GamerTab That was an excellent one.

ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

utgard14 En route to a boys camp for the summer, our favorite juvenile delinquents find themselves stranded overnight at a crooked judge's house. There they battle racketeers and the usual old dark house tropes. This is former Dead End Kid (and future leader of the gang) Leo Gorcey's first entry in the East Side Kids series (also the first for his brother David). As such it feels like much more of a proper start to the series than the first film did. Returning from the first one is Dave O'Brien as Knuckles, the reformed gangster acting as the boys' guardian. It's a forgettable movie in every way. At this point Gorcey hadn't yet developed his malapropism-spouting character and he doesn't have Huntz Hall, either, and he was always best with Huntz. Plus the Kids, regardless of which version, did this material better in several other pictures.

arfdawg-1 The Plot.It's been two weeks of unrelenting New York City summer heat. Sooner or later the boys are apt to get into mischief, so Knuckles takes the load of 'em to Algy's father's camp in the mountains. The trip gets sidetracked when they cross paths with Judge Parker' party on the road. The Judge, hiding from the mob, is desperately heading to his mountain manor when he runs the boys' vehicle off the road, nearly disabling it right before his own car conks out. With only the boys' car barely able to travel, they all wind up at the judge's manor where ghostly sightings, spooky organ music, death threats and a creepy housekeeper await them. Judge Parker is the very judge who once nearly put Knuckles on death row for murder. When the judge turns up dead, Knuckles is in trouble again, with little brother Danny and the gang ready to help him out. I used to love the Bowery Boys / East Side / Dead End Kids when they ran on local TV as a kid. These guys sure knew how to milk a series and they might have lasted as long as the 3 Stooges. In movies, from 1937-1956! With nearly 70 features to their credit. Huntz Hall isn't in this one yet, and he's missed. The movie is only 68 minutes long but feels like 3 hours! Half the film is over before they even get to the haunted house.As an aside, the guy from Reefer Madness is in this movie. It's not a very good film. The later humor filled movies were far better.

MartinHafer The gang are hot and looking to find a way to cool off during the summer heat. They decide to open up a fire hydrant and naturally are caught by the cops. But instead of punishing them, the kids are convinced to go to a summer camp by their friend, Knuckles. On the way, they meet up with a car load of strange people--people who are on the run. Together, the East Side Kids, Knuckles and these strangers are unexpectedly stuck in a house--a seemingly haunted house. And, in the sorts of coincidences that only happen in films, Knuckles just happens to have a reason to kill one of the strangers (a judge) and the housekeeper just happens to be a crazed lady bent on revenge who makes the housekeeper in "Rebecca" seem like Maria von Trapp!! This sort of haunted house film might be awfully familiar to those acquainted with the East Side Kids and their later incarnation as the Bowery Boys--too familiar. Such films as "Ghost on the Loose", "Spooks Run Wild" and "Spook Busters" had similar themes that seemed to work pretty well in these B-movies but were just over-used. Plus, the films were far from intellectual fare and seemed very similar to each other.While Sunshine Sammy (Ernest Morrison) was a familiar black member of the gang (it's nice to see they were integrated), in this film he's given some rather distasteful lines--such as when Muggs (Leo Gorcey) treats him like a servant and calls him 'boy' in one scene, his constantly being afraid of 'ghostes' and at one point he's sitting down to a giant plate of watermelon! Not exactly enlightened entertainment!Overall, a rather low-brow and familiar but generally enjoyable B-film. Aside from the awful stereotypical humor, the film also seems a bit contrived--as there are just one too many coincidences to make this anything other than a time-passer.

spost8260 The cigar scene at the country estate is worth it all! Full of belly laughs! Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison is at his classic comedic best. Frankie Burke, the young Cagney look-alike from "Angels with dirty faces" has a role as one of the boys and does a fine job...you'll notice he can move like cagney, as well as look, act and sound like him when you see him jumping over that sofa in the guest room! Many sight-gags and tongue-in-cheek humor in this film. The shame is its lack-luster title and description. This is one you have to see. One warning, however...there are racial overtones. But you must remember, this *was* 1940 and Mr. Morrison handles them with his precise, exceptional talent. All in all, this is a must-see film for classic buffs. For anyone looking for clean fun!