Romantic drama

Mr. Wise Guy (1942): Cast & Plot

Name: Mr. Wise Guy
Genre: Drama, Romance, Comedy
Released: 1942-02-20
Duration: 1 h 10 min
Cast: Douglas Fowley, Billy Gilbert, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan

Mr. Wise Guy is a 1942 romantic drama directed by William Nigh, starring Douglas Fowley as Bill Collins, Billy Gilbert and Guinn "Big Boy" Williams. It runs 1 hour 10 minutes.

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Read the plot summary

Released: February 20, 1942
Runtime: 1h 10m (70 min)
Director: William Nigh
Genres: Drama , Romance , Comedy
Original language: English
Studio: Sam Katzman Productions
After the credits: No No extra scene

The story

What Is Mr. Wise Guy About?

The premise of Mr. Wise Guy without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

After being wrongfully blamed for stealing a truck, the gang is sent to Wilton Reform School. Meanwhile, Bill Collins, Danny’s brother, is falsely implicated in a murder and sentenced to death despite his innocence. As events unfold, Muggs, Glimpy, Danny and the others learn that Knobby, a henchman of Luke Manning, knows key details about the crime.

Mr. Wise Guy Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags

mannequin
vegetable cart
broken window
man wears a dress
malapropism
reference to charlie chan
reference to leroy robert ripley
reference to ripley's believe it or not
gun
waterfront
escape convict
barrel

+38 more

bare chested male
swimming
reference to the orpheum theater
reform school
slapped in the face
reference to uncle sam
fortune cookie
police chase
carjacking
manslaughter
reference to christopher columbus
reference to michelangelo
chicken
chicken coop
bucket of paint
paint on face
punched in the face
blood
hit over the head with a hat
tattletale
resignation demand
lottery ticket
reference to sir lancelot
reference to lady guinevere
girlfriend visits boyfriend in prison
first degree murder conviction
wrongful conviction of murder
news reel
knocked unconscious
escape
idiot
fashion model
mink coat
reference to nero
pack of cigarettes
italian restaurant
sandwich
reference to goldilocks

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Cast & crew

Mr. Wise Guy Cast & Characters

Douglas Fowley leads the cast as Bill Collins, with Billy Gilbert as Knobby and Guinn "Big Boy" Williams as Luke Manning. Directed by William Nigh; 20 actors are credited in all.

Director William Nigh

Douglas Fowley as Bill Collins
Billy Gilbert as Knobby
Guinn "Big Boy" Williams as Luke Manning
Leo Gorcey as Muggs McGinnis

Also Starring in Mr. Wise Guy

· 16 more

Bobby Jordan Danny Collins
Huntz Hall Glimpy Stone
David Gorcey Peewee
Bill Lawrence Skinny
Dick Ryan Jed Miller
Jack Mulhall Jim Barnes
Joan Barclay Ann Mitchell
Sidney Miller Charlie Horse
Bobby Stone Chalky Jones
Gabriel Dell Charlie Manning
Ann Doran Dorothy Melton
Frank O'Connor Reformatory Guard (uncredited)
Stanley Blystone Policeman (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan Policeman (uncredited)
Warren Hymer Dratler
Benny Rubin Second Waiter

Plot

Mr. Wise Guy Plot Summary

What happens in Mr. Wise Guy from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

In New York’s East Side, a tight-knit youth gang led by Muggs McGinnis — along with Danny Collins, Glimpy Stone, Scruno, Skinny, and Peewee — find themselves falsely arrested after the truck they were riding in is stolen. The boys are remanded to Wilton Reform School, where Muggs, the streetwise leader, earns the nickname “Mr. Wise Guy” from the brutal guard Jed Miller. The arrival of the new warden, Jim Barnes, shifts the tone of the institution. Barnes reassures Bill Collins, Danny’s older brother who carries painful memories of the school from his time as a guard there, and he gives Bill a guided tour of the grounds.

Full summary

The whole story of Mr. Wise Guy, scene by scene

Read the full summary