Rating: 
Summary: Me And The Dead End Kid
Review: "Me And The Dead End Kid", by Leo Gorcey Jr. tells the story of his life with his famous father, who was one of the original Dead End Kids, and later the leader of the "East Side Kids" and "Bowery Boys" as the team came to be known in it's later incarnations at other studios. Although Leo Jr. suffered abuse at the hands of his father, he still loved him, and the last chapter has a fine message about love and forgiveness that is usually missing from other books about abused children of movie star parents. Some readers could be offended by some of the language used by Leo Gorcey in passages quoted in the book, but he did talk that way in real life, if not in his movies.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic book, *filled* with honesty and heart
Review: "Me and the Dead End Kid" by Leo Gorcey, Jr was just great! It answered all the questions I had about Leo Sr.--from his teen years as a plummers assistant in the family business, to his time as the theatre and movie star of "Dead End", through his later years, retired, and living on a ranch about as far away from the Hollywood life as you can get. The book also details what life was like as the Dead End Kid's Kid. Leo Jr. does a wonderful job of showing that life in the spotlight isnt always what its cracked up to be, for father or son; And he shows us how as we get older, our past mistakes, and especially mistakes of those we love, sometimes become a lot more understandable. A great book.
Rating:
Summary: Honest. Enlightening. Gut-wrenching
Review: A fascinating look at the life and times of THE Bowery Boy, Leo Gorcey, and his stormy relationship with his only son.I wonder how Dead End Kids/Bowery Boys fans will react to Leo, Jr.'s book? Will they see through his recollections the man that his father wanted to be, and understand the disease (alcoholism) and the circumstances that got in his way? I think even as a kid, when I faithfully watched the Boys on TV every week, I sensed that things "went south" with Leo, Sr. throughout the 50's. Now I understand why. This could not have been an easy or pleasant book to write, but the end result is pretty compelling.
Rating:
Summary: Mystery Solved
Review: As a kid, I was glued to the set whenever an Eastside Kids movie came on. It was because the anti-hero was witty, powerful and undisputably the star. After reading this book by his son, I realize that Gorcey off-screen was much the same as on, and that much of the swaggering bravado was due to sociopathy and alcoholism. His son's account is poignant, often emotionally difficult to read, but always entertaining and insightful. He never lets his own victim's story get in the way, either. His skill in capturing dialect brings Muggs McGinnis vividly alive. The anecdotes show us that the culture of celebrity was as powerful in the 1940s as it is today. Were Muggs alive, he might have been on the lengthy California governor candidates list - on the Anarchy Party. A great read!
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Read for Dead End Kids Fans
Review: Leo Gorcey, Jr. has managed to take a well told story, that of Dead End Kid, Leo Gorcey Sr. and show it from a whole different perspective....from inside the life of the star and his family. The stories included are funny and moving and some are sad and show that sometimes there is a lot of pain hiding behind all the laughter. Leo Jr. does a great job at making his father and the other DEK members and other people in the book more 3 dimensional for the fans. The major themes running through the book of love and forgiveness are part of what make it a moving experience to read. After you finish, go and give your kids (or parents) a big hug.
Rating:
Summary: It will humor you and melt you!
Review: Leo Gorcey, Jr. is an incredible writer and his passion grabs you. His humor and wit will amuse you. For all who have ever enjoyed the "Dead End Kids," "East Side Kids," and the "Bowry Boys," you will go back to a place in your life when you looked forward to tuning in for fun and the mischievous antics of the "Kids." It was the one and only thing in my entire childhood that I did with "my dad" - hence, the meaning of going back for me was powerful! It will take you from a young Leo Gorcey, Sr. and his happenstance into the world of Hollywood and the "Kids," his own family and the illness that ultimately destroyed him. The author writes from his heart - the anger of a young boy and the tears of a man. It truly touched my heart...
Rating:
Summary: For anyone who has enjoyed one of those Dead End Kid films
Review: Me And The Dead End Kid is an authoritative and informative biography of Leo Gorcey, a Hollywood star who's personal and domestic life was riddled with turmoil ultimately resulting his retirement from the motion picture business at the age of 39. Me And The Dead End Kid is a vividly presented memoir of an actor's life legacy to his son, Leo Gorcey, Jr. -- who pens this biography of his father with wit, memories, forgiveness, and an eye for the complex and tangled weave that all humans truly are. An all-embracing panorama of the good and the bad in a famous actor's life, Me And The Dead End Kid is "must" reading for anyone who has enjoyed one of those Dead End Kid films or the many other movies where he played supporting roles in company with such child stars as Bonita Granville, Jackie Cooghan, and Mickey Rooney -- and wondered what ever became of the leader of that group of young actors that became so popular and successful at portraying New York City poverty ghetto kids of the 1920s and 30s.
Rating:
Summary: Thanks, Dead End Kid
Review: The Dead End Kids were a phenomena unto themselves. And Leo Gorcey was a curse unto himself. As the fame of the Kids rose, Gorcey's troubles increased, and as the fame of the Kids dwindled Leo Gorcey continued in his wild ways. "Me and the Dead End Kid" is the story of Leo Gorcey Jr., and his search for his famous father. As many children of famous fathers find, the life of Leo Jr. was no picnic. When Leo Sr. was 'on' he was funny, and had his friends rolling in the aisles. When he was 'off', he was unpredictable. Leo Sr. could be drunk, he could be in a fighting mood, or he could be agreeable. Leo Jr. relates the story of his father's rise in Hollywood starting from his early childhood in New York working at his Uncle's plumbing shop, to his first Broadway and Hollywood success with the Bowery Boys. 'Dead End Kids' with Humphrey Bogart was a big success in 1937, and it parlayed into a string of movies for Warner, Monogram, and MGM. By the time he was finished with his movie career in 1966, he had acted in 81 movies, the majority of them as Muggs, Terrence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney, or Terrence J. Montgomery Mahoney. His on stage personna as the leader of the Dead End Kids was not so far from reality. The explosive, irreverent, disrespectful, quarrelsome characters he portrayed were very much Leo Gorcey. His five marriages were not quiet, they were confrontational and filled with drunken rages and mental/physical abuse. However, the characters he portrayed clicked with his viewers. Inside the psyche of everyone of us, we wanted to lash out, just like the Boys. That quality which made him popular, was also his downfall. Fast forward. Leo Gorcey Jr. stood by his father's gravesite. He struggled with his emotions. Would he mourn his famous father? Or would he be thankful his torment was over? Fast forward again. Therapy. Leo Gorcey Jr. had found the strength to seek professional help with his problems. He soon realized that through his own life he had inadvertently lived out his father's. He had abused alcohol, he had controlled women with anger and fear, and he had to stop. His struggle to learn about his father, to learn who his father was, was his therapy and the turning point in his life came when he was able to forgive his father. With the help of God, he did, and he was free. He wrote a letter to his father, and it went: "Dear Dad: Where do I begin? How do I describe the pain I buried deep in my heart when they lowered you into the ground that day in Los Molinos?...." It is amazing the depth of pain that Leo Jr. endured at the hands of his father, most of it unknowingly planted. It is even a greater miracle that he has been able to grow out of his pain and share his story with us. This book is amazing. Not just from the first person perspective of Leo Gorcey Jr., or the rare photographs that dot the pages, not from the rarely heard story of a Kid, but from the deeply personal, deeply reaching consequences for NOT dealing with our pasts, and our hurts. All I can say, as I put down the book, and finish this review, is "Thanks." Thanks for your memories, and your honesty, and your not so pleasant memories of your father. Thanks for your candor and courage to tell the truth about the Dead End Kid, and his son who came back from the Dead End, and took a U-turn into a life worth living. 'Me and the Dead End Kid' is available directly from the author online at www.leogorcey.com or from www.amazon.com.
Rating:
Summary: A Refreshingly Healthy Perspective On Life
Review: This is a wonderful and unique book. For many baby boomers, Leo Gorcey, aka Spit, Muggs and Slip Mahoney to film fans, is the quintessential Ameican anti-hero. A cutural icon in the truest sense. Yet, as his son describes in the book, he was evidently a tortured sole, numbed by alcohol and violent in his demeanor. Can we still love his characters? Yes. Can his son still love him? Yes. Read Leo Gorcey's Jr.'s incredible story and see how. Unlike most entertainment biographies, this book involves coming to terms with and ultimately accepting those we love. The book is entertaining, funny, sad and insightful. Order it now. You'll ge glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: A moving insight into the life of a celebrity and alcohism.
Review: This is the story of one of America's most popular actors, Leo Gorcey, and Leo Gorcey, Jr's account of growing up with his famous father and alcoholism. Subjected to verbal and sometimes physical abuse, in what psychologists call the formative years, leaves the children of alcoholics scarred for life. Although his father died of cirrosis of the liver when he was just 19 (Leo Jr. is 54) it has taken many years for his son to forgive his father. Reading this book, although sad at times, offers hope for all children of alcoholics. This book is not just a great read but a moving, inside look into the life of Leo Gorcey, Sr. Thanks Leo for a great book and best of luck to you. Ed Franks
|
