Arcane movie knowledge: How did one actor find himself cast as a regular in the East Side Kids/The Bowery Boys? From my interview with William "Billy" Benedict that will be part of "15 Minutes With" How did you get involved in The East Side Kids/Bowery Boys series? That’s an interesting story. When I began freelancing – I don’t remember the exact date, probably around 1937 or so – there was a man who had been an assistant director at Fox named Sam Katzman. Sam went out on his own and began making pictures of state rights release which meant he made a picture, put it under his arms get on a plane or a train and go to a city and make a deal with some theater owner and run the picture. So, Sam called my agent and said he had a part for me in a picture and asked would I do it. Well, my agent said, “Do you know Sam?” and I said, “Yes, I know Sam. He’s a nice man.” [My agent said] “Well Sam wants to use you in a picture. He can’t pay you enough to amount to anything, but if you want to have some fun why don’t you do it?” So I wen to see Sam and the film was to be directed by a man I knew by the name of Robert Hill, Bob Hill, who had been a director at Universal. I did the show, if I’m not mistaken the first one I did for Katzman was a boxing picture [“Flying Fists,” 1937” with Herman Brix [an Olympic star who later changed his name to Bruce Bennett and had much success at Warner Brothers]. We ran into some weather problems and Sam’s operation used a slight story and lots of stock footage, a very, very short budget and a three or four day shooting schedule. We ran into some weather and we couldn’t shoot. Sam was in a bind and wanted to know if I could give him an extra day without any pay. I wound up doing that. One thing led to another I did another picture for him. So, Sam didn’t forget so when he started doing the East Side Kids I would see him in the Hollywood post office and He said, “Come one down and see me I’m doing a series of pictures and I’d like to use you.” I did go down to see Sam and he threw a script across the desk and told me to pick out what I like to play. I said, “You’re never going to pay my salary Sam.” [He replied,] “Try me. What’s your agent’s phone number?” I gave him the number, he called and paid my salary, which surprised a lot of people. When I first started working for Sam, I was not a member of the East Side kids gang but after I did three pictures I became a regular member. Then Sam and Leo [Gorcey, the star of the series] couldn’t get together contract wise and it wound up that Jan Grippo became the producer and I signed up with them and worked with them up until 1951. [The split in 1945 from Katzman and Grippo and Gorcey produced a new title for the series, “The Bowery Boys,” and gave Gorcey a 40 percent ownership of the property.] © 2013 by Gordon Michael Dobbs
Posted on: Sat, 24 Aug 2013 15:57:58 +0000
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