Give Us Wings
Encyclopedia
Give Us Wings is a Universal
film starring the Dead End Kids
and the Little Tough Guys
.
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
film starring the Dead End Kids
Dead End Kids
The Dead End Kids were a group of young actors from New York who appeared in Sidney Kingsley's Broadway play Dead End in 1935. In 1937 producer Samuel Goldwyn brought all of them to Hollywood and turned the play into a film...
and the Little Tough Guys
Little Tough Guys
The Little Tough Guys were a group of actors who made a series of films and serials released by Universal Studios from 1938 through 1943...
.
Plot
The Dead End Kids work as airplane mechanics in the National Youth Administration Work Program plant. Feeling that they have enough knowledge of planes, they feel the urge to want to become pilots. The boys are hired by crop dusting operator Arnold Carter to become pilots. Upon being hired, York (Carter's manager) feels that the boys are far too inexperienced to fly, and assigns them to ground work. When Carter's company falls beind in their contracts, the Dead End Kids are force to learn the ropes of flying. Eventually, York agrees that all of the boys are ready to become pilots, except for Rap. Rap, who becomes terrified of flying after witnessing a recent plane crash, still has the urge to become a pilot in order to be on the payroll with his friends. Carter convinces Rap to take part in a dangerous crop dusting job, which winds up killing him. York, mechanic friend Buzz, and the rest of the Dead End Kids go after Carter, eventually turning him over to the authorities. In the end, York agrees to permanently hire the boys.Cast
- Billy HalopBilly HalopWilliam "Billy" Halop was an American actor born in New York City.He came from a Jewish theatrical family: his mother was a dancer, and his sister Florence Halop was a child actress, who later worked on radio and in television...
as Tom - Huntz HallHuntz HallHenry Richard "Huntz" Hall was an American radio, theatrical, and motion picture performer noted primarily for his roles in the "Dead End Kids" movies, such as Angels with Dirty Faces , which gave way to the "The Bowery Boys" movie franchise, a prolific and highly successful series of comedies in...
as Pig - Gabriel DellGabriel DellGabriel Dell was an American actor and one of the members of what came to be known as the Dead End Kids/East Side Kids/The Bowery Boys.-Early life:...
as String - Bernard PunslyBernard PunslyBernard Punsly , was a New York City-born American actor who later left show business to become a physician.-Career and personal life:...
as Ape - Bobby JordanBobby JordanRobert "Bobby" Jordan was an American actor, born in Harrison, New York, most notable for being a member of the Dead End Kids, the East Side Kids and the Bowery Boys.-Early life and career:...
as Rap - Harris Berger - Bud
- Billy Benedict - Link
- Wallace FordWallace FordWallace Ford was an English film and television actor who, with his friendly appearance and stocky build later in life, appeared in a number of film westerns and B-movies....
as Mr. York - Anne GwynneAnne GwynneAnne Gwynne was an American film actress of the 1940s. Known as one of the first scream queens because of her numerous appearances in horror films, the actress-model was also one of the most popular pin-ups of World War II....
as Julie Mason - Victor JoryVictor JoryVictor Jory was a Canadian actor.-Biography:Born in Dawson City, Yukon, Jory was the boxing and wrestling champion of the Coast Guard during his military service, and he kept his burly physique. He toured with theater troupes and appeared on Broadway, before making his Hollywood debut in 1930...
as Mr. Arnold Carter - Shemp Howard as Buzz Berger (a.k.a. Whitey)
- Milburn StoneMilburn StoneMilburn Stone was an American television actor, a nephew of Broadway comedian Fred Stone and the son of a shopkeeper, best known for his role as "Doc" on the CBS western series Gunsmoke. He also played a doctor, CDR Blake, in the 1943 film Gung Ho!.Stone was born in Burrton in Harvey County in...
as Tex Austin
Production
- After completing this film, Bobby JordanBobby JordanRobert "Bobby" Jordan was an American actor, born in Harrison, New York, most notable for being a member of the Dead End Kids, the East Side Kids and the Bowery Boys.-Early life and career:...
left the UniversalUniversal Pictures-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
Dead End Kids/Little Tough Guys series, and signed on to Monogram PicturesMonogram PicturesMonogram Pictures Corporation is a Hollywood studio that produced and released films, most on low budgets, between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram is considered a leader among the smaller studios sometimes referred to...
to costar with fellow Dead End Kid Leo GorceyLeo GorceyLeo Bernard Gorcey was an American stage and movie actor who became famous for portraying on film the leader of the group of young hooligans known variously as the Dead End Kids, The East Side Kids and The Bowery Boys. Always the most pugnacious member of the gangs he participated in, young Leo...
in the East Side KidsEast Side KidsThe East Side Kids were characters in a series of films released by Monogram Pictures from 1940 through 1945. Many of them were originally part of The Dead End Kids and The Little Tough Guys, and several of them later became members of The Bowery Boys....
series. Jordan would return to Universal to replace Billy HalopBilly HalopWilliam "Billy" Halop was an American actor born in New York City.He came from a Jewish theatrical family: his mother was a dancer, and his sister Florence Halop was a child actress, who later worked on radio and in television...
in Keep 'Em SluggingKeep 'Em SluggingKeep 'Em Slugging is a 1943 American film starring The Little Tough Guys.-Plot:Tommy and his gang decide to get jobs in order to free draft-age men for the war effort. Because of their previous encounters with the law, the group has a tough time getting hired. Eventually, Tommy gets a job at a...
, the final Dead End Kids film for Universal.
- Though his character is referred to as "Buzz" throughout the film, the credits for this film state that Shemp Howard's character name was "Whitey".