Keep 'Em Slugging (1943)

Anecdotes

Keep 'Em Slugging is a 1943 American film starring the Little Tough Guys and directed by Christy Cabanne for Universal Pictures.

Production

Billy Halop and Bernard Punsly, resident stars of the Little Tough Guys series, were both drafted into the armed forces before the film went into production. Halop's ringleader role was reassigned to Bobby Jordan, and Bud Abbott's nephew Norman Abbott was recruited to replace Punsly. With Halop gone, Huntz Hall graduated to top billing for this one film. Similarly, co-star Don Porter was also drafted, but was allowed to complete the film.

David Durand, a member of the concurrent East Side Kids series, has a bit role in this film, and Jane Frazee and Robert Paige make uncredited appearances in the moviehouse film (a clip from the Ritz Brothers feature Hi'ya, Chum).

The director was Christy Cabanne, a silent-era veteran who was usually called upon to wrap up a fading series. Cabanne, working quickly, encouraged his cast to play for laughs and improvise when necessary. An idea of how quickly the picture was shot can be seen in a blooper that found its way into the finished film. When Jordan arrives home from jail, his sister (Ankers) rushes to hug him and trips on the carpet.

Keep 'Em Slugging turned out to be the final film in Universal's Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys series; two projects already scheduled for the gang were filmed later with other actors: the serial Adventures of the Flying Cadets and the feature film River Gang.

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