Dig That Uranium

The fortieth (!) entry in the Bowery Boys series has the gang heading out west to strike it rich with a uranium mine. Um...yeah. Had to be there, I guess. It's a silly premise but at least it's something a little different for the aging series that had relied on repeating plots for awhile. Leo has quite a few funny malapropisms and Huntz mugs for the camera the whole time. Most of the comedy, hit and miss, comes from these two (which is par for the course for the series). Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer plays Swifty, the Boys' old friend who sells them on the uranium idea to get the story started. This would be the last appearance in the series for two longtime cast members. Wallpaper Bennie Bartlett would leave and be replaced by Jimmy Murphy. Benard Gorcey, who played the lovable Louie and was the father of Leo and David Gorcey, would die in a car accident after this film. His death would lead to Leo leaving after the next entry and ultimately would lead to the end of the series as the 'magic' was gone without Leo and his father. Anyway, this is an enjoyable entry despite the sad trivia behind it. The cast all put in a good effort and the uranium plot is interesting enough.

Dig That Uranium (1955)

** (out of 4)

Flat, unfunny entry in the Bowery Boys series has the group heading out West after buying an uranium mine and equipment. Once out there it doesn't take them long to discover they've been ripped off but three bad guys from town thinks they actually have uranium so the boys must try and figure a way out of the trouble. The fortieths entry in the series isn't a very good film and it's also a rather somber one when you consider this was the last one to feature Bernard Gorcey who would be killed in an automobile wreck shortly after this film wrapped production. In his final film he at least gets some decent moments including one flashback sequence where he gets to play a bartender. The rest of the film contains one recycled gag after another and none of them are very funny. The entire bit with the boys buying something that turns out to be fake has been down countless times and nothing new is done here. The entire subplot of running into bad guys has also been done countless times and nothing new is to be seen here. There's even a joke with their car having to drive backwards, which was unfunny in JALOPY and it's unfunny here. At 61-minutes the thing at least has a good enough of a pace to keep things moving well but the lack of laughs just kills this thing. Both Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall sleepwalk through their roles as they both lack any real energy. Mary Beth Hughes who some will remember from THE OX BOW INCIDENT isn't too bad as the femme fetale and we get Raymond Hatton playing a nutty miner. DIG THAT URANIUM doesn't have a single fresh idea and it's a shame because with a little more imagination I'm sure they could have done something with the film. Anything would have been better than this.

Louie Dumbrowsky buys an uranium mine in Nevada sight unseen. Upon arrival, the boys get shot at by the locals who don't want the newcomers. After finding out that Louie owns the mine, the scheming locals decide to change their plan and play poker with him. It backfires with Louie intercepting the card cheats. The gang has trouble finding any uranium.

This must be the final nail to the uranium fever. I really love the card game. It gets rather random after that. Nevertheless, the gang is here led by Slip and Sach. There is some enjoyment with seeing those two, but Slip is looking old. It's a tough year for him and the writing is on the wall for the franchise.

One of my favorites when it comes to the Bowery Boys Series...indeed it is poignant that this was Louie's last appearance as he died in a car accident.

The series would never be the same and neither would Slip; but Huntz Hall bravely soldiered on as he was an under-rated comedic talent.

This episode has a modern feel to it and a lot of things came together to make this one an entertaining piece in the BB canon.

CHARACTER ACTORS have a vital role here:Raymond Hatton shines and i like Myron Healey as the "heel"

Louie needs to be singled out as a terrific foil;he is diffused w\charm and feistiness !

It's breezy and just plain fun....

In a noticeably well-performed (and uncredited) opening, former "Our Gang" member Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer (as Shifty Robertson) arrives at Bernard Gorcey (as Louie Dumbrowsky)'s ice cream parlor and sweet shop, after being "found" by Huntz Hall (as Horace Debussy "Sach" Jones). Promising they will be millionaires, Mr. Switzer sells Leo Gorcey (as Terrence Aloysius "Slip" Mahoney) and "The Bowery Boys" his uranium mine. The deed is placed in the senior Gorcey's name (as he put up the $500). Of course, the trio, plus secondary "Bowery Boys" David "Condon" Gorcey (as Chuck) and Benny "Bennie" Bartlett (as Butch), don't know they've been flimflammed - but, the land proves to be more valuable than originally thought…

This was the last appearance of Bernard Gorcey (father of Leo and David); sadly, he died following a car accident, just before the release of "Dig That Uranium". The elder Gorcey performs well herein, and had become the most valuable supporting player in "The Bowery Boys" series. Leader of the pack Leo Gorcey would only last only one more film, which was thought to be due to his father's death; however, it appears he might be having problems, even now (before "Crashing Las Vegas").

Carl Switzer (a murder victim in 1959) performs his opening so well, it's a shame he wasn't asked to work more often. Earlier, Switzer worked with present "Bowery Boy" Bartlett and former "Dead End Kid" Billy Halop in the "East Side Kids" imitation "Gas House Kids" gang. Raymond Hatton (as Hank 'Mac' McKenzie) and the rest of the cast provide more reasons to watch an otherwise mediocre movie.

***** Dig That Uranium (12/25/55) Edward Bernds ~ Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bernard Gorcey, Raymond Hatton