Hell's Kitchen (1939)

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Dead End kids may get the billing, but it's really Stanley Fields' (Buck) movie. A Wallace Beery look-a-like, his fractured English and Runyonesque manner hit the right notes for what is really a soft hearted gangster. Seems he's got to help out at a boy's home or he's off probation and into the slammer. Trouble is the boys' home is run by cruel supervisor Krispan (Grant Mitchell in a fine performance), who's also skimming money from donors. So Buck uses gang money to buy in and run the home in a more humane manner. But the scheming Krispan's got other ideas.The subplot here is interesting since it's the wayward boys and the soft-hearted gangster who come across as humane and just, while the politically connected, respectable guy is the real crook. It's sort of a reversal of what is usually expected, but perhaps not unusual for the restive 1930's.Anyway, Bobby Jordan (Tony) shows his chops in a nicely calibrated emotional scene, while Gorcey (Gyp) does his tough guy bit, and Halop shows leadership abilities. Surprisingly, Huntz Hall (Bingo) has a secondary, non-comedic role, unlike his later dominating role in the long- running series. Reagan fans may be disappointed since his is also a secondary role, but at least he gets the girl as played by the fetching Margaret Lindsey.All in all, the movie's an entertaining combo of serious themes seasoned with humor. However that hokey hockey game looked anything but real since there was neither officiating nor penalties for roughhousing. But that's a relatively minor point in an otherwise well executed production.

The fact that this is a remake of a 1933 film and a reworking of a film made in 1938 is not that unusual for Warner Brothers. Often they remade films only a year or two or three later. Other studios often did the same but Warner seemed to do it a lot. In spite of this being a remake, and I usually hate remakes, I found I enjoyed this every bit as much as the other two films--perhaps a little more. This is because instead of the tough guys Cagney or Bogart playing the lead, this one had Stanley Fields who brought an entirely different element. He was much larger and scarier looking but also had a comedic edge to him--sort of like a big criminal teddy bear!! The only part that didn't work for me was the whole hockey team angle--that was weird and the street kids seemed practically like champion skaters almost immediately! Still, this is an enjoyable Warner film and another chance to see the early (and best) incarnation of the Dead End Kids--a group that morphed and changed a lot over the years as the East Side Kids and the Bowery Boys (which were almost like a parody of the Dead End Kids). Well worth seeing.

Hell's Kitchen (1939) ** 1/2 (out of 4) The Dead End Kids star in this remake of The Mayor of Hell and Crime School. This time out (again) a gangster (Stanley Fields) gets out of going to prison but he must do good in the community so he gets involved with a reform school where he soon learns that the owner is abusing the boys. If you've seen either of the previous versions then you won't be shocked by anything that happens here but Fields is good enough to raise the material to a watchable level. There's several failed attempts at humor, which brings the film down some but the drama is pretty strong throughout. Ronald Reagan plays Fields lawyer.

The Dean End Kids are fine - Led by Billy Halop, the "kids" perform well. In fact, they are better in this "juvenile delinquent" genre than many others. Mr. Halop is strong, with Leo Gorcey, Gabe Dell and the others; they work well as a team. It looks like Bobby Jordan is directed (Lewis Seiler) to overplay, but he is endearing.The "Adults" are not so good. Stanley Fields is okay, but his performance doesn't belong in this movie. Ronald Reagan isn't very good, with a performance that may not belong in any movie. Margaret Lindsay is pretty. Some of the performances are inappropriately comic.There is a reference in this film to MGM's "Boys Town" (1938), which invites comparisons. It's direct enough for anyone who as seen the "Boys Town" films. The character played by Ms. Lindsay wants to use the techniques successfully employed by Spencer Tracy's character on the "Dead End" kids of "Hell's Kitchen".The studio took the cheaper route with the "Dead End" series, obviously. The film is not technically competent. For example, a great "West Side Story"-type moment is ruined when the chanting on the soundtrack doesn't match the marching Dead Enders. Actors don't know how to play their parts - or don't play their parts at all. Still, the Dead End Kids make it enjoyable. Their terrific "Trial" for Headmaster Grant Mitchell is a most complete summation of the American justice system. Through all the bad editing, you'll get some suspense and action, too - including a "foul" hockey game, and a fire.***** Hell's Kitchen (7/3/39) Lewis Seiler ~ Billy Halop, Bobby Jordan, Leo Gorcey