Although B's were often formulaic and cheaply made their contribution and cultural significance cannot be overstated. Unlike the A film that served as the main box office draw, the B film functioned differently. Given its lower production cost and its ancillary role next to the A film, a number of smaller studios exploited the B movie as an ideal platform through which to target smaller, marginalized audiences traditionally neglected by Hollywood. For example, Million Dollar Productions was a small, independent film studio that provided African Americans with a new and powerful cinematic voice. Its high quality productions with “all-colored casts” appealed not only to African Americans but to mainstream audiences as well.
Gang Smashers was produced by Million Dollar Productions, a white independent production company founded in 1937 by Harry M. Popkin (1906–1991) and his brother Leo Popkin (1914–), who also directed the film. It was known for producing stylish black B films, modeled on the films starring James Cagney (1899–1986) and Humphrey Bogart (1899–1957), which were popular in the 1930s. Million Dollar Productions stopped producing black films of its own in 1939.
The film starred the sensuous Nina Mae McKinney (1912–1967). Her performance as a sexy and seductive black woman in her debut film, Hallelujah (1929), transformed America's perception of black actresses, traditionally cast as servants. Although McKinney performances were well received, white audiences were not ready to accept all-black casts. As a result, McKinney left for Europe where she performed as a cabaret dancer and was commonly referred to as the “Black Garbo.” When she returned to the U.S. she starred in all black productions, such as Gang Smashers, which, according to Richard Corliss of Time Magazine, “gave African-American audiences a chance to see themselves, on the big screen, in roles other than predators, cartoons, buffoons, and domestic servants."
Gang Smashers was written by Ralph Cooper (1910–1992). Cooper joined Million Dollar Productions in 1937, but quit two years later, because he was tired of playing gangster roles. Cooper wrote, produced and starred in a number of films for the production company, which defied the black stereotypes common to previous films. Cooper produced one of the first black television shows, “Harlem Nights,” and was the first Emcee and producer for Amateur Night at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem.
Also known as Reform School, this film was produced by Million Dollar Productions. It starred Louise Beavers (1902–1962) as Mother Barton, a member of the parole board in a large city, who denounced a corrupt superintendent of a reform school, which led to his dismissal. Mother Barton is appointed as the new superintendent and institutes a new system that brings about much needed reform.
Frankie Darro (1917–1976) and Mantan Moreland (1902–1973) team up in a feature comedy film about two friends who join a trucking company maliciously targeted by a competitor. Moreland had a prolific career with over 300 appearances in film, stage and television. He was one of the few actors to emerge from black film to become a major Hollywood star. Having also starred in Gang Smashers, Moreland was known for exhibiting racially stereotypical behavior, which included his “eye popping” trademark and high voice. Some film historians recognize The Gang's All Here as a progressive movie for its time, effectively challenging the prevailing attitudes about race in the early 1940s with its presentation of a dual-racial comedy team.