Customer Reviews

Pride of the Bowery [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I can not tell you much about the movie, the Gotham Distributors/ Alpha Video DVD is so bad that I had to stop it 10 minutes in and force the store to accept the return of an open DVD.
The AUDIO is DISTORDED, making it very hard to understand Leo Gorcey's humorous banter.
The VIDEO is WASHED OUT so that you can not see their faces.
The film print they used was also splicy, but that would have been tolerable if you could see & hear the movie. Wait until someone like Platinum, Front Row, Brentwood, or Goodtimes releases this public domain title.

Pride Of The Bowery finds the Eastside Kids at a CCC camp with a bunch of other "kids".
Muggs (Leo Gorcey) can't seem to keep out of trouble in this film.
The plot is thin, the acting atrocious, the production values almost non-existant.
Best for fans of the Eastside Kids.

go to www.archive.org and you can download this film and hundreds of others for FREE. It's legal too.

This undistinguished effort (which seems like a promotion for Franklin Roosevelt's CCC camps of that time) is very disliked by most of today's film historians and critics. Though not a total turkey, it's still very slow-paced and, like the majority of the Bowery Boys/East Side Kids films, is badly dated. If there is a message in this movie, it gets lost in uninspired, forced humor, uneven scripting, and generally unappealling performances.

Pride of the Bowery, 1940 film

The movie starts with a view of lower Manhattan. A sign says "Vassey Street Boys Club". Muggs wants to train as a fighter for a Golden Gloves bout. They join the Civilian Conservation Corps. A truck takes them into the country. Muggs learns the rules. They get $22 a month for support of their families. [Work relief?] First they get their physical examination. "Report to the Captain!" He explains the rules. The bell announces dinner, a whistle tells when to start. A pillow fight at night. Allen doesn't squeal. Road work in the morning. The doctor orders exercise. The forestry crew is cutting down big trees. Muggs rescues Allen. The Captain praises Muggs. There will be boxing bouts in town. One boy's brother is in a jam, he needs a lot of money in a hurry. Muggs will help. The boxing begins. [Are they evenly matched?]

One boy slips away from the fight to burglarize an office. The Captain declares a draw. The crowd boos the result. Muggs is shunned. Muggs meets a young woman and boasts. They walk around the camp. Muggs talks to the Captain and asks for leave on Saturday. Muggs buys flowers, then walks around town. He meets Willy, who confesses his theft. "You gotta help me." Muggs wants his money in advance. He goes the six rounds. Is Willie a sneaky manipulator? [A lesson here.] The Captain catches him! "What will he do?" "I'm awfully sorry." Elaine talks to him, the Captain suspects there is more to the story. Danny tells his suspicions to the Captain. There is a chase by the lake, and a confession. Can things be corrected? Muggs has fire in his belly now, even better than before. A distraction causes a problem. The lesson is there are times when a man should talk, it is not squealing. "Here we go again, boys."

You also need to avoid being fooled by one of your gang through misplaced trust. The scenery looks more like the hills of California than upstate New York. That's a long way from the lower East Side.

First, I'm glad that someone (Alpha Video) is offering this movie. It's worth having. But, my copy was so choppy and boogery, it was hard to follow what was going on. Lots of the dialog was cut up so badly I had to guess what was being said. So, if you don't mind being frustrated and love the East Side Kids, go ahead and get this. Maybe someday TCM or someone else will dig in and remaster the entire 20 ESK movies. Do you hear me TCM?

I completely agree with the other reviewer's opinion this edition stinks! It's ashame the East Side Kids series doesn't get better treatment. I understand these films are pretty much considered bottom of the barrel poverty row entertainment whose appeal to modern day audiences is extremely limited at best, but c'mon if your gonna take the time to release the stuff at all at least make sure it's watchable. The antics of Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall and the boys have a certain charm that deserves to be remembered in a better form than this! If you've never checked out or even heard of the East Side Kids before do yourself a favor and look them up, trashy teen exploitation from a time long ago, corny yet hip (I guess for it's day?!), the 30's and 40's equivalent of today's Road trip and American Pie type teen flix (minus the sex of course!). Let's hope these pics get released in better form some day!

What a treat to revisit the things I grew up with. This is timeless comedy that still brings a laugh. As everyone knows, laughter is the best medicine.