The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-09-27
THE NEW FILM
wild Boys of the Road"
at Hollywood Marred
bu N. r. a. Endina


wild Boys of the Road" sweeps
along with force and truth up to the
catch MIRA ending.
1t deals with the half million or
more homeless boys and girls who
travel the railroads from one end of
the country to the other in vain
effort to find food and shelter.
Eddie SMITH and his friend Tommy
come of working class families. They
both go to high school. Tommy's
mother is living on relief, and there
isn't enough food for Tommy. Ed
dies dad is fired, and cannot get
another job. The family is evicted.
Eddie feels that he will be better off
away from home. Tommy feels that
his mother could get along without
him if he were no longer a burden to
her. They both decide to leave home.
And in the middle of the night
Eddie and Tommy are seen down by
the freight yards, with knapsack on
back, ready to hop the train. Two
boys joining the army of homeless
youth, which is marching and riding
from one end of the country to the
other in the vain search for food and
shelter.
This introduction carries the audi
ence with Eddie and Tommy into
further adventures on the road Ed
die and Tommy hit up with Sally,
who is travelling from the West
Coast to see her aunt in Chicago.
because her mother has too many
kids to support.
The wandering boys and girls ira
vel in packs. Railroad trains look like
roosts for homing pigeons. Hundreds
OF boys packed like sardines in the
empties; piled onto the roofs when
there is no more room in the gon-
dolas; riding the rods, in the cold, in
the rain, with the hot sun pouring
down on them, with the snow and
the cold making them freeze, with
the rain dampening their ragged
bodies, and ragged spirits.
Railroad detectives stop the train.
Boys and girls rush off, into the
fields away from the freight. There
are only eight railroad detectives.
They number hundreds. Steps are
taken to hold onto their empties, and
ride on. A pitched battle follows. The
boys win. While they have been
fighting brakeman attacks one of
the girls. The boys throw him from
the freight train.
The train moves on. It stops at
the next town. News of the attack
and the battle has preceded them.
The detectives and cops are ready
for the wild boys" This time for
capturing the train, and numbering
a man. They chase them; they hunt
them; they beat them. There is
grand rush, amongst moving and sta
tionary trains. Girls and boys dash
heller SHELTER through the yards.
Tommy falls. A train speeds from
the opposite direction. The boys and
girls. stand aghast. They cannot help
Tommy. Tommy barely drags the
trunk OF his body from off the track.
His right leg is crushed by the on
rushing train. The railroad detec-
tives have done their job.
The homeless boys are in Shanty
Town. Cops come to demolish their
city. 1--WE aren't going to hurt you.
No rough stuff" say the cops. Jaw
yeah" say the boys, they know bet
ter. And feeling echoes into the movie
audience. Jaw yeah" they repeat
with sneertng laughter, I'VE know
better" They're driven out with hose
and club, and again the aimless wan
dering. Again the road, again bru-
tality, helplessness, hunger, cold, all
The miseries Of the road.
Robbery, murder, begging, panhan-
ding, aimless wandering, mo stop
over here" our particular charters
finally end up in New York court.
Here, Frankie Darrow, as Eddie |
Smith, makes an appealing and con-
1incing speech. He tells the Judge
hat he doesn't care n he does go to |