East Side Kids (film)

East Side Kids is a 1940 film and the first in the East Side Kids film series. It is the only one not to star any of the original six Dead End Kids.

Police officer Pat ODay Leon Ames, a former child of the tenements, tries to reform a gang of street kids by involving them in a boys police club. When club member Danny Dolan Harris Bergers brother Knuckles Dave OBrien is sentenced to death row for killing a treasury agent, Pat vows to help Danny clear his brother, whom he believes is innocent, but before he can begin his investigation, the police commissioner demotes him to walking a beat. Meanwhile, a counterfeiting ring composed of Mileaway HarrisDennis Moore, a former tenement kid, Morris, and his girl friend May Maxine Leslie sets up shop in shopkeepers Schmidt Ted Adamss, basement. Feeling threatened by Pat, Morris schemes to discredit the policeman by posing as a businessman who wants to hire Pats boys to distribute advertising leaflets. Unknown to Pat, Morris places bogus five dollar bills in the pay envelopes, and when the boys are caught passing fake money, Pat is implicated in the counterfeiting scheme. To prove his innocence, Pat takes to the streets, and Danny, still unaware of Morris involvement in the counterfeiting ring, agrees to deliver a suitcase for him to May. A policeman follows Danny to Mays apartment, where they are greeted by Mileaway, who kills the policeman and takes Danny hostage. As they drive across town, Danny learns that it was Mileaway who killed the treasury agent and framed Knuckles. Pat tracks down Mileaways car, and in the ensuing chase, Mileaway escapes and kills Schmidt. Pat and the kids chase Mileaway to a rooftop, where Dutch Hal E. Chester, Dannys friend, struggles with Mileaway. When they both fall to the sidewalk, Dutch is killed but Mileaway lives to confess to the agents murder, and all ends happily as both Knuckles and Pat are exonerated.

Source: Wikipedia