Product: That Gang of Mine [VHS] (1940)
Rating: 3.0
Gorcey Shines in this B-Movie
The East Side Kids meet an older man (Clarence Muse) who is squatting with his thoroughbred racehorse on some property in hopes of entering the horse in a race. The boys discover him and promise to keep his being there a secret, but only if Muggs (Leo Gorcey) can be the jockey that races the horse. It is agreed upon, and Muggs enters the race. The horse is excellent, but Muggs is too inexperienced to ride him, so they lose the race. However, some wealthy men in the crowd recognize the horse's potential and agree to properly train him.This film is definitely a B-movie, so it does not benefit from an excellent story or set, but it does have some great actors, especially Gorcey. He shows a range not typically found in actors with no formal training; he was a natural actor with an immense amount of skill. He can be a crack-up, but he can also break your heart, the way he demonstrates here.The black characters could certainly be considered demeaning, although the old man has much more depth than the average black part. Scruno (Ernie Morrison) is a bit more offensive, though his "dumb" character could have been played by a white actor, and eventually was in the Bowrey Boys series by Huntz Hall.The print quality on this one is not very good, and could be better. However, since it is a B-film, a better print is not likely to be found.