Here Come the Marines

The army got bashed in "Bowery Battalion" and then the navy got it in "Let's Go Navy" now it's the Marines turn to taste the slapstick antics of the BBs.

This one opens with a salesman trying to unload a movie projector on Louie. He shows Louie and the boys stock footage of WWII combat action. The paratroopers shown jumping and landing is the actual film of the 503rd PRCT landing on Corregidor on February 16, 1945.

The Boys get drafted into the marine corps. Aturally, Sach gets into trouble by impersonating a doctor, and then a chef. But when Colonel Brown learns that Sach's dad was his sergeant from WWI, he promotes him to sergeant. Sach turns into the toughest marine since John Wayne in "Sands of Iwo Jima." While on a Sach ordered 20-mile hike with full packs, slip finds a badly beaten up marine, along with a unique playing card. The boys get a pass and are steered to an illegal gambling joint by gorgeous fur-draped Lulu Mae. Slip sees that the cards are the same as the one he found by the beaten marine. Can the BBs use this information to bring these crooks to justice?

Hanley Stafford plays Colonel Brown. He is best remembered for playing "Daddy" to Fanny Brice's "Baby Snooks" on the radio for many years.

Myrna Dell is Lulu Mae. She and fellow actress Marguerite Chapman are credited with having invented the autograph show. They started with just two chairs and a card table at a supermarket and it evolved into the big industry that it is today. Quite a legacy for those two lovely ladies.

"Here Come The Marines" is a very good entry in the Bowery Boys series. Worth watching.

One thing for sure, THE BOWERY BOYS were put to good use by Uncle Sam! The gang always got caught up in the military, someway or another, and it made good sense the screw up the "by the book" orders, if not drive a sergeant or even a colonel nuts. Here the Bowery Boys go after a gambling ring that's stealing marines paychecks. A lot of fun, particularly between Huntz Hall and veteran actor Hanley Stafford (famous on radio; BABY SNOOKS and BLONDIE) who plays a colonel who thinks that Sach's father was a legendary marine, Hard Hat Jones! Sach becomes a sergeant and theres a running gag with Stafford getting into all kinds of trouble, including falling into a thinly disguised fox hole. Exasperated Slip exclaims, "If you could break a couple of the colonel's ribs, he'll make you a captain!" Rotund Paul Maxey makes a solid bad guy, the head of the gambling ring and there's also lovely Myrna Dell as LuLu Mae, out to get the gang in big trouble. Series writer Tim Ryan also has a part as the corrupt sheriff. Lots of familiar faces and and you can tell Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall are having fun, or at least throwin' out one liners! Gorcey has a good closing line. Box set dvd by Warner brothers.

After 175 years, the United States Marine Corps decides it's time to bring "The Bowery Boys" into the fold. First contacted is loquacious leader Leo Gorcey (as Terrence Aloysius "Slip" Mahoney), but pals Huntz Hall (as Horace Debussy "Sach" Jones Jr.), Gil Stratton (as "Junior"), David "Condon" Gorcey (as Chuck), and Benny "David" Bartlett (as "Butch") are quickly called up for duty. We see no basic training or hazing, unfortunately; but, comedy takes charge as Mr. Hall is given a whistle and made "Sergeant" of his Bowery-populated barracks. Meanwhile, Mr. Gorcey suspects a beaten Marine is connected to a crooked gambling ring.

One of many military-themed Bowery adventures, "Here Come the Marines" proves the law of diminishing returns is alive and well in this feature film series. Most obvious is probably that Hall works hard with the material; he demonstrates fine comic abilities and entertainingly carries the movie. At one point, Hall is asked, "Don't you know a dud when you see one?" At least, Hall gives this rather dull story his best, with few re-takes (Leo needs to watch his head when getting out of the lower bunks). Also notable is that this is the last appearance of Mr. Stratton, a two-time "Bowery Boy" member who would soon fine better character roles.

**** Here Come the Marines (6/29/52) William Beaudine ~ Huntz Hall, Leo Gorcey, Gil Stratton, Hanley Stafford

An ordinary Bowery Boys comedy without much notoriety to make it stand out from other films in this series. When Slip Mahoney (Leo Gorcey) gets a draft letter into the Marines, Sach (Huntz Hall) and the other "boys" join up too. It turns out that the dimwitted Sach is related to the old buddy of one of the higher-ups, and so he's immediately promoted to sergeant. This prestige goes to his head, and Sach becomes a hard task master to the rest of his pals. Relying on the simple notion of Sach being a tough boss does not leave room for much of a plot here, so tossed in is a subplot where the boys find a murdered marine on the side of the road and trace it to a crooked gambling joint (typical). ** out of ****

Sam Katzman never did worry about continuity for his Bowery Boys. Before Here Come The Marines the guys were in the army and navy both. But military service comedies are always good for laughs and the Bowery Boys were naturals for them.

As the Marine Corps recruiting slogan goes, the Marines are looking for a few good men. So why would the Marines consider drafting the Bowery Boys? Don't those other armed forces talk to each other?

The commandant of the base discovers that Huntz Hall's father was his sergeant in World War I and immediately makes Sach a sergeant. Like that sits well with Leo Gorcey given his natural leadership abilities. I don't think it takes much imagination to see where this is going.

Guest performers include Paul Maxey who runs a gambling clip joint where Marines lose their hard earned pay and the beautiful Myrna Dell who is the come-on.

No new ground for the series broken here.