Follow the Leader is a 1944 American film directed by William Beaudine featuring the East Side Kids. Plot As he and Glimpy Freedhoff anxiously anticipate their furlough home, Muggs McGinnis is summoned to the colonel's office and informed that he is to be honorably discharged because of poor eyesight. At home in the Bowery, Muggs is tearfully telling his proud mother about his discharge when Glimpy bursts into the apartment with the news that Danny has been jailed. Determined to exonerate their friend, Muggs and Glimpy proceed to the clubhouse and are welcomed by their pals. There they meet Spider, a new club member who was working with Danny at a warehouse when he was arrested. Muggs and Glimpy then go to the jailhouse to question Danny. Becoming suspicious when Danny tells them that soon after Spider arranged for him to work at the warehouse, he was charged with stealing alcohol earmarked for the Army, Muggs goes to the warehouse to investigate. After observing Fingers Belmont, a troublemaker who had been expelled from their club, hand fifty dollars to Spider, Muggs invites Spider to a "party" at the clubhouse that night. When Spider arrives, Muggs orders the other boys to leave the room. Claiming that he was dishonorably discharged, Muggs then tells Spider that he wants to join the hijackers, and Spider confides that Fingers pays him to unbolt the back door to the warehouse. As Muggs and Spider leave the clubhouse for the night, Spider admits to Muggs that the only reason he took up the job with the crooks was in order to have money to take care of his ill mother. Meanwhile, Fingers had overheard Spider's earlier confession and, once Spider is alone, drags him back to the clubhouse and beats him to death. When Spider's body is found there, suspicion falls on Muggs, and Glimpy hurries to warn his friend that the police are looking for him. Determined to clear his name and expose the mastermind behind the hijackers, Muggs approaches Major Kline of military intelligence and offers to work undercover to solve the case. Meanwhile, Fingers' boss Larry, the owner of Maxie's Club, becomes disturbed when he reads about Spider's murder in the newspaper. Major Kline then introduces Muggs to Captain Baker of the police department, and when the two law enforcement officials decide to accept his proposal, Muggs finds Fingers and threatens to expose