| Mr. Muggs Steps Out | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | William Beaudine |
| Written by | William Beaudine (writer) Beryl Sachs (writer) |
| Produced by | Jack Dietz (producer) Sam Katzman (producer) Barney A. Sarecky (associate producer) |
| Starring | See below |
| Cinematography | Marcel Le Picard |
| Edited by | Carl Pierson |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 63 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Mr. Muggs Steps Out is a 1943 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring The East Side Kids. [1]
Much to the despair of her husband John, wealthy New York socialite Margaret Morgan hires former criminals Masie O'Donnell and Butch Grogan to be her house servants. When she goes to court because her daughter Brenda has been arrested for reckless driving, Margaret is moved to hire Muggs, who has been arrested for vagrancy and being a public nuisance, after the judge insists that he get a legitimate job.
Now a chauffeur, Muggs brings the whole East Side Kids gang with him and puts them to work polishing cars. Muggs is instructed on proper etiquette, and when an engagement party is held for Brenda and her conservative fiancé Virgil, Muggs and the gang serve the food. At the end of the evening, one of the guests discovers that her diamond necklace is missing, and John accuses the East Side Kids of the theft. However, everyone recalls seeing a stranger at the party, whom Maisie now remembers as someone she met at Danceland, a dance hall on the lower East Side.
Muggs convinces John not to call the police until he and the boys have had a chance to investigate. Maisie goes downtown to Danceland with Brenda, who dresses up like a gangster's moll in order to fit in. They meet with gangster Dips Nolan and learn that he plotted the jewelry heist with Diamonds, who was the stranger at the party. Nolan becomes suspicious when naïve Virgil, who has followed Brenda to the dance hall, uses her real name and asks him to throw a fake fight so that he can prove his manhood. Nolan instead knocks Virgil out and kidnaps Brenda.
Muggs and Glimpy, meanwhile, see Diamonds leave for the dance hall and search his apartment. Although they find nothing, Diamonds and Nolan return with Brenda, and the entire East Side Kids gang captures the criminals and retrieves the diamonds. Later, Brenda is pleased to find that Virgil's East Side adventure has transformed him into a more confident and adventurous person.
Flying Wild is a 1941 film directed by William Beaudine under the pseudonym "William West" as the fifth installment of the East Side Kids series which eventually totaled 22 films. The film is the team's first one in the spy film genre.
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 film and 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 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.
Charles J. "Buddy" Gorman was an American stage and movie actor who became famous for portraying a member of the comedy teams The East Side Kids and The Bowery Boys.
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.
Mr. Muggs Rides Again is a 1945 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. Many of them were originally part of The Dead End Kids and The Little Tough Guys, and several of them later became members of The Bowery Boys.
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.