A gangster (perennial tough guy Marc Lawrence) is looking to make a big score and he wants to use the East Side Kids on his crew. Naturally, they don’t want anything to do with it, but the crook forces them to go along with the plan when he blackmails Muggs (Leo Gorcey) into thinking he’s committed a murder. While the kids keep a woman who witnessed the murder at their clubhouse (disguised in drag as an East Side Kid), Muggs uses his ingenuity (or lack thereof) to outwit the gangsters.
‘Neath Brooklyn Bridge is a middling entry in the East Side Kids/Bowery Boys series. Gorcey and Huntz Hall are always fun to watch, but the gags aren’t as frequent or as funny as some of the gang’s later (better) stuff. There are some amusing scenes sprinkled about (like when Hall tricks a fruit cart vendor into giving him free food), although it’s nothing that will exactly make you laugh out loud. I guess that’s to be expected when Danny (Bobby Jordan) has a murder rap hanging over his head and Muggs is mixed up with shady underworld characters. However, even the most grounded films in the franchise at least try to deliver in the yuks department. The East Side Kids vs. hoods finale is also strangely lackluster and feels rushed.
The supporting cast is unusually strong this time around, which helps somewhat. In addition to Lawrence’s fine performance as the lead heavy, we also have Reefer Madness’ Dave O’Brien as Danny’s older cop brother who tries to get the boys out of their predicament. Noah Beery Jr. shows up around the halfway mark as Rusty, an older member of the gang who’s now a sailor on shore leave. He sort of becomes the de facto romantic lead too, which was unnecessary if you ask me, as the romantic subplot gets in the way of the Kids’ jokes and antics.
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