Title: Abe Lincoln of the 9th Ave
Year: 1939
Genres: Crime; Drama
Director: William Nigh

Cast:

• Jackie Cooper as James Michael “Jimmy” Keenan
• Martin Spellman as William McKinley “Gimpy” Smith
• Marjorie Reynolds as Anne Carroll
• Dick Purcell as T.P. “Tap” Keenan
• George Cleveland as Pop O’Toole
• George Irving as Judge Carroll
• Robert Emmett O’Connor as Police Officer Burke
• Sidney Miller as Jiggsy (newsboy)
• David Durand as Spike Morgan
• Buddy Pepper as Flatfoot (newsboy)

Synopsis:

Jimmy Keenan, a hardworking teenager who runs a New York newsstand by day and studies to become a lawyer by night, takes in his crippled friend Gimpy under his wing. When Jimmy’s older brother Tap—a small-time crook—shows up on the run, Jimmy insists he turn himself in. A neighborhood gang led by Spike tries to lure Jimmy into mischief, but Jimmy’s unwavering integrity wins over even the judge who once doubted him. After Tap’s violent escape attempt injures Gimpy, Jimmy wrestles with loyalty and justice before helping the police bring Tap to account, reaffirming his own path toward becoming “the next Abraham Lincoln.”

Trivia:

• Originally released by Monogram Pictures, the film is also known under the alternate title Streets of New York.
• Jackie Cooper, former child star of MGM, was transitioning into more mature roles when he led this picture.
• Like many low-budget crime dramas of the era, it lapsed into the public domain when its U.S. copyright was not renewed.