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{{short description|American actor}}
{{short description|American actor (1917–1969)}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Leo Gorcey
| name = Leo Gorcey
Line 10: Line 10:
| death_date = {{death date and age|1969|6|2|1917|6|3}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1969|6|2|1917|6|3}}
| death_place = [[Oakland, California]], United States
| death_place = [[Oakland, California]], United States
| spouse = {{plainlist|
| spouse = {{marriage|Kay Marvis|1939|1944|end=divorced}}<br />{{marriage|Evalene Bankston|1945|1948|end=divorced}}<br />{{marriage|[[Amelita Ward]] |1949|1956|end=divorced}}<br />{{marriage|Brandy Davis|1956|1962|end=divorced}}<br />{{marriage|Mary Gannon|1968<!--As marriage ended with his death, year is omitted per Template:Marriage instructions--->}}
* {{marriage|Kay Marvis|1939|1944|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Evalene Bankston|1945|1948|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Amelita Ward]] |1949|1956|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Brandy Davis|1956|1962|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Mary Gannon|1968<!--As marriage ended with his death, year is omitted per Template:Marriage instructions--->}}
}}
| children = 3
| children = 3
| parents = [[Bernard Gorcey]]<br>Josephine Condon
| parents = [[Bernard Gorcey]]<br>Josephine Condon
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}}
}}


'''Leo Bernard Gorcey''' (June 3, 1917<ref>Social Security Death Index</ref>– June 2, 1969) was an [[United States|American]] stage and film actor, famous for portraying the leader of a group of hooligans known variously as the [[Dead End Kids]], [[East Side Kids|The East Side Kids]], and, as adults, [[The Bowery Boys]]. Gorcey was famous for his use of malapropisms, such as "I depreciate it!" instead of "I appreciate it!"<ref name="Patch">{{cite web |last1=Clyaton |first1=Jim |title=Bowery Boys and East Side Kids |url=https://patch.com/new-jersey/bloomfield/bowery-boys-and-east-side-kids |website=The Patch |publisher=Patch Media |access-date=4 June 2020}}</ref>
'''Leo Bernard Gorcey''' (June 3, 1917<ref>Social Security Death Index</ref>– June 2, 1969) was an American stage and film actor, famous for portraying the leader of a group of hooligans known variously as the [[Dead End Kids]], [[East Side Kids|the East Side Kids]] and, as adults, [[The Bowery Boys]]. Gorcey was famous for his use of [[Malapropism|malapropisms]], such as "I depreciate it!" instead of "I appreciate it!"<ref name="Patch">{{cite web |last1=Clyaton |first1=Jim |title=Bowery Boys and East Side Kids |url=https://patch.com/new-jersey/bloomfield/bowery-boys-and-east-side-kids |website=The Patch |date=6 September 2013 |publisher=Patch Media |access-date=4 June 2020}}</ref>


==Early years==
==Early years==
Gorcey was born in [[New York City]], on June 3, 1917, the son of Josephine (née Condon), an [[Irish Catholic]] immigrant, and [[Bernard Gorcey]], a [[Russian Jews|Russian Jewish]] immigrant. Both were [[vaudeville|vaudevillian]] actors of short stature. Bernard Gorcey was {{cvt|4|ft|10|in}}; his wife, {{cvt|4|ft|11|in}}. Their son would reach {{cvt|5|ft|6|in}} in adulthood.
Gorcey was born in [[New York City]] on June 3, 1917, the son of Josephine (née Condon), an [[Irish Catholic]] immigrant, and [[Bernard Gorcey]], a [[Russian Jews|Russian Jewish]] immigrant. Both were [[vaudeville|vaudevillian]] actors of short stature. Bernard Gorcey was {{cvt|4|ft|10|in}} and his wife was {{cvt|4|ft|11|in}}. Their son would reach {{cvt|5|ft|6|in}} in adulthood.


==Film career==
==Film career==
In the 1930s, Gorcey's father lived apart from the family while working in theater and film. When he returned in 1935, he and David, Gorcey's brother, persuaded them to try out for a small part in the play ''Dead End''. Having just lost his job as a plumber's apprentice and seeing his father's relative success, Gorcey decided to give acting a try. The Gorcey boys were cast in small roles as two members of the East 53rd Place Gang (originally dubbed the "2nd Avenue Boys") in the play ''Dead End'' by [[Sidney Kingsley]]). Charles Duncan, originally cast as Spit, left the play, and Gorcey, his understudy, was promoted. Gorcey created the stage persona of a quarrelsome guttersnipe whose greatest joy was in making trouble.
In the 1930s, Gorcey's father lived apart from the family while working in theater and film. When he returned in 1935, he and Leo's younger brother [[David Gorcey]] persuaded Leo to audition for a small part in the play ''Dead End''. Leo had just lost a job as a plumber's apprentice and wished to emulate his father's modest success. The Gorcey boys were cast in small roles as two members of the East 53rd Place Gang (originally dubbed the "2nd Avenue Boys") in the play ''Dead End'' by [[Sidney Kingsley]]. Charles Duncan, originally cast as Spit, left the play, and Gorcey, his understudy, was promoted. Gorcey created the stage persona of a quarrelsome guttersnipe whose greatest joy was to make trouble.
[[File:Leo Gorcey in Gallant Sons trailer.jpg|thumb|Gorcey in the film ''Gallant Sons'' (1940)]]
[[File:Leo Gorcey in Gallant Sons trailer.jpg|thumb|Gorcey in the film ''Gallant Sons'' (1940)]]
In 1937, [[Samuel Goldwyn]] made the popular play into a ''[[Dead End (1937 film)|movie of the same name]]'' and transported the six rowdy boys to [[Hollywood]]. Gorcey became one of the busiest actors in Hollywood during the following twenty years, starring as various characters in seven "[[Dead End Kids]]" films between 1937 and 1939, as Ethelbert "Muggs" McInnis/McGinnis/Maloney in twenty-one "[[East Side Kids]]" film between 1940 and 1945, and as Terence Aloysius "Slip" Mahoney in forty-one "[[The Bowery Boys|Bowery Boys]]" films between 1946 and 1956. Gorcey's character "Slip" was famed for his [[malapropism]]s, always delivered in a thick [[Brooklyn accent]], such as: "a clever seduction" for "a clever deduction", "I depreciate it!" for "I appreciate it!", "I regurgitate" for "I reiterate", and "optical delusion" for "optical illusion"." In the Bowery Boys series, Gorcey's father Bernard played Louie Dumbrowski, the diminutive owner of a "sweetshop" where they boys hung out and conned banana splits and financial loans.
In 1937, [[Samuel Goldwyn]] made the popular play into a [[Dead End (1937 film)|film of the same name]] and transported the six rowdy young men to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]]. Gorcey became one of the busiest actors in Hollywood during the following 20 years, starring in seven [[Dead End Kids]] films between 1937 and 1939, 21 [[East Side Kids]] films between 1940 and 1945, and 41 [[The Bowery Boys|Bowery Boys]] films between 1946 and 1955.


The earlier films presented Gorcey in variations of his ''Dead End'' character Spit, a sneering tough guy meeting anyone's challenge with a wisecracking remark. In the early 1940s, as the dramatic films shifted to roughneck comedy, Gorcey embellished his dialogue with [[malapropism]]s, always delivered in a thick [[Brooklyn accent]]. "A clever deduction" would be mangled by Gorcey as "a clever seduction"; "I reiterate" became "I regurgitate"; "optical illusion" came across as "optical delusion"; and "I should see an optometrist" was rendered as "I should see an ichthyologist." A studio press release reported that Gorcey spent 30 minutes a day studying a dictionary: "He has made something of a career for himself as an actor by the use of words no one else has ever heard of, and by the misuse or mispronunciation of others."<ref>Pressbook for ''[[Blues Busters]]'', "Star Likes Word Study," Monogram Pictures, 1950, p. 1.</ref>
In 1944, Gorcey had a recurring role in the ''[[Blue Ribbon Town|Pabst Blue Ribbon Town]]'' radio show, starring [[Groucho Marx]]. He also had a small role in a 1948 film, the comedy ''[[So This Is New York]]'', starring comedian [[Henry Morgan (comedian)|Henry Morgan]] and [[Arnold Stang]].


In 1944, Gorcey took a recurring role on the ''[[Blue Ribbon Town|Pabst Blue Ribbon Town]]'' radio show, starring [[Groucho Marx]]. He also had a small role in a 1948 film, the comedy ''[[So This Is New York]]'', starring radio comedians [[Henry Morgan (comedian)|Henry Morgan]] and [[Arnold Stang]], which was Gorcey's last appearance as a straight character actor.
In 1955, after his father died as a result of injuries from an automobile accident, Gorcey began abusing alcohol and lost a great deal of weight. When he trashed a film set in an intoxicated rage, the studio refused to give him the pay raise he demanded, so he quit the Bowery Boys and was replaced in the last seven films by [[Stanley Clements]]. However, Gorcey's brother David remained with the series until it ended in early 1958.


In 1945 [[Sam Katzman]], producer of the East Side Kids series, flatly refused to meet Gorcey's demand of double his usual salary. Gorcey walked out on Katzman, and Katzman discontinued the series. Gorcey turned to ''Dead End'' teammate [[Bobby Jordan]], who suggested a meeting with Jordan's agent, Jan Grippo. The series became The Bowery Boys, with Gorcey holding a 40% financial share, and Grippo as producer. Gorcey brought aboard his father, Bernard Gorcey, to appear as Louie Dumbrowski, the panicky owner of a sweet shop where the boys gathered, as well as his brother David to play one of the gang members.
During the 1960s, Gorcey did very little acting. He had a bit part in the 1963 comedy, ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'', he appeared with old sidekick, [[Huntz Hall]], in a pair of low budget films, ''[[Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar]]'' in 1966 and ''[[The Phynx]]'' in 1970. Gorcey also made an appearance in a TV commercial for the 1969 Pontiac.

The series was immediately successful, and Gorcey starred in four Bowery Boys films per year through 1955. That year, his father died as a result of injuries from an automobile accident. Gorcey, devastated, began abusing alcohol and lost a great deal of weight. When he allegedly trashed a film set in an intoxicated rage (an occurrence which was later vehemently denied in the 1980s by both Huntz Hall and David Gorcey),<ref name="Roat">{{cite book|last=Roat |first=Richard |title=Hollywood's Made-to-Order Punks: The Dead End Kids, Little Tough Guys, East Side Kids and the Bowery Boys |publisher=BearManor Media |year=2017 |isbn=978-1593934675 }}</ref> the studio refused to grant him a pay raise that he had demanded, so he parted ways with the Bowery Boys and was replaced in the last seven films by [[Stanley Clements]]. However, Gorcey's brother David remained with the series until it ended in late 1957.

During the 1960s, Gorcey did very little acting. He had a bit part in the 1963 comedy ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' and he appeared with old sidekick [[Huntz Hall]] in a pair of low-budget films, ''[[Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar]]'' in 1966 and ''[[The Phynx]]'', released in 1970 after his death. Gorcey also made an appearance in a television commercial for a 1969 [[Pontiac (automobile)|Pontiac]] model.


==Autobiography==
==Autobiography==
Gorcey published an autobiography, ''An Original Dead End Kid Presents: Dead End Yells, Wedding Bells, Cockle Shells, and Dizzy Spells,'' in 1967, which was limited to 1,000 copies. It was reprinted in 2004.
In 1967 Gorcey self-published an autobiography, ''An Original Dead End Kid Presents: Dead End Yells, Wedding Bells, Cockle Shells, and Dizzy Spells,'' which was limited to 1,000 copies. It was reprinted in 2004.


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
In May of 1939, Gorcey married 15-year-old dancer Kay Marvis (August 29, 1923-April 9, 2000), who appeared in four of his Monogram movies. They divorced in 1944, after which Kay met [[Groucho Marx]] and very soon became Groucho's wife.
In May 1939, Gorcey married 15-year-old dancer Kay Marvis, who appeared in four of his Monogram movies. They divorced in 1944 and the following year, Marvis became the second wife of [[Groucho Marx]].


Gorcey married actress Evalene Bankston in October 1945, but they divorced two years later. He was arrested for firing a gun at his wife when she entered his home in [[Van Nuys]], CA, but was acquitted of the charge in 1948.<ref name="Desert Sun">{{cite news |title=Leo Gorcey Dies, 52 |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DS19690604.2.128&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 |access-date=4 June 2020 |work=Desert Sun |issue=260 |publisher=Desert Sun |date=4 June 1969|volume = 42}}</ref>
Gorcey married actress Evalene Bankston in October 1945, but they divorced two years later. He was arrested for firing a gun at his wife when she entered his home in [[Van Nuys]], California, but was acquitted of the charge in 1948.<ref name="Desert Sun">{{cite news |title=Leo Gorcey Dies, 52 |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DS19690604.2.128&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 |access-date=4 June 2020 |work=Desert Sun |issue=260 |publisher=Desert Sun |date=4 June 1969|volume = 42}}</ref>


In February 1949, Gorcey married actress and "Hedy Lamarr look-a-like" [[Amelita Ward]], with whom he had worked in ''[[Clancy Street Boys]]'' and ''[[Smugglers' Cove]].'' The union produced two children, including Leo Gorcey Jr., but the marriage ended in divorce in February 1956. Later that year, Gorcey married Brandy Davis. They had a daughter, Brandy Gorcey Ziesemer, but divorced in 1962. Finally, Gorcey married Mary Gannon on July 12, 1968,<ref name="Desert Sun" /> to whom he remained married until his death.
In February 1949, Gorcey married actress [[Amelita Ward]], with whom he had appeared in ''[[Clancy Street Boys]]'' and ''[[Smugglers' Cove]].'' The marriage produced two children, including Leo Gorcey Jr., but the couple were divorced in February 1956. Later that year, Gorcey married Brandy Davis. They had a daughter, Brandy Gorcey Ziesemer, but divorced in 1962. Gorcey was married to Mary Gannon on July 12, 1968,<ref name="Desert Sun" /> until his death, nearly one year later.


==Death==
==Death==
Years of alcoholism eventually caught up with Gorcey and he died of [[liver failure]] on June 2, 1969, one day short of his 52nd birthday.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=19690604&id=k180AAAAIBAJ&sjid=B5wEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7364,1122659 Leo Gorcey dies; A dead end kid]</ref> He is buried at Molinos Cemetery in [[Los Molinos, California]].
Gorcey, a lifelong alcoholic, died of [[liver failure]] on June 2, 1969, one day short of his 52nd birthday.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=19690604&id=k180AAAAIBAJ&sjid=B5wEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7364,1122659 Leo Gorcey dies; A dead end kid]</ref> He is buried at Molinos Cemetery in [[Los Molinos, California]].


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
His image was to appear on the cover of the Beatles' 1967 album, ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]],'' but he requested a fee and was painted out. Coincidentally, he died on the second anniversary of the album's US release.
In 1967, Gorcey's image was to appear in the crowd of celebrities on the cover of the Beatles' album ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]],'' but because he requested a fee, he was removed.


''Me and the Dead End Kid,'' a book about his father by Gorcey's son, Leo Jr., was published in 2003. In 2017, a third book on his life appeared, ''Leo Gorcey's Fractured World,'' by Jim Manago, which included an examination of Gorcey's use of [[malapropism]]s in the Bowery Boys films.
''Me and the Dead End Kid,'' a book about Gorcey written by his son Leo Jr., was published in 2003. In 2017, a third book on his life appeared, ''Leo Gorcey's Fractured World'' by Jim Manago, which included an examination of Gorcey's use of [[malapropism]]s in the Bowery Boys films. Also in 2017, Richard Roat, known for having the largest collection of Dead End Kids/Little Tough Guys/East Side Kids/Bowery Boys memorabilia in the United States, published the book ''Hollywood's Made-to-Order Punks: The Dead End Kids, Little Tough Guys, East Side Kids and the Bowery Boys '', complete with photographs, behind-the-scenes trivia, and interviews with the surviving Dead End Kids/Little Tough Guys/East Side Kids/Bowery Boys that he'd collected since the 1980s.<ref name="Roat"></ref>


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
===Film===
===Film===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="width:82%;
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
|-
* ''[[Dead End (1937 film)|Dead End]]'' (1937) as Spit
! Year !! Film !! Role !! Notes
* ''[[Portia on Trial]]'' (1937) as Joe Gannow
|-
* ''[[Headin' East]]'' (1937) as Boy Boxer in Gym (uncredited)
* ''[[Mannequin (1937 film)|Mannequin]]'' (1937) as Clifford
| 1937 || ''[[Dead End (1937 film)|Dead End]]'' || Spit || Dead End Kids film
|-
* ''[[The Beloved Brat]]'' (1938) as Spike Matz
* ''[[Crime School]]'' (1938) as Spike
| 1937 || ''[[Portia on Trial]]'' || Joe Gannow ||
|-
* ''[[Angels with Dirty Faces]]'' (1938) as Bim
| 1937 || ''[[Headin' East]]'' || Boy boxer in gym || Uncredited
* ''[[They Made Me a Criminal]]'' (1939) as Spit
|-
* ''[[Hell's Kitchen (1939 film)|Hell's Kitchen]]'' (1939) as Gyp Haller
| 1937 || ''[[Mannequin (1937 film)|Mannequin]]'' || Clifford ||
* ''[[The Angels Wash Their Faces]]'' (1939) as Leo Finnegan
|-
* ''[[On Dress Parade]]'' (1939) as Slip Duncan
| 1938 || ''[[The Beloved Brat]]'' || Spike Matz ||
* ''[[Private Detective (film)|Private Detective]]'' (1939) as Newsboy (uncredited)
|-
* ''[[Invisible Stripes]]'' (1939) as Jimmy
| 1938 || ''[[Crime School]]'' || Spike || Dead End Kids film
* ''[[Boys of the City]]'' (1940) as Muggs McGinnis
|-
* ''[[That Gang of Mine]]'' (1940) as Muggs Malone
| 1938 || ''[[Angels with Dirty Faces]]'' || Bim || Dead End Kids film
* ''[[Hullabaloo (film)|Hullabaloo]]'' (1940) as Apartment House Bellhop (uncredited)
|-
* ''[[Gallant Sons]]'' (1940) as "Doc" Reardon
| 1938 || ''[[Swingtime in the Movies]]'' || Himself || Dead End Kids film / Short / Uncredited
* ''[[Pride of the Bowery]]'' (1940) as Muggs McGinnis
|-
* ''[[Road to Zanzibar]]'' (1941) as Boy
| 1939 || ''[[They Made Me a Criminal]]'' || Spit || Dead End Kids film
* ''[[Flying Wild]]'' (1941) as Muggs
|-
* ''[[Angels with Broken Wings]]'' (1941) as Punchy Dorsey
* ''[[Out of the Fog (1941 film)|Out of the Fog]]'' (1941) as Eddie
| 1939 || ''[[Hell's Kitchen (1939 film)|Hell's Kitchen]]'' || Gyp Haller || Dead End Kids film
|-
* ''[[Bowery Blitzkrieg]]'' (1941) as Muggs McGinnis
| 1939 || ''[[The Angels Wash Their Faces]]'' || Leo Finnegan || Dead End Kids film
* ''[[Down in San Diego]]'' (1941) as Snap Collins
|-
* ''[[Spooks Run Wild]]'' (1941) as Muggs
| 1939 || ''[[On Dress Parade]]'' || Slip Duncan || Dead End Kids film
* ''[[Born to Sing (1942 film)|Born to Sing]]'' (1942) as Snap Collins
|-
* ''[[Mr. Wise Guy]]'' (1942) as Muggs McGinnis
* ''[[Sunday Punch (film)|Sunday Punch]]'' (1942) as Biff
| 1939 || ''[[Private Detective (film)|Private Detective]]'' || Newsboy || Uncredited
|-
* ''[[Lets Get Tough]]'' (1942) as Muggs McGinnis
* ''[[Maisie Gets Her Man]]'' (1942) as Cecil
| 1939 || ''[[Invisible Stripes]]'' || Jimmy ||
|-
* ''[[Smart Alecks]]'' (1942) as Muggs McGinnis
* ''[['Neath Brooklyn Bridge]]'' (1942) as Muggs McGinnis
| 1940 || ''[[Boys of the City]]'' || Muggs McGinnis || East Side Kids film
|-
* ''[[Kid Dynamite (film)|Kid Dynamite]]'' (1943) as Muggs McGinnis
* ''[[Clancy Street Boys]]'' (1943) as Muggs McGinnis
| 1940 || ''[[That Gang of Mine]]'' || Muggs Malone || East Side Kids film
|-
* ''[[Ghosts on the Loose]]'' (1943) as Muggs McGinnis
* ''[[Destroyer (1943 film)|Destroyer]]'' (1943) as Sarecky
| 1940 || ''[[Hullabaloo (film)|Hullabaloo]]'' || Apartment house bellhop || Uncredited
|-
* ''[[Mr. Muggs Steps Out]]'' (1943) as Muggs McGinnis
* ''[[Million Dollar Kid]]'' (1944) as Muggs McGinnis
| 1940 || ''[[Gallant Sons]]'' || "Doc" Reardon ||
|-
* ''[[Follow the Leader (1944 film)|Follow the Leader]]'' (1944) as Muggs McGinnis
* ''[[Block Busters]]'' (1944) as Muggs McGinnis
| 1940 || ''[[Pride of the Bowery]]'' || Muggs McGinnis || East Side Kids film
|-
* ''[[Bowery Champs]]'' (1944) as Muggs McGinnis
| 1941 || ''[[Road to Zanzibar]]'' || Boy || <ref>{{cite book |last1=Bookbinder |first1=Robert |title=The Films of Bing Crosby |date=1977 |publisher=Citadel Press |location=Secaucus, N.J. |isbn=0806505982 |page=115 |edition=First |url=https://archive.org/details/filmsofbingcrosb0000book/page/114/mode/2up |access-date=20 November 2022}}</ref>
* ''[[Docks of New York]]'' (1945) as Muggs McGinnis
|-
* ''[[Mr. Muggs Rides Again]]'' (1945) as Muggs McGinnis
* ''[[Midnight Manhunt]]'' (1945) as Clutch Tracy
| 1941 || ''[[Flying Wild]]'' || Muggs || East Side Kids film
|-
* ''[[Come Out Fighting (1945 film)|Come Out Fighting]]'' (1945) as Muggs McGinnis
| 1941 || ''[[Angels with Broken Wings]]'' || Punchy Dorsey ||
* ''[[Live Wires]]'' (1946) as SlipMahoney
|-
* ''[[In Fast Company]]'' (1946) as Slip Mahoney
| 1941 || ''[[Out of the Fog (1941 film)|Out of the Fog]]'' || Eddie||
* ''[[Bowery Bombshell]]'' (1946) as Slip Mahoney
|-
* ''[[Spook Busters]]'' (1946) as Slip Mahoney
| 1941 || ''[[Bowery Blitzkrieg]]'' || Muggs || East Side Kids film
* ''[[Mr. Hex]]'' (1946) as Slip Mahoney
|-
* ''[[Hard Boiled Mahoney]]'' (1947) as Slip Mahoney
* ''[[News Hounds]]'' (1947) as Slip Mahoney
| 1941 || ''[[Down in San Diego]]'' || Snap Collins ||
|-
* ''[[Bowery Buckaroos]]'' (1947) as Slip Mahoney (AKA:"Dead-Eye" Dan McGurke)
| 1942 || ''[[Spooks Run Wild]]'' || Muggs || East Side Kids film
* ''[[Angels' Alley|Angel's Alley]]'' (1948) as Slip Mahoney
|-
* ''[[So This Is New York]]'' (1948) as Sid Mercer
| 1942 || ''[[Born to Sing (1942 film)|Born to Sing]]'' || Snap Collins ||
* ''[[Jinx Money]]'' (1948) as Slip Mahoney
|-
* ''[[Smuggler's Cove]]'' (1948) as Slip Mahoney
| 1942 || ''[[Mr. Wise Guy]]'' || Muggs McGinnis || East Side Kids film
* ''[[Trouble Makers (1948 film)|Trouble Makers]]'' (1948 as Slip Mahoney
|-
* ''[[Fighting Fools]]'' (1949) as Slip Mahoney
| 1942 || ''[[Sunday Punch (film)|Sunday Punch]]'' || Biff ||
* ''[[Hold That Baby!]]'' (1949) as Slip Mahoney
|-
* ''[[Angels in Disguise (film)|Angels in Disguise]]'' (1949) as Slip Mahoney
| 1942 || ''[[Let's Get Tough!]]'' || Muggs McGinnis || East Side Kids film
* ''[[Master Minds (1949 film)|Master Minds]]'' (1949) as Slip Mahoney
|-
* ''[[Blonde Dynamite]]'' (1950) as Slip Mahoney
* ''[[Lucky Losers]]'' (1950) as Slip Mahoney
| 1942 || ''[[Maisie Gets Her Man]]'' || Cecil ||
|-
* ''[[Triple Trouble (1950 film)|Triple Trouble]]'' (1950) as Slip Mahoney
| 1942 || ''[[Smart Alecks]]'' || Muggs McGinnis || East Side Kids film
* ''[[Blues Busters]]'' (1950) as Slip Mahoney
|-
* ''[[Bowery Battalion]]'' (1951) as Slip Mahoney
| 1942 || ''[['Neath Brooklyn Bridge]]'' || Muggs McGinnis || East Side Kids film
* ''[[Ghost Chasers]]'' (1951) as Slip Mahoney
|-
* ''[[Let's Go Navy!]]'' (1951) as Slip Mahoney
| 1943 || ''[[Kid Dynamite (film)|Kid Dynamite]]'' || Muggs McGinnis || East Side Kids film
* ''[[Crazy Over Horses]]'' (1951) as Slip Mahoney
|-
* ''[[Hold That Line]]'' (1952) as Slip Mahoney
| 1943 || ''[[Clancy Street Boys]]'' || Muggs McGinnis || East Side Kids film
* ''[[Here Come the Marines|Here Come The Marines]]'' (1952) as Slip Mahoney
|-
* ''[[Feudin' Fools]]'' (1952) as Slip Mahoney
| 1943 || ''[[Ghosts on the Loose]]'' || Muggs McGinnis || East Side Kids film
* ''[[No Holds Barred (1952 film)|No Holds Barred]]'' (1952) as Slip Mahoney
|-
* ''[[Jalopy (film)|Jalopy]]'' (1953) as Slip Mahoney
| 1943 || ''[[Destroyer (1943 film)|Destroyer]]'' || Sarecky ||
* ''[[Loose in London]]'' (1953) as Slip Mahoney
|-
* ''[[Clipped Wings (1953 film)|Clipped Wings]]'' (1953) as Slip Mahoney
| 1943 || ''[[Mr. Muggs Steps Out]]'' || Muggs McGinnis || East Side Kids film
* ''[[Private Eyes (1953 film)|Private Eyes]]'' (1953) as Slip Mahoney
|-
* ''[[Paris Playboys]]'' (1954) as Slip Mahoney
| 1944 || ''[[Million Dollar Kid]]'' || Muggs McGinnis || East Side Kids film
* ''[[The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters|The Bowery Boys Meet The Monsters]]'' (1954) as Slip Mahoney
|-
* ''[[Jungle Gents]]'' (1954) as Slip Mahoney
| 1944 || ''[[Follow the Leader (1944 film)|Follow the Leader]]'' || Muggs McGinnis || East Side Kids film
* ''[[Bowery to Bagdad]]'' (1955) as Slip Mahoney
|-
* ''[[High Society (1955 film)|High Society]]'' (1955) as Slip Mahoney
| 1944 || ''[[Block Busters]]'' || Muggs McGinnis || East Side Kids film
* ''[[Spy Chasers]]'' (1955) as Slip Mahoney
|-
* ''[[Jail Busters]]'' (1955) as Slip Mahoney
| 1944 || ''[[Bowery Champs]]'' || Muggs McGinnis || East Side Kids film
* ''[[Dig That Uranium]]'' (1955) as Slip Mahoney
|-
* ''[[Crashing Las Vegas]]'' (1956) as Slip Mahoney
| 1945 || ''[[Docks of New York]]'' || Muggs McGinnis || East Side Kids film
* ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' (1963) as First Cab Driver
|-
* ''[[Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar]]'' (1965) as Leo
| 1945 || ''[[Mr. Muggs Rides Again]]'' || Muggs McGinnis || East Side Kids film
* ''[[The Phynx]]'' (1970) as Himself (final film role)
|-
{{div col end}}
| 1945 || ''[[Midnight Manhunt]]'' || Clutch Tracy ||
|-
| 1945 || ''[[Come Out Fighting (1945 film)|Come Out Fighting]]'' || Muggs McGinnis || East Side Kids film
|-
| 1946 || ''[[Live Wires (1946 film)|Live Wires]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1946 || ''[[In Fast Company (1946 film)|In Fast Company]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1946 || ''[[Bowery Bombshell]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1946 || ''[[Spook Busters]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1946 || ''[[Mr. Hex]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1947 || ''[[Hard Boiled Mahoney]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1947 || ''[[News Hounds]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1947 || ''[[Bowery Buckaroos]]'' || Slip Mahoney (aka:"Dead-Eye" Dan McGurk) || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1948 || ''[[Angels' Alley]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1948 || ''[[So This Is New York]]'' || Sid Mercer ||
|-
| 1948 || ''[[Jinx Money]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1948 || ''[[Smugglers' Cove]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1948 || ''[[Trouble Makers (1948 film)|Trouble Makers]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1949 || ''[[Fighting Fools]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1949 || ''[[Hold That Baby!]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1949 || ''[[Angels in Disguise (film)|Angels in Disguise]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1949 || ''[[Master Minds (1949 film)|Master Minds]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1950 || ''[[Blonde Dynamite]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1950 || ''[[Lucky Losers]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1950 || ''[[Triple Trouble (1950 film)|Triple Trouble]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1950 || ''[[Blues Busters]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1951 || ''[[Bowery Battalion]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1951 || ''[[Ghost Chasers]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1951 || ''[[Let's Go Navy!]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1951 || ''[[Crazy Over Horses]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1952 || ''[[Hold That Line]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1952 || ''[[Here Come the Marines]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1952 || ''[[Feudin' Fools]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1952 || ''[[No Holds Barred (1952 film)|No Holds Barred]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1953 || ''[[Jalopy (film)|Jalopy]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1953 || ''[[Loose in London]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1953 || ''[[Clipped Wings (1953 film)|Clipped Wings]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1953 || ''[[Private Eyes (1953 film)|Private Eyes]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1954 || ''[[Paris Playboys]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1954 || ''[[The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1954 || ''[[Jungle Gents]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1955 || ''[[Bowery to Bagdad]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1955 || ''[[High Society (1955 film)|High Society]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1955 || ''[[Spy Chasers]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1955 || ''[[Jail Busters]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1955 || ''[[Dig That Uranium]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1956 || ''[[Crashing Las Vegas]]'' || Slip Mahoney || Bowery Boys film
|-
| 1963 || ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' || First cab driver || Cameo
|-
| 1965 || ''[[Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar]]'' || Leo ||
|-
| 1970 || ''[[The Phynx]]'' || Himself || Final film role
|}

===Television===
===Television===
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorcey, Leo}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorcey, Leo}}
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:1917 births]]
[[Category:1969 deaths
[[Category:1969 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
Line 180: Line 285:
[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Jewish American male actors]]
[[Category:Jewish American male actors]]
[[Category:Male actors of Irish descent]]
[[Category:Deaths from liver failure]]
[[Category:Deaths from liver disease]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]

Latest revision as of 23:15, 29 August 2024

Leo Gorcey
Gorcey in 1945
Born
Leo Bernard Gorcey

(1917-06-03)June 3, 1917
New York City, United States
DiedJune 2, 1969(1969-06-02) (aged 51)
Oakland, California, United States
OccupationActor
Years active1935–1969
Spouses
Kay Marvis
(m. 1939; div. 1944)
Evalene Bankston
(m. 1945; div. 1948)
(m. 1949; div. 1956)
Brandy Davis
(m. 1956; div. 1962)
Mary Gannon
(m. 1968)
Children3
Parent(s)Bernard Gorcey
Josephine Condon
RelativesDavid Gorcey (brother)

Leo Bernard Gorcey (June 3, 1917[1]– June 2, 1969) was an American stage and film actor, famous for portraying the leader of a group of hooligans known variously as the Dead End Kids, the East Side Kids and, as adults, The Bowery Boys. Gorcey was famous for his use of malapropisms, such as "I depreciate it!" instead of "I appreciate it!"[2]

Early years

[edit]

Gorcey was born in New York City on June 3, 1917, the son of Josephine (née Condon), an Irish Catholic immigrant, and Bernard Gorcey, a Russian Jewish immigrant. Both were vaudevillian actors of short stature. Bernard Gorcey was 4 ft 10 in (1.47 m) and his wife was 4 ft 11 in (1.50 m). Their son would reach 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) in adulthood.

Film career

[edit]

In the 1930s, Gorcey's father lived apart from the family while working in theater and film. When he returned in 1935, he and Leo's younger brother David Gorcey persuaded Leo to audition for a small part in the play Dead End. Leo had just lost a job as a plumber's apprentice and wished to emulate his father's modest success. The Gorcey boys were cast in small roles as two members of the East 53rd Place Gang (originally dubbed the "2nd Avenue Boys") in the play Dead End by Sidney Kingsley. Charles Duncan, originally cast as Spit, left the play, and Gorcey, his understudy, was promoted. Gorcey created the stage persona of a quarrelsome guttersnipe whose greatest joy was to make trouble.

Gorcey in the film Gallant Sons (1940)

In 1937, Samuel Goldwyn made the popular play into a film of the same name and transported the six rowdy young men to Hollywood. Gorcey became one of the busiest actors in Hollywood during the following 20 years, starring in seven Dead End Kids films between 1937 and 1939, 21 East Side Kids films between 1940 and 1945, and 41 Bowery Boys films between 1946 and 1955.

The earlier films presented Gorcey in variations of his Dead End character Spit, a sneering tough guy meeting anyone's challenge with a wisecracking remark. In the early 1940s, as the dramatic films shifted to roughneck comedy, Gorcey embellished his dialogue with malapropisms, always delivered in a thick Brooklyn accent. "A clever deduction" would be mangled by Gorcey as "a clever seduction"; "I reiterate" became "I regurgitate"; "optical illusion" came across as "optical delusion"; and "I should see an optometrist" was rendered as "I should see an ichthyologist." A studio press release reported that Gorcey spent 30 minutes a day studying a dictionary: "He has made something of a career for himself as an actor by the use of words no one else has ever heard of, and by the misuse or mispronunciation of others."[3]

In 1944, Gorcey took a recurring role on the Pabst Blue Ribbon Town radio show, starring Groucho Marx. He also had a small role in a 1948 film, the comedy So This Is New York, starring radio comedians Henry Morgan and Arnold Stang, which was Gorcey's last appearance as a straight character actor.

In 1945 Sam Katzman, producer of the East Side Kids series, flatly refused to meet Gorcey's demand of double his usual salary. Gorcey walked out on Katzman, and Katzman discontinued the series. Gorcey turned to Dead End teammate Bobby Jordan, who suggested a meeting with Jordan's agent, Jan Grippo. The series became The Bowery Boys, with Gorcey holding a 40% financial share, and Grippo as producer. Gorcey brought aboard his father, Bernard Gorcey, to appear as Louie Dumbrowski, the panicky owner of a sweet shop where the boys gathered, as well as his brother David to play one of the gang members.

The series was immediately successful, and Gorcey starred in four Bowery Boys films per year through 1955. That year, his father died as a result of injuries from an automobile accident. Gorcey, devastated, began abusing alcohol and lost a great deal of weight. When he allegedly trashed a film set in an intoxicated rage (an occurrence which was later vehemently denied in the 1980s by both Huntz Hall and David Gorcey),[4] the studio refused to grant him a pay raise that he had demanded, so he parted ways with the Bowery Boys and was replaced in the last seven films by Stanley Clements. However, Gorcey's brother David remained with the series until it ended in late 1957.

During the 1960s, Gorcey did very little acting. He had a bit part in the 1963 comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and he appeared with old sidekick Huntz Hall in a pair of low-budget films, Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar in 1966 and The Phynx, released in 1970 after his death. Gorcey also made an appearance in a television commercial for a 1969 Pontiac model.

Autobiography

[edit]

In 1967 Gorcey self-published an autobiography, An Original Dead End Kid Presents: Dead End Yells, Wedding Bells, Cockle Shells, and Dizzy Spells, which was limited to 1,000 copies. It was reprinted in 2004.

Personal life

[edit]

In May 1939, Gorcey married 15-year-old dancer Kay Marvis, who appeared in four of his Monogram movies. They divorced in 1944 and the following year, Marvis became the second wife of Groucho Marx.

Gorcey married actress Evalene Bankston in October 1945, but they divorced two years later. He was arrested for firing a gun at his wife when she entered his home in Van Nuys, California, but was acquitted of the charge in 1948.[5]

In February 1949, Gorcey married actress Amelita Ward, with whom he had appeared in Clancy Street Boys and Smugglers' Cove. The marriage produced two children, including Leo Gorcey Jr., but the couple were divorced in February 1956. Later that year, Gorcey married Brandy Davis. They had a daughter, Brandy Gorcey Ziesemer, but divorced in 1962. Gorcey was married to Mary Gannon on July 12, 1968,[5] until his death, nearly one year later.

Death

[edit]

Gorcey, a lifelong alcoholic, died of liver failure on June 2, 1969, one day short of his 52nd birthday.[6] He is buried at Molinos Cemetery in Los Molinos, California.

Legacy

[edit]

In 1967, Gorcey's image was to appear in the crowd of celebrities on the cover of the Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, but because he requested a fee, he was removed.

Me and the Dead End Kid, a book about Gorcey written by his son Leo Jr., was published in 2003. In 2017, a third book on his life appeared, Leo Gorcey's Fractured World by Jim Manago, which included an examination of Gorcey's use of malapropisms in the Bowery Boys films. Also in 2017, Richard Roat, known for having the largest collection of Dead End Kids/Little Tough Guys/East Side Kids/Bowery Boys memorabilia in the United States, published the book Hollywood's Made-to-Order Punks: The Dead End Kids, Little Tough Guys, East Side Kids and the Bowery Boys , complete with photographs, behind-the-scenes trivia, and interviews with the surviving Dead End Kids/Little Tough Guys/East Side Kids/Bowery Boys that he'd collected since the 1980s.[4]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Film Role Notes
1937 Dead End Spit Dead End Kids film
1937 Portia on Trial Joe Gannow
1937 Headin' East Boy boxer in gym Uncredited
1937 Mannequin Clifford
1938 The Beloved Brat Spike Matz
1938 Crime School Spike Dead End Kids film
1938 Angels with Dirty Faces Bim Dead End Kids film
1938 Swingtime in the Movies Himself Dead End Kids film / Short / Uncredited
1939 They Made Me a Criminal Spit Dead End Kids film
1939 Hell's Kitchen Gyp Haller Dead End Kids film
1939 The Angels Wash Their Faces Leo Finnegan Dead End Kids film
1939 On Dress Parade Slip Duncan Dead End Kids film
1939 Private Detective Newsboy Uncredited
1939 Invisible Stripes Jimmy
1940 Boys of the City Muggs McGinnis East Side Kids film
1940 That Gang of Mine Muggs Malone East Side Kids film
1940 Hullabaloo Apartment house bellhop Uncredited
1940 Gallant Sons "Doc" Reardon
1940 Pride of the Bowery Muggs McGinnis East Side Kids film
1941 Road to Zanzibar Boy [7]
1941 Flying Wild Muggs East Side Kids film
1941 Angels with Broken Wings Punchy Dorsey
1941 Out of the Fog Eddie
1941 Bowery Blitzkrieg Muggs East Side Kids film
1941 Down in San Diego Snap Collins
1942 Spooks Run Wild Muggs East Side Kids film
1942 Born to Sing Snap Collins
1942 Mr. Wise Guy Muggs McGinnis East Side Kids film
1942 Sunday Punch Biff
1942 Let's Get Tough! Muggs McGinnis East Side Kids film
1942 Maisie Gets Her Man Cecil
1942 Smart Alecks Muggs McGinnis East Side Kids film
1942 'Neath Brooklyn Bridge Muggs McGinnis East Side Kids film
1943 Kid Dynamite Muggs McGinnis East Side Kids film
1943 Clancy Street Boys Muggs McGinnis East Side Kids film
1943 Ghosts on the Loose Muggs McGinnis East Side Kids film
1943 Destroyer Sarecky
1943 Mr. Muggs Steps Out Muggs McGinnis East Side Kids film
1944 Million Dollar Kid Muggs McGinnis East Side Kids film
1944 Follow the Leader Muggs McGinnis East Side Kids film
1944 Block Busters Muggs McGinnis East Side Kids film
1944 Bowery Champs Muggs McGinnis East Side Kids film
1945 Docks of New York Muggs McGinnis East Side Kids film
1945 Mr. Muggs Rides Again Muggs McGinnis East Side Kids film
1945 Midnight Manhunt Clutch Tracy
1945 Come Out Fighting Muggs McGinnis East Side Kids film
1946 Live Wires Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1946 In Fast Company Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1946 Bowery Bombshell Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1946 Spook Busters Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1946 Mr. Hex Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1947 Hard Boiled Mahoney Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1947 News Hounds Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1947 Bowery Buckaroos Slip Mahoney (aka:"Dead-Eye" Dan McGurk) Bowery Boys film
1948 Angels' Alley Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1948 So This Is New York Sid Mercer
1948 Jinx Money Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1948 Smugglers' Cove Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1948 Trouble Makers Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1949 Fighting Fools Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1949 Hold That Baby! Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1949 Angels in Disguise Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1949 Master Minds Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1950 Blonde Dynamite Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1950 Lucky Losers Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1950 Triple Trouble Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1950 Blues Busters Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1951 Bowery Battalion Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1951 Ghost Chasers Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1951 Let's Go Navy! Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1951 Crazy Over Horses Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1952 Hold That Line Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1952 Here Come the Marines Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1952 Feudin' Fools Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1952 No Holds Barred Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1953 Jalopy Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1953 Loose in London Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1953 Clipped Wings Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1953 Private Eyes Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1954 Paris Playboys Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1954 The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1954 Jungle Gents Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1955 Bowery to Bagdad Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1955 High Society Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1955 Spy Chasers Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1955 Jail Busters Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1955 Dig That Uranium Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1956 Crashing Las Vegas Slip Mahoney Bowery Boys film
1963 It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World First cab driver Cameo
1965 Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar Leo
1970 The Phynx Himself Final film role

Television

[edit]
Year Series Role Notes
1962 The Dick Powell Theatre Billy Vale Episode: "No Strings Attached"
1962 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Windy Episode: "...But What Are You Doing for Your Country?"

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Social Security Death Index
  2. ^ Clyaton, Jim (6 September 2013). "Bowery Boys and East Side Kids". The Patch. Patch Media. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  3. ^ Pressbook for Blues Busters, "Star Likes Word Study," Monogram Pictures, 1950, p. 1.
  4. ^ a b Roat, Richard (2017). Hollywood's Made-to-Order Punks: The Dead End Kids, Little Tough Guys, East Side Kids and the Bowery Boys. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1593934675.
  5. ^ a b "Leo Gorcey Dies, 52". Desert Sun. Vol. 42, no. 260. Desert Sun. 4 June 1969. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  6. ^ Leo Gorcey dies; A dead end kid
  7. ^ Bookbinder, Robert (1977). The Films of Bing Crosby (First ed.). Secaucus, N.J.: Citadel Press. p. 115. ISBN 0806505982. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
[edit]