Cinema Revisited: Spooks Run Wild (1941)
Directed by Phil Rosen. Cast: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan, Bela Lugosi, Angelo Rossitto, Dave O'Brien, Sunshine Sammy Morrison, David Gorcey, Donald Haines, Dorothy Short. Released October 24, 1941. Running time: 65 minutes.
This horror-comedy features original Dead End Kids Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, and Bobby Jordan during their East Side Kids period, teamed with former Our Gang silent movie star Sunshine Sammy Morrison, David Gorcey, and Donald Haines. The gang gets into trouble and gets put on a bus to a summer camp. They go wandering off in the night and find themselves in a creepy house run by an even creepier guy and his little dwarf assistant. After a series of scares of the most typical variety, they discover the creepy guy is merely a harmless magician.
There really isn't much to this low budget movie, but it somehow remains thoroughly entertaining for its entire 65 minutes. The East Side Kids never had pretentions to high art, but in their little poverty row niche, they always managed to be entertaining with their wild activities and constant wise cracks. When they are being rounded up to be sent to camp, Glimpy (Huntz Hall) complains, "Aw, aren't we going to reform school, I'll be a sophomore this year!"
Dave O'Brien was a B movie stalwart other than his appearances in Pete Smith short comedies at MGM. Notably in westerns, O'Brien appeared in the earlier East Side Kids movies, usually as reformed gangster Knuckles Dolan. This time, however, he is the bookish reformer Jeff Dixon, with his real-life wife Dorothy Short playing his girl.
In existing interview footage, Bela Lugosi mentioned that he'd like to do more comedies, and was always quite comfortable in the company of comedians, including Abbott and Costello, The East Side Kids, and even Brown and Carney or Mitchell and Petrillo. Bela smiles through the antics of Sunshine Sammy in their scene together. Sammy, a veteran of comedy since childhood (the Our Gang concept was built around him) knew how to do scare-humor. He appeared with Harold Lloyd in "Haunted Spooks" years earlier, so when he is called upon to react to Bela, or to any number of creepy goings-on, he does so with comic gusto. His scenes are probably the funniest.
Donald Haines also dated back to silent comedy as Smitty in a few Van Beuren productions, and appeared in the early talkies of the series. He was in a handful of East Side Kids movies, but this was his last. He enlisted in the air force after production ended, earning the rank of first lieutenant. Sadly, he was killed in action in 1943.
During the early 1940s, the teenager was represented at the bigger studios by the likes of clean cut Mickey Rooney or fresh faced Judy Garland. These were wealthy small town kids, isolated from the very real problems of the world, and able to confront simple conflicts. The East Side Kids were slum boys of the city who were no strangers to trouble. In their films they dealt with gangsters, crooked cops, and other undesirables. They were troublemakers in the general sense, but good kids deep down. However, they never let down their tough exterior.
Sticking this tough seriocomic street gang in a film with horror elements is a pretty clever idea. They might be able to handle the problems of the streets, but when they are confronted by the supernatural, they're at a loss. It allows for some good comic situations despite a threadbare budget.
Phil Rosen was an intelligent, skilled director who thrived on low budget movies. However, his direction of "Spooks Run Wild" is pretty perfunctory, and not offering any discernible style. The Kids fared better with William Beaudine or Wallace Fox behind the camera.
"Spooks Run Wild" is another recommended short feature for a Halloween movie marathon. It's breezy, funny, spooky, and delightful.