| Follow the Leader | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | William Beaudine |
| Screenplay by | William Beaudine Beryl Sachs |
| Story by | Ande Lamb |
| Produced by | Jack Dietz Sam Katzman |
| Starring | See below |
| Cinematography | Marcel Le Picard |
| Edited by | Carl Pierson |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 65 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Follow the Leader is a 1944 American film directed by William Beaudine featuring the East Side Kids. [1]
As he and Glimpy Freedhoff anxiously anticipate their furlough home, Muggs McGinnis is summoned to the colonel's office and informed that he is to be honorably discharged because of poor eyesight. At home in the Bowery, Muggs is tearfully telling his proud mother about his discharge when Glimpy bursts into the apartment with the news that Danny has been jailed.
Determined to exonerate their friend, Muggs and Glimpy proceed to the clubhouse and are welcomed by their pals. There they meet Spider, a new club member who was working with Danny at a warehouse when he was arrested. Muggs and Glimpy then go to the jailhouse to question Danny. Becoming suspicious when Danny tells them that soon after Spider arranged for him to work at the warehouse, he was charged with stealing alcohol earmarked for the Army, Muggs goes to the warehouse to investigate. After observing Fingers Belmont, a troublemaker who had been expelled from their club, hand fifty dollars to Spider, Muggs invites Spider to a "party" at the clubhouse that night. When Spider arrives, Muggs orders the other boys to leave the room. Claiming that he was dishonorably discharged, Muggs then tells Spider that he wants to join the hijackers, and Spider confides that Fingers pays him to unbolt the back door to the warehouse. As Muggs and Spider leave the clubhouse for the night, Spider admits to Muggs that the only reason he took up the job with the crooks was in order to have money to take care of his ill mother. Meanwhile, Fingers had overheard Spider's earlier confession and, once Spider is alone, drags him back to the clubhouse and beats him to death.
When Spider's body is found there, suspicion falls on Muggs, and Glimpy hurries to warn his friend that the police are looking for him. Determined to clear his name and expose the mastermind behind the hijackers, Muggs approaches Major Kline of military intelligence and offers to work undercover to solve the case. Meanwhile, Fingers' boss Larry, the owner of Maxie's Club, becomes disturbed when he reads about Spider's murder in the newspaper. Major Kline then introduces Muggs to Captain Baker of the police department, and when the two law enforcement officials decide to accept his proposal, Muggs finds Fingers and threatens to expose him to the police unless he is allowed to join the hijackers.
After Fingers directs Muggs to meet him at Maxie's Club the next evening, Muggs convenes a meeting of the club members. Appealing to the boys for help in apprehending the thieves, Muggs instructs Glimpy to wait for his phone call at Ginsberg's delicatessen the next evening and then assemble the other members. When one of the boys finds a bloodied tie clip on the floor bearing the initials "WWB," Muggs realizes that it must belong to Spider's killer. At Maxie's the next night, Muggs asks his sister Milly, who works as a cigarette girl there, to phone Ginsberg's delicatessen if anything strange happens.
As the boys await Muggs's call, Fingers and Muggs row out to a warehouse on the docks and load some stolen crates onto their boat. After delivering the crates to Maxie's storeroom, Muggs starts an argument with Fingers and knocks him unconscious. In the fray, Finger's hat flies off his head and Muggs sees the initials "WWB" inscribed on the band. Upon regaining consciousness, Fingers knocks Muggs down and races to warn Larry about Muggs's double-cross. Overhearing their conversation, Milly notifies Glimpy at the delicatessen and Glimpy then rallies the boys waiting at the clubhouse.
After Fingers returns to the storehouse, Milly enters Larry's office and begins to flirt with him, stalling for time. When Glimpy and the others burst into Maxie's storeroom, Fingers rushes back to Larry's office and there recognizes Milly as Muggs's sister. At that moment, Muggs and the boys come to Milly's rescue and apprehend Larry and Fingers. For their heroism, Muggs is reinstated into the Army as a sergeant and Glimpy is promoted to the rank of corporal.
Flying Wild is a 1941 American comedy thriller film directed by William Beaudine under the pseudonym "William West" as the fifth installment of the East Side Kids series which eventually totalled 22 films. The film is the team's first one in the spy film genre. The supporting cast includes Joan Barclay, Dave O'Brien and Herbert Rawlinson. It was distributed by Monogram Pictures.
Pride of the Bowery is a black-and-white 1940 film and the fourth installment in the East Side Kids series. It was directed by Joseph H. Lewis and produced by Sam Katzman. It was released by Monogram Pictures on December 15, 1940.
That Gang of Mine is a 1940 film directed by Joseph H. Lewis and starring Leo Gorcey and Bobby Jordan. It is the third film in the East Side Kids series.
Bowery Blitzkrieg is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Sam Katzman. It is the sixth installment of the East Side Kids series. The film "introduced" Huntz Hall in his first of the East Side Kids film series.
Docks of New York is a 1945 American comedy film directed by Wallace Fox and starring the East Side Kids.
Spooks Run Wild is a 1941 American horror comedy film and the seventh film in the East Side Kids series. It stars Bela Lugosi with Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan and Huntz Hall. It is directed by Phil Rosen, in his first and only outing in the series, and produced by Sam Katzman. The original script is by Carl Foreman and Charles R. Marion.
Clancy Street Boys is a 1943 comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring the East Side Kids. It is Beaudine's first film with the team; he would direct several more in the series and many in the Bowery Boys canon. Leo Gorcey married the female lead Amelita Ward. There is no mention of "Clancy Street" in the film, but a rival gang at Cherry Street appears at the beginning and climax of the film.
'Neath Brooklyn Bridge is a 1942 film released by Monogram Pictures. It is the eleventh installment in the East Side Kids series and one of the more dramatic films of the series, released at a time when they were making lighter, more humorous fare. The film is now in public domain and can be downloaded legally from numerous web sites.
Let's Get Tough! is a 1942 film and the ninth film in the East Side Kids series, starring Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan, and Robert Armstrong. Released in early 1942, it was directed by Wallace Fox, and features the gang caught up in World War II and fighting the Black Dragon Society, an enemy sabotage ring.
Kid Dynamite is a 1943 American film directed by Wallace Fox and starring the East Side Kids. It was based on the 1942 short story The Old Gang by Paul Ernst and features additional dialogue by comedian Morey Amsterdam. The working title of this film was Little Mobsters.
Mr. Wise Guy is a 1942 American film starring The East Side Kids and directed by William Nigh.
Million Dollar Kid is a 1944 American film directed by Wallace Fox starring the East Side Kids.
Smart Alecks is a 1942 American film directed by Wallace Fox and starring the East Side Kids.
Ghosts on the Loose is a 1943 American comedy horror film and the fourteenth film in the East Side Kids series, directed by William Beaudine. The picture co-stars horror film icon Bela Lugosi as well as Ava Gardner in one of her earliest roles.
Mr. Muggs Steps Out is a 1943 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring The East Side Kids.
Block Busters is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Wallace Fox and starring the East Side Kids.
Bowery Champs is a 1944 American film directed by William Beaudine and starring the East Side Kids.
Mr. Muggs Rides Again is a 1945 American comedy film, directed by Wallace Fox and starring The East Side Kids.
The East Side Kids were characters in a series of 22 films released by Monogram Pictures from 1940 through 1945. The series was a low-budget imitation of the Dead End Kids, a successful film franchise of the late 1930s.
Come Out Fighting is a 1945 American film directed by William Beaudine. It was the last in the Monogram Pictures series of "East Side Kids" films before the series was reinvented as "The Bowery Boys. Film critic Leonard Maltin described the film as "grating," giving it one and a half out of four stars.