LITTLE TOUGH GUYS 1938-1943

In 1938, Universal borrowed the "Dead End Kids" (except Gorcey and Jordan) for a juvenile-delinquency drama called Little Tough Guy.

Universal adopted this as a brand name, and turned the film into a series of Little Tough Guys features. The studio filled out the cast with David Gorcey (Leo's younger brother) and Hally Chester.

The next three films did not include any of the original "Dead End Kids". Little Tough Guys in Society (1939) was more of a lightweight comedy, while the next two, Newsboys' Home and Code of the Streets (1939), were more dramatic. Jackie Cooper starred in Newsboys' Home but was not a member of the team. Only David Gorcey and Hally Chester remained from the first film, Little Tough Guy. This was the beginning of the members of the team changing on almost a film-to-film basis. Eleven actors drifted in and out of the series, including Frankie Thomas, Charles Duncan (who was originally hired to play Leo Gorcey's role in the play Dead End), and Billy Benedict.

When Warners released Bobby Jordan from his contract, Universal quickly signed him to join the rest of gang. Now, with five of the original six Dead End Kids on the payroll, Universal revised the billing to read Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys. In total, the Little Tough Guys made 12 feature films, and three 12-chapter serials.