Michael_Elliott Gallant Sons (1940) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Decent teen drama has Johnny (Gene Reynolds) having a fall out with his best friend By (Jackie Cooper) after his father is sent to prison for murder. Johnny believes that By's father, a newspaper man, mistook some evidence and was the main reason his father was sent up. By, wanting to save their friendship, comes up with an idea to try and see if his father really was guilty or not. GALLANT SONS isn't a great movie and there are countless plot holes in it but I think fans of the cast members are going to have a good time. It seems like MGM wanted to get just about every kid star on their lot with the exception of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney who were off doing bigger projects at the time. Not only do we get Reynolds and Cooper but there's also Bonita Granville from Warner's Nancy Drew series, William Tracy and Leo Gorcey who was doing time before the East Side Kids. I've always enjoyed watching these actors in their own films so it was another treat seeing them all together even if the screenplay doesn't hold up too well. The direction is also a tad bit off the mark because it's never quite clear if they're wanting this to be a dark drama or some light comedy with a few dramatic elements. There are moments where we get all sorts of silly slapstick including a scene where the boys are trailing the possible real killer and one of them falls down a flight of steps after seeing a black cat. These comedy bits really don't work too well but the drama is pretty good because the actors sell that. I thought Cooper and Reynolds were both quite good in their roles and the best moments of the film happen early on after the father is in jail and the two have a falling out. I've always enjoyed Granville's performances and it always shocked me she was never able to get out of these "B" roles because she was a fine little actress and she also had the looks. Gorcey offers up the type of performance that you'd expect from him but I'm guessing this is because he really couldn't give any other type. His "Dead End" type performance goes against what the other kids are acting but his fans will still get a kick out of him. GALLANT SONS ends in a rather silly manor but fans of the stars will at least be entertained throughout, which is a lot more than most movies can say.

DKosty123 This movie has all the trappings of kids film, but it is a who dun it. In a salute to Jackie Cooper, this gem was run recently on TCM but this movie has a whole ensemble cast with Cooper.It seems one of the kids in this has his father in jail for murder, a murder of which he is innocent. This one goes much deeper. It seems there is a real person who committed the crime. The kids here go through a long trail to find him. Then they invite him to the high school play they have put together to expose him.Though this was an MGM B picture without Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland, it has a much too serious tone for those stars. This one is well produced and the cast features some of the East Side/ Dead End Kids from other films. I found it quite engrossing as it is kind of a "Saved By The Bell " only this is the adult version and it is pulled off about as well as it could have been done.George Seitz who directed the Andy Hardy series did this one and it gives you the feeling of the veteran director's work.

bkoganbing Some of the best known juvenile stars from pretty disparate movie backgrounds got together for Gallant Sons, a comedy/drama in which the gang gets together to solve a mystery for which one of their fathers has been arrested.Gene Reynolds is the kid whom they are trying to help. His father is Ian Hunter who is a professional gambler, owner of a swank club who's been accused of murdering a woman who had something on him. The rest of the group is Jackie Cooper, June Preisser, Bonita Granville, Leo Gorcey, Tommy Kelly, and William Tracy. After a little Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew type sleuthing, when they have their suspect in mind the boys use a bit from none other than Master Will Shakespeare himself. As Hamlet said, 'the play's the thing where I'll catch the conscience of the king' and the kids put on a play to get their quarry rattled enough to confess. The juvenile cast is most appealing and Gail Patrick is also in the film, taking a break from her usual roles as the 'other' woman.This is a fine film from MGM's B picture unit. And for once MGM did a film about young people without Mickey and Judy getting together to 'put on a show'. Come to think of it, that is what the kids did here.

David (Handlinghandel) This is such a find and succeeds so far beyond any reasonable expectations one might bring to it, I'm tempted to rate it a "10."The only flaw, to my mind, was including Leo Gorcey in the cast of juveniles; but he is relatively toned down.Gene Reynolds was a most appealing actor playing in this age range. Here, we see him looking a little plump (especially in the derriere); but he was handsome and a fine actor. Too bad his career as a star didn't continue into adulthood. (He made a big name for himself behind the scenes, but that was a loss, because here and in such movies as "The Get-Away" he was an excellent actor.)The plot involves two friends, one of whose father is put in jail for a murder he didn't commit. The other's father is a newspaper man who printed the story.These two and their pals do some good sleuthing and come up with a suspect. To smoke him out, they put on a play, a la the play within the play in "Hamlet," which they feel will make him confess.It's all suspenseful, exciting, and fun.