Abe Lincoln of the Ninth Avenue (1939) is a heartfelt crime‑drama about a poor but honest law student in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen who tries to keep his friends straight while his own brother is a racketeer. Today this public domain movie is best known under its original title Streets of New York (1939 film) and is easy to find online as a free classic movie for anyone searching Abe Lincoln of the Ninth Avenue full movie or Streets of New York 1939 film.
Abe Lincoln of the Ninth Avenue (1939)
Abe Lincoln of the Ninth Avenue (also released as Streets of New York and The Abe Lincoln of the 4th Avenue) is a 1939 American crime‑drama directed by William Nigh for Monogram Pictures. The film follows Jimmy Keenan, a newsboy and night‑school law student from Hell’s Kitchen, who admires Abraham Lincoln and tries to live by his example in a tough neighborhood ruled by gangs and racketeers.
Movie Background
- Director: William Nigh, a prolific filmmaker who made many low‑budget crime and drama titles for Monogram.
- Writer / Story: Based on a story by Robert Hardy Andrews, credited on some prints as “Abe Lincoln of 9th Avenue.”
- Year of release: 1939, at the end of the Great Depression, when urban crime dramas were very popular.
- Production company: Monogram Pictures Corporation, known for economical “B‑movies” often released on double bills.
- Other names: Streets of New York, Abe Lincoln of Ninth Avenue, The Abraham Lincoln of the 4th Avenue.
The copyright of the film itself was not renewed properly hence has become part of the public domain hence the reason as to why most copies of the film going about it are scratched versions of 16mm or VHS and as such may be of poor quality or may be excessively edited. Nevertheless, it is still a wide-spread free classic film with such names as Abe Lincoln of the Ninth Avenue full movie and Streets of New York 1939 film.
Movie Cast Table
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Jackie Cooper | James Michael “Jimmy” Keenan |
| Martin Spellman | William McKinley “Gimpy” Smith |
| Marjorie Reynolds | Anne Carroll |
| Dick Purcell | T.P. “Tap” Keenan |
| George Cleveland | Pop O’Toole |
| George Irving | Judge Carroll |
| Robert Emmett O’Connor | Police Officer Burke |
| Sidney Miller | Jiggsy, newsboy |
| David Durand | Spike Morgan |
| Buddy Pepper | Flatfoot, newsboy |
| |
Jackie Cooper leads the cast as the honest, Lincoln‑loving Jimmy, supported by Martin Spellman as his loyal friend Gimpy and Marjorie Reynolds as the judge’s kind‑hearted niece Anne.
Full Plot Summary
Jimmy Keenan is a smart, idealistic teenager who runs a busy corner newsstand in a rough Ninth Avenue neighborhood alongside his crippled friend “Gimpy” Smith. By day he sells newspapers and looks out for the younger newsboys who work with him; by night he goes to school and studies law, inspired by his hero Abraham Lincoln and dreaming of one day becoming an honest lawyer.
Spike Morgan, a neighborhood brat, desires their spot, which he considers his own, and is after the stand along with its money for the papers. He constantly bullies Jimmy, Gimpy, and the little ones, with the intent of frightening them, damaging their newspapers, and inciting brawls in order for the gang to seize the lucrative place.
Following a single confrontation, Jimmy and Gimpy find themselves in front of the older, fair-minded jurist, Judge Carroll, who recognizes that Jimmy has a potential and does not wish to go down the same route of his elder brother Tap who is a racketeer and gambler. The judge offers Jimmy a second opportunity and turns into a silent fatherly figure who urges Jimmy to attend school and maintain his clean record, and Anne Carroll, the niece of the judge, starts paying attention to Jimmy and his friends.
After bumping into Jimmy at a party, Anne finds herself attracted by how smart he is and how much he admires Lincoln despite his poor background and his life living amid crime and temptation. She and the judge attempt to assist Gimpy too, with their assistance to the idea of a surprise party the neighborhood children want to hold to Gimpy.
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Meanwhile, Jimmy has a brother, Tap Keenan, who is on the other side of the law who is a well-dressed racketeer, gamer and other dubious business. The street boys and boys younger than the rest sometimes boast of Jimmy being safe due to the reputation of Tap which is humiliating to Jimmy since he is attempting to create a life grounded on integrity and not terror.
The children strive to raise the money to celebrate the surprise birthday of Gimpy, but a tragedy falls on the party when Gimpy loses the savings saved by his father on a betting table because he is a weak and an addict. This deceit is a hit on Gimpy and Jimmy is angered by this fact as he can again observe how gambling and easy money are ruining families in their community.
The atmosphere of the neighborhood is becoming more and more strained as Spike and his gang intensify their assault on the stand of Jimmy, resulting in further fights and the police involvement. Meanwhile, Tap is desired in the commission of a grave offense, and the police step up the pursuit, surrounding his activities.
Tap engages Jimmy in a case of murder that he has committed and seeks his advice and shelter leaving Jimmy in an untenable situation. There is his family loyalty and the possibility of vindicating himself as a “lawyer by means of defending his brother on one side against the law on the other side, the example of Abraham Lincoln, and the warnings of Judge Carroll.
Jimmy is struggling with such a dilemma whereby in the case of lying or protecting Tap, he will go against his own principles and jeopardize his own future. Spike and the street gang carry on causing mayhem and in the melee, Gimpy ends up in the fray- later ends up being shot in the confusion of the fight between the criminals, children and the law enforcement officials which eventually blows out of proportions.
Faced with Gimpy’s injury and the reality of what Tap’s life of crime has cost the neighborhood, Jimmy finally makes his choice. Instead of covering for Tap, he decides to cooperate with the authorities and follow the path that Lincoln would have taken, choosing truth and justice over blood ties.
Ultimately, Jimmy is honest, and this virtue earns him the respect of Judge Carroll and Anne and one gets the impression that he will be able to resume with his studies and become the kind of lawyer he always aspired to be. The movie ends on an optimistic tone, as it is possible to assume that despite the harsh environment of New York streets, integrity and courage can provide a young man with an escape.
Since Abe Lincoln of the Ninth Avenue is now a free domain film, this simple, emotionally charged narrative can be propagated on the internet as Streets of New York full movie or Abe Lincoln of the Ninth Avenue 1939 film to be seen by those who like free lessons on morals in classic films.
Genre and Key Themes
It is a crime and drama movie, which is based on the ghetto city, but is narrated in sentimental mood and an uplifting one. It is not about violent gangland action but rather about family feud, poverty, and moral decisions that a working-class teenager has to make.
Main themes include:
- Honesty and moral courage: Jimmy is called the Abe Lincoln of Ninth Avenue because he tries to be upright and just, even in the situations when it will be easier to save his brother in the short-term.
- Poverty and temptation: Life in Hell in the Kitchen throws the kids into crime, gambling and gang life pressure as far as it is difficult to remain straight when there is no money around.
- Family vs the law: the clash of loyalty between Jimmy to Tap and his loyalty to justice is the main source of emotional tension of the story.
- Community and mentorship: Judge Carroll and Anne represent the idea that caring adults can guide young people toward better choices, while the neighborhood kids support each other despite hardship.
These themes make Abe Lincoln of the Ninth Avenue feel like a Depression‑era morality tale, which helps it continue to attract viewers searching for Streets of New York 1939 film as a character‑driven public domain movie.
Abe Lincoln of the Ninth Avenue (1939) Full Movie Watch and Download
Watch Abe Lincoln of the Ninth Avenue (1939) on Internet Archive:
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Movie Review
In current perspective, Abe Lincoln of the Ninth Avenue is chast and obviously a cheap Monogram film, but it also possesses an innocent flair that most admirers of the old Hollywood movie world find appealing. It is a simple, and even melodramatic, story, but it makes a distinct moral lesson with a little preaching to its own establishment.
- Acting: Jackie Cooper is a solid earnest actor portraying Jimmy with a combination of toughness and vulnerability and believably bearing the moral burden of the film. Spellman Martin is likable as Gimpy, and Marjorie Reynolds sends warmth and gentleness as Anne. Dick Purcell takes just the necessary cockiness and desperation to Tap, and George Irving and George Cleveland complete the adult cast with dependable support.
- Direction: The direction of William Nigh is efficient and subtle with the use of simple sets and street locations to ensure that the emphasis is made to be on the characters and the dialogue and not huge action scenes. Pacing is usually close to a B-picture of 1930s, but there are scenes which some audience members might find talkative by contemporary standards.
- General experience: Like a film of Streets of New York 1939 and Abe Lincoln of the Ninth Avenue full movie, it has more heart than polish and presents its message in an uplifting way, about integrity, the value of education, and the fact that one might better his or her life, even though he or she might not be able to escape the ghetto. It will probably be enjoyed by fans of old time crime-dramas and free classic movies as a heartfelt, yet somehow archaic, public domain film with a great central acting performance by Jackie Cooper.
Movie Tags
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