The Bowery

A cheerfully colourful portrayal of New York City low-life during the 1880s (or Gay Nineties, as a title declares), not long on historical accuracy, despite token appearances by John L Sullivan (Walsh) and Carrie Nation (Harmer), and a reconstruction of Steve Brodie's famous jump off the Brooklyn Bridge for a bet in 1888. Basically, it's a sentimentally rumbustious buddy movie in which gambler Brodie (Raft) and saloon-owner Chuck Connors (Beery) indulge in furious rivalry for the title of 'King of the Bowery', as well as for the affections of pretty Lucy Calhoun (Wray) and a pouting streetwise moppet (Cooper). It's entertaining enough in its raucous way, but marred by a complacently racist attitude to the Chinese community.