Pride of the Bowery 1940

When Muggs Maloney refuses to train for the Golden Gloves match unless he has his own private country camp, Danny placates him by recruiting members of the Vassey Street Boys’ Club into the Civilian Conservation Corps. Arriving at the camp, Muggs clashes with Allen, the camp’s leader, and treats the facility as if it were his private property.

A defining test of character arrives when Muggs risks his own life to save Al from being crushed by a falling tree, earning the camp captain’s praise for his courage. As a reward, Muggs asks for a boxing match with Al. Norton, a small-time boxing promoter, comes to watch the fight, which ends in a draw. Furious at the outcome, Muggs refuses to shake his opponent’s hand, an act that earns him the enmity of the other boys.

When the captain fails to remove the chip from Muggs’ shoulder, his daughter Elaine White tries to reform him through kindness, offering a different path. Meanwhile, Willie, one of the boys, steals one hundred dollars from the camp cash box and then lies to Muggs, telling him that he needed the money for his poor aunt. To recover the money for Willie, Muggs agrees to a fight arranged by Norton, and even though he takes a beating in the ring, he earns the one hundred dollars.

Back at the camp, Muggs is caught returning the money to the cash box and is accused of theft. He refuses to inform on Willie and even contemplates running away, but Danny steps in, forcing Willie to tell the truth and ultimately proving Muggs innocent.