Wild Boys of the Road

Of typical small town middle class backgrounds, best friends Eddie Smith and Tommy Gordon, sophomores in high school, are both negatively affected by the economic hardships of the Great Depression. For months, Tommy has been hiding that his single mother has only been working less than sporadically. Eddie, however, just learns that his middle age father has been laid off from what appeared to be his stable cement factory job, it difficult for him to find alternate work at his age and at this time. Not to be a burden to their respective families, the boys, not telling their families beforehand, decide to ride the rails together east to Chicago to look for work. While they meet several others in the same predicament attempting the same thing, they all having to evade the railway police who will place them into custody if caught, they bond specifically with Sally, one of the few girls in the bunch who, unannounced, is wanting to live with her Aunt Carrie in Chicago, she who can better afford to take care of her than her recently widowed father already having to take care of Sally's several siblings. When things in Chicago fall through, the three decide to stick together eventually aiming for New York City. Through all the hardships they face, one severe issue that befalls specifically Tommy, they may not have a chance to get out of what appears to be their downward spiral until they have a forum to talk about their problems, society's problems.