Fighting Trouble

SEEING THAT FTHIS was one of those BOWERY BOYS movies mad in the Post-Leo & Bernard Gorcey period, our first inclination was to skip it and do something more exciting, like watching the paint dry. But circumstances conspired to deliver us a different fare. We wound up watching it today via the TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES cable channel and discovered that this pre-judgment about those last entries in the series was jut a trifle harsh.

AS WE ALL were well aware, the interplay between gang chief, 'Slip Mahoney' (Leo Gorcey) and his right hand stooge, Horace Debussy 'Sach' Jones (Huntz Hall)was long the main attraction of the series*. In fact, the dialog in just about all the previous entries was about 80+% reserved for the twosome; leaving little for the remaining players.

SO AT THIS point, with Leo gone, the nature of the beast found itself altered slightly with Mr. Huntz Hall's being promoted to top billing and to sort of a different sort of leader. Without any mention of 'Slip' Mahoney's tenor at the helm of around 10 years, the movie brought us one Stanislaus 'Duke' Kovaleskie (Stanley Clements), who did not replace Leo in rank; but did fill the niche and void of Sach's foil.

IN THIS AREA, 'Duke' did a fine job, providing a near perfect straight man to Huntz Hall's buffoonery. And there was no doubt about who was the straight man here, as Gorcey's fondness for double talk and malapropism often made for a difficulty in defining the roles of each.

ANOTHER BENEFIT CAME to the other two or sometimes three BB members in the sudden increase in their lines to speak. David Gorcey (here billed as Dsvid Condon**) for example had much more to say on screen with older brother , Leo, now retired.

THE ADDITION OF Stanley Clements' character did enough to the cast for the series to be propelled along for six pictures. That makes it the longest running series of "B" pictures ever.

Even Huntz Hall seems to be tiring of the schtick in this post-Leo Gorcey Bowery Boys entry. It's the usual stuff only with fewer laughs, and without the Gorcey's (bar David, still filling his familiar role of Chuck) Huntz looked pretty bored.

Sach (Huntz Hall) is trying to be a photographer. Sach and Duke (Stanley Clements) go to the newspaper and the editor gives them an assignment to photograph gangster Frankie Arbo. Unbeknownst to them, everybody who tries end up with a beating.

Leo Gorcey left the series over money. Sach is without Slip. It doesn't work as well. There is a relationship chemistry that is missing in this one. Huntz Hall hasn't changed but Stanley Clements is not the same. Most of the comedy is just falling flat. As for the story, nobody watches these movies for the stories. This is an old franchise on its last legs.

I actually enjoy the 1956-8 finale of the Bowery Boys series. Despite the absence of Leo and Bernard Gorcey, the series still gave us the usual quota of laughs and fun. Huntz Hall did get a bit over the top now that he was the lead player but Stanley Clements complemented him well as Duke Covaleske. There wasn't much time to develop chemistry as Gorcey left the series in early 1956. Taking that into consideration, I thought Clements was an able replacement. Two of the entries from 1957, Hold that Hypnotist and Spook Chasers are personal favorites and have much of the spirit of the 3 Stooges with predictable slapstick. We also have the old standby David Gorcey and good support from Jimmy Murphy and Eddie Leroy. The Mike Clancy character was a good idea bringing back shades of Louie Dumbrowski. These last Bowery Boys adventures have their moments and don't deserve the dire reviews from my colleagues.

With leader Leo Gorcey retiring from the Bowery series due to personal problems (see "Crashing Las Vegas"), "Fighting Trouble" introduces streetwise Stanley Clements (as Stanislaus "Duke" Covelske) to lead the group. A good fit, but not all the film series needed, Mr. Clements was a member of previous group "The East Side Kids" (as Stash) for a few films during 1942-43. Breaking from the juvenile gang roles, Clements won critical acclaim for his performance in "Salty O'Rourke" (1945), but found his career stalled thereafter...

With no story explanation, Clements would lead "The Bowery Boys" to their final comic escapades. Long-running sidekick Huntz Hall (as Horace Debussy "Sach" Jones) now held star-billing. In this wearisome outing, ever-present David "Condon" Gorcey (as Chuck) and one-shot Danny Welton (as Danny) round out the quartet. To help the latter, Clements and Mr. Hall arm themselves with binoculars and a camera. Eventually, everyone becomes involved with gangsters. A heart attack made this regular Tim Ryan's last Bowery adventure.

*** Fighting Trouble (9/16/56) George Blair ~ Huntz Hall, Stanley Clements, Tim Ryan, David Gorcey