 Vallin's fortunes improved in 1943 when he was hired as the villain in the East Side Kids comedy "Clancy Street Boys".Producer Sam Katzman liked Vallin's darkly handsome looks and convincing delivery of dialogue, and cast him first as a juvenile lead (in "Ghosts on the Loose") and then as a full-fledged leading man (in Vallin's only starring film, "Smart Guy").When producer Katzman moved from Monogram Pictures to Columbia Pictures, he took Rick Vallin with him.