| Mr. Muggs Rides Again | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Wallace Fox |
| Written by | Harvey Gates |
| Produced by | Sam Katzman Jack Dietz |
| Starring | Leo Gorcey Huntz Hall Billy Benedict |
| Cinematography | Ira H. Morgan |
| Edited by | William Austin |
| Music by | Edward J. Kay |
| Distributed by | Monogram Pictures Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 63 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Mr. Muggs Rides Again is a 1945 American comedy film, directed by Wallace Fox and starring The East Side Kids. [1]
After an electric "buzzing" device is found near his winning horse Turnabout, jockey Muggs McGinnis is questioned by track officials. Despite his protests that Turnabout's owner, gambler Dollar Davis, and his righthand man, Gaby O'Neill, planted the device on Turnabout so that they could bet against him, Muggs is suspended indefinitely from horseracing. Embittered, Muggs is about to quit racing forever when he and his gang of friends, The East Side Kids, learn that Mrs. Nora Brown, whom they call "Ma," is about to lose her stable because of an unpaid feed bill. Pooling their savings, Muggs and the boys give Ma enough money to pay her debt, which had been bought up by the scheming Davis. Muggs then insists on caring for Sweet Alice, Ma's other horse, who has a lame leg. After sneaking Alice into the gang's clubhouse in New York's East Side, Muggs tricks an orthopedic specialist into examining her.
Although Alice eventually recovers, her presence in the clubhouse is discovered by a policeman, who threatens to arrest the entire gang. Before they are hauled off to jail, however, Ma shows up with her niece Elsie. Having won several races with her prize horse Storm Cloud, Ma is now solvent and able to reclaim Alice and to offer the gang jobs. Ma is anxious to enter Storm Cloud in the upcoming handicap race and agrees to enter Alice too, as a way to boost Storm Cloud's enthusiasm. When Elsie, who is becoming romantically involved with Gaby against Muggs's stern advice, announces she is consulting a fortune teller about the race, Muggs, Glimpy, and Skinny decide to follow her to the local fair. There, Glimpy dons the drunken fortune-teller's disguise and offers to "tell" Elsie's fortune. After Glimpy condemns Gaby, a former East Side Kid, as a double-crosser, a confused Elsie runs away crying. Muggs then calls Gaby a "four-flusher" to his face, and later, a guilt-ridden Gaby announces to Davis that he is quitting. Davis, however, orders thugs Joe English and Mike Hanlin to kill Gaby and drug Storm Cloud, the only horse he believes is capable of beating Turnabout in the handicap. When the boys find Storm Cloud drugged and unable to race, they immediately assume Gaby is guilty.
Muggs and Elsie drive to the city to confront Gaby, and on the way, Elsie reveals that Ma wants to win the race because she is terminally ill and needs money for medical and funeral expenses. By the time they arrive at Gaby's, he has been shot and is on his way to the hospital. Unable to question Gaby, Muggs returns to Ma, who announces her decision not to run either horse in the race. Later, however, Ma learns that Gaby has recovered enough to talk and is willing to clear Muggs. When Davis hears the news, he sends Hanlin and English to finish the job on Gaby, and the thugs arrive at the hospital at the same time as Muggs and the gang. The boys quickly overwhelm the would-be killers and sneak Gaby out of the hospital. As Gaby and the gang race to meet with the racing official, they are pursued by Hanlin and English. The boys out-drive their enemies and burst into the official's office in time for Gaby to clear Muggs. The official then declares Muggs eligible to race in the handicap, and the next day, Muggs rides Alice to victory. Later, newlyweds Gaby and Elsie take off on their honeymoon with a grateful Ma.
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.
Follow the Leader is a 1944 American film directed by William Beaudine featuring 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.
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.