Dead End (1937)

The first film with the Dead End kids, this drama based on the play by Sydney Kingsley and adapted by Lillian Hellman tells of a section of New York where the poor and the rich collide.   We have a bunch of young hoodlums played memorably, if heightened for effect, by Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan, Leo Gorcey, Gabriel Dell, and Bernard Punsly.  There's Syliva Sidney who plays one of these kid's sister and while watching out for her brother she longs for Joel McCrea who in turn longs to escape the slums.  But the actor that sweeps in and almost steals the show is Humphrey Bogart who is a gangster on the run with a changed face returning to his neighborhood to reconnect with his childhood sweetheart.  With so many moving parts its impressive William Wyler kept it a coherent film.   Back in 1937 this was nominated for best picture and while it's lost some of its luster and impact I found it an entertaining look into class warfare.  Grade: B+.