Looking For Danger

LOOKING FOR DANGER-1957-In this weird Bowery Boys outing Duke (Stanley Clements) recalls in a flashback how he and Sach (Huntz Hall) fought against the Nazis in WW2! They also get involved with a Middle Eastern sultan and his harem. It's easy to see the series was on it's last legs as the gags are really bad and Sach is goofier than ever. 


Dick Elliot is now featured as Mike Clancy (after Percy Helton), the owner of the cafe where the boys (along with David Gorcey, Jimmie Murpshy and Eddie LeRoy who are also seen briefly in flashback) hang out. Lili Kardell and John Harmon are also featured. 


Screenplay by old BB stalwarts Ed Bernds and Ellwood Ullman. Director Austin Jewell also made HOLD THAT HYPNOTIST. It's the only other feature he directed!


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Up In Smoke

UP IN SMOKE-1957-In this Bowery Boys craziness Sach (still top billed Huntz Hall) sells his soul to the devil (the great Byron Foulger in dress suit and horns) to get the names of winning horses after losing some charity money on a crooked horse race. Of course every time he tries to make a bet something goes wrong (he has no money, he's put in jail...). Since gagman Jack Townley was one of the screenwriters many routines are rehashes of things seen in other places (notably Abbott & Costello). When Duke (Stanley Clements) catches Sach talking to a monkey (it's the devil in disguise) he takes him to a psychiatrist (Fritz Feld) named Dr. Bluzak. In the end Sach thwarts the devil and he loses his job! But Sach helps him get it back! 


Since Sach does so many stupid things a better ending would have been that this episode was the last of the series and the devil took the nitwit to hell! A little harsh I guess....


The other boys are David Gorcey as Chuck and Eddie LeRoy as Blinky. Joe Devlin, James Flavin and Benny Rubin also appear. A character named Dr. Bluzak also appeared in an episode of THE ABBOTT AND COSTELLO SHOW that Jack Townley wrote! And Byron Foulger played him! 


William Beaudine was back to direct this second to last entry of the series. 


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Spook Chasers

SPOOK CHASERS-1957-By this time the Bowery Boys series was nearing it's end (this was the 45th of 48 movies made in the series) and it shows. 

Top billed Huntz Hall is moronic Sach and Stanley Clements is Duke (acting more Slip Mahoney-ish this time out). The rest of "the boys" are David Gorcey as Chuck, Jimmy Murphy as Myron, and Eddie LeRoy as Blinky. This time instead of having a landlady to harass or save they hang out in "Clancy's Diner" owned by Louie Dumbrowsky substitute Mike (Percy Helton). When a doctor tells the overworked Mike he needs a rest in the country two crooked real estate agents (William Henry & Darlene Fields) sell him a dilapidated haunted house. However, instead of finding the usual trouble, they find money. It turns out to be the hidden loot of a gangster (Peter Mamakos) who  later shows up (one of his henchman is Ben Welden) to collect. 

It's mostly tired bits of haunted house humor from other comedies (like HOLD THAT GHOST) and Robert Shayne shows up at the end as a detective. Ellwood Ullman scripted it once again and George Blair directed. Blair was also doing episodes of the SUPERMAN TV series at the time.

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Hold That Hypnotist!

HOLD THAT HYPNOTIST!-1957-When the Bowery Boys' landlady Mrs. Kelly (Queenie Smith) decides to visit a hypnotist (Robert Foulke) so she can be regressed to a former life, Sach (Huntz Hall) and Duke (Stanley Clements) decide to investigate. They are assisted by Myron (Jimmy Hall) and Chuck (David Gorcey). Sach is regressed to a 17th century tax collector! He has to confront the pirate Blackbeard (Mel Welles) and learns of his hidden treasure. Well, sort of. When he is re-hypnotized to find out more info he becomes a Mark Anthony quoting Shakespeare! They are eventually double crossed by the hypnotist and his manager (James Flavin). 


Parts are funny (especially when Sach talks with an English accent but most of the routines are "sub Abbott & Costello". Also with Jane Nigh. Usual second unit director Austin Jewell made only one other film. The credited screenwriter Dan Pepper is a pseudonym. Mel Welles was in 3 Roger Corman features the same year!


Happy Memorial Day and thanks for reading! 

Hot Shots

HOT SHOTS-1956-In this Bowery Boys comedy, an obnoxious TV child star Joey Munroe (Phil Phillips) causes some problems for the gang (Huntz Hall as Sach, Stanley Clements as Duke, David Gorcey as Chuck, Jimmy Murphy as Myron) but Sach and Duke wind up working at the kid's television studio where Robert Shayne (SUPERMAN's Inspector Henderson) is in charge and Joi Lansing is their secretary. Mark Dana is Joey's underhanded uncle who plots a kidnapping. Queenie Smith returns as the boys' landlady Mrs. Kelly. 


There's lots of crazy gags and dialogue that are more dumb than funny. Also with spots by Joe Kirk, Isabel Randolph, Emory Parnell, Ralph Gamble and Bess Flowers. 


This entry was directed by Jean Yarbrough which explains all the familiar faces from THE ABBOTT & COSTELLO SHOW and once again there is another connection when Sach picks up a comic book called "Terry and The Used Car Salesmen". Costello received a comic book with the same title in an A & C episode! Jack Townley and Ellwood Ullman were the writers. 


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Fighting Trouble

FIGHTING TROUBLE-1956-The Bowery Boys redux! 

Now billed as "Huntz Hall and The Bowery Boys" second billed Stanley Clements joins the cast (replacing Leo Gorcey) as Stanislaus "Duke" Covelske. They (along with David (Gorcey) Conlon as Chuck and un-billed Danny Welton as Danny) live in a boarding house run by Miss Kelly (Queenie Smith) who keeps referring to Sach as a genius (which tells you her state of mind). 


To (what else?) raise money Sach and Duke try to get an incriminating picture of a gangster (Thomas B. Henry) for a newspaper publisher. Naturally Sach winds up impersonating a hit man but screws everything up! Adele Jurgens (in at least her third BB appearance) is Henry's moll. Also with Tim Ryan, Laurie Mitchell and Paul Brinegar. 


Ellwood Ullman once again was the screenwriter. Director George Blair began his film career in 1944 but by the mid-fifties was working more on TV (he directed many first season episodes of SUPERMAN). He later made THE HYPNOTIC EYE. The jazzy score is by Buddy Bregman.


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Crashing Las Vegas

CRASHING LAS VEGAS-1956-Sach (Huntz Hall) gets electrified and can predict numbers on a TV game show. Slip (Leo Gorcey) wins a trip to "Sin City", where he plans to use his buddy's abilities to win enough money to pay their landlady's bills. They bring along the rest of "the gang" which by now is only Chuck (David Conlon/Gorcey) and Myron (Jimmy Murphy replacing Bennie Bartlett). Of course gamblers (led by Don Haggerty) want to know his secret and send a woman (Mary Castle) to find out. It's a typical Bowery Boys mess with Sach acting really dopey despite his new found power. 


CLV was the last of the series to star Leo Gorcey as Slip who quit after this one. His dad Bernard (little Louie Dumbrowsky in most of the run and top scene stealer) died from injuries he received in a car accident. 


The whole movie kind of reminded me of an over long second season episode of THE ABBOTT AND COSTELLO SHOW. 


In fact that show's director, Jean Yarbrough made CLV and screenwriter Jack Townley wrote episodes of the show. Also rather weirdly the TV host at the beginning of CLV is played by Bob Hopkins who played a TV host on an A & C episode. And Frank J. Scannell who played a croupier in an A & C episode plays a croupier here! 


Emil Sitka also shows up!


 I've read Gorcey was "visibly drunk" during the making of this. He does act a little strange and some of his lines seem to be dubbed by someone else!


Thanks for reading, yous muggs!