Movie Review: Smart Alecks (1942)
Synopsis: Things aren't quite right with the East Side Kids after Danny's sister, Ruth, testifies against one of their own for participating in a bank robbery and Danny himself collects a reward for capturing a wanted criminal, Butch Brocalli, and doesn't immediately share it. Their strained friendship is then put to the test when Butch breaks out of prison and puts Danny in the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Who's in it? The movie stars Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan, Huntz Hall, Gale Storm and Maxie Rosenbloom.
Review: As has happened to me too often lately, I had planned on watching another movie this morning but then couldn't remember what it was (stupid old age). So, needing an alternative, I once again fell back on the East Side Kids with their movie, Smart Alecks. Overall, it was an OK film, though my opinion did end up being a bit mixed.
The movie's plot, once it happened, was solid. The story focused on loyalty to your friends/gang and the dangers of being tempted with easy money when you're living in poverty. At the same time, the gangster, Butch (Rosenbloom) turned out to be a real menace, especially when he developed a thing for Ruth (Storm).
Since I had seen later East Side Kid/Bowery Boy movies, I wasn't as concerned over Danny's (Jordan) hospitalization as I probably should have been. However, had I not seen into the future, so to speak, I think there would have been some legitimate suspense. After all, it wouldn't have been the first time an East Side Kid died in one of their films. At minimum, it gave the rest of the crew, especially Muggs (Gorcey) and opportunity to show off their dramatic acting talent and it was admittedly heartbreaking to see the normally tough-as-nails guys showing real emotion.
My only real complaint is I thought the majority of the movie painted Muggs and the rest of the gang in a bad light, especially when they ostracized Danny without taking two seconds to talk to him about why he wasn't sharing the $200 reward. It was bad enough to kick him out of their gang. Breaking into his apartment and stealing the money from him just made them look like a bunch of thugs that belonged in jail.
Also, while this is classified as a comedy, the attempts at jokes fell a bit flat in my opinion, due mostly to the overwhelming amount of drama. This is especially true of the cake scene, which just seemed to go on forever and felt like it was there just to get the movie an hour of runtime.
Final Opinion: I didn't like how the movie made the East Side Kids seem more thug-like than they are supposed to be, but the overall plot was interesting and the suspense over Danny's injuries and the way it forced the gang to show real emotion did make up for it.
My Grade: B
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Here are some reviews of other movies from 1942:
Movie Review: Just Off Broadway (1942)
Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942)
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