Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison as "Scruno" in "Mr. Wise Guy" (1942). L to R: David Gorcey, Leo Gorcey, Sunshine Sammy, Warren Hymer, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan, and Bill Lawrence.
.jpg)
Sunshine Sammy and The East Side Kids in "Ghosts on the Loose". This was his last film with the group, as he was asked to stand in as one of the Four Step Brothers shortly after production ended. Later, when Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall formed "The Bowery Boys" series, they offered Sammy a part, but he turned it down, later saying that he "didn't like the setup".
L to R: Leo Gorcey, Bobby Stone (who apparently was good friends with Sammy), Bobby Jordan, Sunshine Sammy, Bill Bates (way in the back), Stanley Clements, Billy Benedict, and Huntz Hall.
Sunshine Sammy, Donald Haines, and the East Side Kids in "Spooks Run Wild" (1941). This was Haines' last movie. He went into service shortly after filming ended. L to R: Bobby Jordan, Huntz Hall, Leo Gorcey, Sammy, and Donald.
"Boys of the City" (1940), the second East Side Kids film, and the first with Sunshine Sammy. He later recalled, "The first script I ever got, I said, 'No way.' So I went to Sam (Katzman, the series' producer), I told him, 'Look, now I grew up in New York, and I know how a black guy with white kids down on the Eastside is going to act and talk. This d*** script is all wrong.' He said, 'Okay, you take the script and read it, then you do it the way you think it ought to be done.'"
L to R: Leo Gorcey, Sunshine Sammy, Bobby Jordan, Frankie Burke, Hally Chester, and Donald Haines.
A scene from "Let's Get Tough!" (1942), a WWII propaganda ESK film notoriously banned from some syndicated TV showings of the series.
There's a scene in this film where the gang need money to buy some flowers for an old lady. As the rest of the gang walk out of the scene to look for money, Sunshine Sammy decided to stay in front of the camera, and do some improvising. He pulled out a big wad of cash. All of a sudden, Leo Gorcey yells out "Moolah!", and the gang chase after Sunshine Sammy (who looks genuinely surprised!).
L to R: Bobby Jordan, Bobby Stone, Leo Gorcey, David Gorcey, Sunshine Sammy, and Huntz Hall.
Leo: Scruno, you're a elected.
Sammy: Nix. I may be a Junior-G, but I'm also an S.B.B.
Leo: What is an "S.B.B."?
Sammy: A Scared Black Boy!
A scene from "Smart Alecks" (1942).
Ernie once recalled "One day the director-he hadn't been with us before-wanted me to read these lines, and I said, 'I can't read them like that.' Sam came on the set, and the director said, 'Sammy won't work.' Sam said, 'There must be something wrong if
he won't work.' Sam directed it, I said it like I thought it should be said, and he said, 'Cut! Cut!
That's a good scene!' And Sam said, 'Any time he doesn't want to do it, let him alone, and you'll get something.'"
L to R: Sunshine Sammy, David Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bobby Stone, Stanley Clements, and Leo Gorcey.
A lobby poster for "Ghosts on the Loose" (1943). L to R: Leo Gorcey, Sunshine Sammy, Bobby Jordan, Billy Benedict, and Bobby Stone.
From "Boys of the City" (1940)
Muggs (Leo Gorcey): Lay off that cooling system, will ya Scruno?
Well it's 3:00am over here in Merry Olde Englande and time that I headed off to bed, just like Alfie.
