Book Review: Leo Gorcey’s Fractured World
Not quite a biography, but more of a scrapbook of information, “Leo Gorcey’s Fractured World” by Jim Manago offers pretty much anything you didn’t already know about the diminutive tough guy of the Dead End Kids, East Side Kids, and Bowery Boys.
With ample assistance from Leo’s real life daughter Brandy, “Leo Gorcey’s Fractured World” (Bear Manor Media) is filled with interesting facts about the actor as both a performer and a person. Even for those of us who are longtime fans and know his work and life pretty well, there are some revealtions.
In James Cagney’s autobiography, released back in the 70s, he recalled during the filming of “Angels With Dirty Faces,” Gorcey disrupting a scene, which caused Cagney to bop him one. In the 80s, during an appearance on the David Letterman show, Huntz Hall repeated that story and added, “Leo hated him for the rest of his life.” From that point, subsequent books on Gorcey’s life and work would refer to that scene and repeat Leo’s disdain for Cagney. We all understood it to be true. Well, it isn’t.
According to Brandy, Leo felt that “Angels With Dirty Faces” was the best film in which he appeared, and continued to admire Cagney all of his life. When referring to that incident, Leo would add that he pretty much deserved the bop that Cagney gave him.
This is only one of the revelations in the book. Brandy recalls her dad’s response to kids who would still recognize him during the 60s and ask for his autograph, his belief that Gabe Dell was the best actor of the Dead End Kids, even his reaction to the whole Sgt Pepper album thing.
I think this is the first book that indicates that Leo’s favorite East Side Kids film was “Bowery Blitzkrieg” in which critics singled out his performance, and that he liked his role in “On Dress Parade” because the character was more layered. He also welcomed doing more comedy as he grew out of his earlier roles and was no longer a kid. We are again reminded that, unlike Cagney, Bogart would engage in practical jokes with the kids, and even instigate them.
Along with a welcome reprint of the 1967 interview with Richard Lamparski, there is a complete filmography, and a very thorough discussion of his radio work, followed by an annotated list of his appearances. We get information about his marriages, his old fashioned perspective on issues, and a deeper look at his personality. Some fun appendices listing various malapropos and their meaning rounds out a very interesting book.
Leo’s own autobiography was thin and more about his marriages than his work. His son, Leo jr., wrote a biography that was more about himself than his father. Thus, this is the best book about Leo Gorcey to be published, and an excellent companion to the various books on the films by Brent Walker, Len Getz, and Richard Roat.
Too often books about complex performers concentrate on the negative aspects of their personality, the author wanting no more than to tear down an idol. “Leo Gorcey’s Fractured World” appreciates it subject, gives us greater insight to the person, and offers more info about his work. It is an absolute must for his fans.
The book is available here.