor. Ann Gillis plays the girl Sylvia. Anyway, 'Neath Brooklyn Bridge was another enjoyable entry in the series.

Another Kids movie. Most of them are pretty good, especially considering the simplistic plots and basic acting that is involved. In this one Mugs and the gang are more good than bad. They come to the rescue of a girl whose step father is beating on her. She only sticks around to take of her paralyzed grandfather. Her step dad gets knocked out by Mugs using a chair leg. The gang leaves to chase the girl when she runs. Now the step father has robbed a local crime boss and the boss climbs through a window, gets his loot back and smashes a gun butt over the guys head. This kills the robber and the boss takes the club Mugs used to hold over his head as evidence. By now the gang has caught up with the girl and take her to their "clubhouse" to hide. Learning that grandpa can communicate with the girl the gang goes and gets him, bringing back to the lair. A former member, now in the Navy, has returned and recognizes that the grandpa is using Morse code. Meanwhile the crime boss has used the non-murder weapon to force Mugs to case a silk warehouse and help rob it. The Navy man takes the girl to the cops with the story grandpa Morsed out. Meanwhile Mugs has the gang stashed in the warehouse and when he lets the crooks in they fight it out and the cops show up. So the baddies get busted, the gang gets a pat on the back and the murder is placed on the right man.

For a film that has survived 60 years, I wonder why I haven't enjoyed the East Side Boys before. Anyway, I got a DVD with four of their adventures. In this episode, the boys are moving furniture near the tenements by Manhattan's area near the Brooklyn Bridge. They get into a bit of trouble when they spot a beautiful but distracted young woman named Sylvia. Her stepfather wants her and him to leave their tenement apartment but she won't leave her paralyzed grandfather behind. Her stepfather is in some shady dealings. The East Side Boys sure can be tempted into joining the crime scene but choose to make an honest living in tough times. The film was on the end of the Great Depression and Second World War. Despite the predictability, the cast especially Leo Gorcy do a terrific job in making it entertaining.