{A FILM REVIEW

Jessica Gunn

History 141

Course #50587

The Dead End Kids were a group of young actors from New York who appeared in Sidney Kingsley's Broadway play Dead End in 1935. In 1937 producer Samuel Goldwyn brought all of them to Hollywood and turned the play into a film.

The kids portrayed a petty gang of street youths headed to a life of crime.

A total of thirteen children were hired to play various roles in the movie, including Billy Halop (Tommy), Bobby Jordan (Angel), Huntz Hall (Dippy), Leo Gorcey (Spit), Bernard Punsly (Milty), Gabriel Dell (T.B.).

Dead End Kids

Baby Face Martin returns to his old neighborhood and finds that nobody is glad to see him.

His mother denounces him for how he is living his life.

Francie, his former girlfriend is now a prostitute in the throes of syphilis.

He plots to kidnap the nephew of a prominent judge for ransom.

He is killed after a struggle with Dave.

Baby Face Martin “Nothing for nothing, kid.”

Drina is living in poverty but is trying to prevent her younger brother Tommy from wasting his life as a member of the local street gang.

Drina receives money from Dave so that she can afford a lawyer to defend her brother Tommy.

Dave and Drina start a romance at the end of the film.

Drina Gordon

The Dead End Kids are led by Tommy.

The Kids rough up a rich kid but when the boy's father tries to intervene, Tommy winds up stabbing him in the hand.

He escapes the police and goes into hiding.

Spit snitches on Tommy to the police.

Dave convinces him to turn himself in.

Drina hires Tommy an attorney to defend him.

Tommy Gordon

Dave is an unemployed architect who works odd jobs.

He is having an affair with Kay Burton, a rich man's mistress. He loves her very much but cannot afford to make her his.

Dave shoots and kills Baby Face Martin after a struggle. He receives a reward from the police for taking down Martin.

He give the reward money to Drina for Tommy’s defense.

Dave leaves Kay to peruse a relationship with Drina.

Dave Connell