Wild Boys of the Road (1933)

wild-boys-of-the-road-1933-002-woman-man-sit-on-rail-back-to-back-00o-grhLean and bleak Depression-era artifact about the young kids who ran away from home to find jobs and unburden their families, but mostly ended up riding the rails, scraping and stealing to get by, and crossing paths with some real creeps. It’s a mosquito’s life. They’re unwanted and constantly being chased away, but they have no other options. It’s another fast-paced 1930s wonder from director William A. Wellman, full of pre-Code nastiness such as barely sanitized hints of rape and prostitution. You won’t find an inch of fat on its slim sixty-eight minutes. It survives the years still sad and powerful, even with the tacked-on happy ending imposed by the studio. It’s also the most famous role of Frankie Darro, then 16 years old and playing the lead. He’d later become a frequent face in serials and B-comedies.