Jalopy

Jalopy jockey Leo Gorcey (as Terrence Aloysius "Slip" Mahoney) hopes to win some much-needed money, in a derby; but, his so-called "Mahoney Meteor" slowly crashes into last place. When mugging sidekick Huntz Hall (as Horace Debussy "Sach" Jones) accidentally invents a super fuel, "The Bowery Boys" think they have what it takes to win the big race. Of course, rival racer Robert Lowery (as "Skid" Wilson) wants to steal the secret formula. Regulars Bernard Gorcey (as Louie Dumbrowsky), David "Condon" Gorcey (as Chuck), Benny "Bennie" Bartlett (as Butch) have more to do than usual - but, with the film series in a tired, repetitive rut, it doesn't mean much. Busty model Jane Easton (as Bobbie Lane) carries the film's main attractions.

*** Jalopy (2/15/53) William Beaudine ~ Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bernard Gorcey, Robert Lowery

Twenty-ninth entry in the Bowery Boys series and first released after Monogram "retired" and began producing pictures exclusively under the Allied Artists name. This one starts off with the Boys once again trying to help Louie out with his bills and, once again, causing more problems than they solve. Slip is working on an old jalopy to enter into a race so he can win the prize money. Things aren't looking so hot until Sach accidentally invents a new kind of fuel that makes the car go faster.

So no, this is not the movie that finally earned the Bowery Boys an Oscar nod. But it is fun for what it is, with Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall having a good time and Bernard Gorcey stealing scenes as Louie the Sweet Shop owner. David Gorcey and Bennie Bartlett are the other members of the gang. Neither does anything to brag about. Jane Easton is the obligatory eye candy. Robert Lowery (looking a little rough for his 39 years) is the bad guy. Leon Belasco is amusing as a tacked-on 'nutty professor' character. It's not one of the best in the series but it is solid. I liked all the old car stuff, even if some of it is reused footage from another film. Funniest scene is probably Sach chasing after his hat and causing turmoil on the racetrack.

A seldom shown bowery boys film! From bill beaudine, who directed SO many of the bowery films. Leo gorcey is the leader of the bowery boys, who manage to get into all these crazy adventures. His brother and father are in this one as well. Racing cars, the boys end up accidentally inventing a better racing fuel. Will it work? Can they recreate it? The guest in this one is sweater girl bobbie, played by jane easton. It's fun! The usual verbal goofups by slip mahoney (gorcey), as they loiter at louie's shop. It's as silly and nonsense-ical as all the others. Just sixty two minutes of wacky, zany fun. Filmed at the culver city racetrack. Researching the stadium online, it appears that the stadium was sold the year after this film was released, and turned into factory buildings. Leo gorcey's dad would pass away in 1955, and leo stopped making bowery boys films after that. Leo himself would die pretty young at age 51.

Jalopy (1953)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Weak entry in the Bowery Boys series has Slip (Leo Gorcey) pretending to be a race car driver but their jalopy isn't going to win them any races. In steps a nutty scientist and Sach (Huntz Hall) who accidentally create a potion that allows their car to fly but soon crooked men are after the formula. It's too bad Sach didn't try to come up with some sort of original formula for this film to follow because this twenty-ninth film is pretty much dead on arrival and never picks up any steam. Once again we're treated to an incredibly boring story that has the boy discovering something that bad people want and sure enough the bad people come looking for it. Towards the end of the film we're greeted with a nearly twenty-minute sequence where nothing happens except for the bad guys to show up and try to force the boys into giving them the formula. This entire sequence doesn't contain a single laugh and it seems as if everything was just being made up as they went along. It's poorly directed, the acting is poor and you can't even see any attempt at them trying to be fresh. It really seems as if everyone involved wished to be somewhere else and they were just flying through the production to get the film in theaters. Even worse is the fact that Gorcey has pretty much disappeared in terms of entertainment. The previous few films had him doing less and less but here he just seems completely out of it and never really seems to be in the mix of things. Hall is pretty much himself but the screenplay does him no justice including a horrible sequence where the idiot Sach walk onto a racetrack and being walking around with all the cars speeding around him. All the films in this series were "B" movies but this one here seems a lot cheaper than any of the previous ones. I'm not sure why they decided to cut the budgets or if this trend will continue but hopefully things pick up.

Monogram Pictures became Allied Artists in 1953 and with this move came bigger budgets and new blood. Since the Bowery Boys films were paying a good part of the rent, a new producer came to the series, also famous director Ed Bernds, who was the head man behind the THREE STOOGES. Assistant director Austen Jewell said both Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall wanted to try out another director for a new feel and approach, although William Beaudine would direct this episode. He would return with PARIS PLAYBOYS.

It was decided Slip and Sach would mature --just a bit, which meant instead of acting like overgrown high school kids, they would be young men who were just as goofy nuts. You'll also notice Huntz Hall's "tie" with his baseball cap. How's that for a wardrobe change? Next, it was also decided to get the gang's old Model T car in the act and JALOPY was born.

This story is also built around a sci fi angle, which would influence many future stories. Another eccentric professor gets into the act (well played by Leon Belasco, who had a long career in movies and tv). The good doctor whips up a secret formula, it ends up in the Jalopy's gas tank and the Bowery Boys become stock car champs!

The track scenes are hilarious with the car running backwards??? Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall battling it out for the best one-liners, if not wild expressions. Louie (Bernard Gorcey) goes nuts over losing money (again) to the gang. Good support from Robert Lowery (as the shifty bad guy) and sports announcer Tom Hanlon, giving a blow by blow description. Wash, rinse and repeat....

Don't miss the ending where the secret formula is also capable of producing beautiful BLONDES! One for Louie???

A gotsta' see. 10 Stars. Released and remastered by Warner Brothers in box sets, generally containg 6 to 8 episodes. Thank you to TCM for rerunning these oldies.