Bowery to Bagdad

Still watching the Bowery Boys these days, and they're still fun. BOWERY TO BAGDAD has to be one of their more kooky episodes, only because as the series progressed, particularly in the 1950s, the plots became more insane and Huntz Hall was unleashed to do whatever he wanted to do!

Credit veteran comedy writer and director Edward Bernds, whose name may be familiar because he directed scores of Three Stooges shorts. There was a marked difference between the Bowery Boys films of the 1940s and the 1950s. Originally, the films had a comedy/drama slant, but by the next decade, all that went by the wayside with the Bowery Boys more comic book characters and with a sci fi or supernatural theme, case in point here. They conjure up a magical genie.

The series also had many notable character actors and Eric Blore, in his last film role, was well cast and probably well paid for his funny portrayal of a genie, who also gets drunk. Gorcey's father, Bernard, who played Louie, worked well with Blore; they both chewed up the scenery in one super scene.

But it's Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall who set off the fireworks with a host of one liners and crazy situations. Thankfully, Warner Brothers acquired the rights to these comedies and first sold part of the series on vhs, but now all episodes come in dvd box sets and in mint condition, with no edits. So, yes, still crazy after all these years. We love them.

Bowery to Bagdad (1954)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Good ol' Sach (Huntz Hall) finds a weird looking lamp and when he rubs it a genii (Eric Blore) pops out. Sure enough he soon has mobsters after him trying to get their hands on the genii but Slip (Leo Gorcey) has plans on making them rich. BOWERY TO BAGDAD is pretty much what you'd expect from a Bowery Boys film as it contains a minor amount of laughs but what really keeps the film moving is its fast pacing from director Bernds. The film itself really isn't all that original as we get the tired formula of the boys discovering something that's going to make them rich and of course bad guys find out and come after them. It's amazing how many times this storyline has been transformed in the series but with this being number thirty-six I guess you have to expect some things repeating themselves. The story itself really isn't all that funny but we do get a few good moments including poor Sach using his wish to order up some milkshakes. Another funny gag finds a hat pulled down over his nose to where he can't see and he ends up walking out on a high ledge of a building. Both Hall and Gorcey are fine in their roles with both going well over the top in terms of energy. Bernard Gorcey doesn't get too many good scenes but the one where he gets drunk with the genii was pretty good. This turned out to be the final role for Blore and he too is pretty good as the genii. The lack of laughs don't hurt the film too much because the director keeps all the action happening quite fast and things move along very quickly. The 64-minutes goes by without any slow spots so that's always good in a "B" film like this.

Slip and Sach get their hands on a magic lamp with a genie (Eric Blore) inside. It's the thirty-sixth entry in the series and, while it's far from the best, it is enjoyable enough thanks in large part to the inimitable Eric Blore in his final film. Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall mostly go through the motions but they do have some amusing moments. Of course, Bernard Gorcey is funny as Louie. The rest of the gang is, as usual, background furniture. Although David Gorcey manages to get a few lines this time, so good for him. The supporting cast is what keeps the movie afloat. There's Robert Bice, Dick Wessell, and Michael Ross as three gangsters who want the lamp for themselves. Joan Shawlee plays a sexy moll and handles herself quite well with the comedy, including a couple of fun scenes bantering with Hall. Pretty much all of the movie's highlights involve Blore, a wonderful comic actor who played in over eighty films in his twenty plus years in Hollywood.

The title is misleading: about 95% of "Bowery to Bagdad" takes place in a New York penthouse, where people are running around knocking each other on the head. As you can gather from that description, this is not exactly the fantasy epic you might expect from a movie about a magic lamp and a centuries-old genie. There also seem to be no consistent rules for when the genie can appear - sometimes you have to rub the lamp, sometimes he appears at his own will. With that said, Eric Blore, with his dry delivery as the genie, is the best thing in the film. There are also some nice special effects. ** out of 4.

The fabled lamp of Aladdin with a pixie like genie has turned up in of all places, the Bowery, New York City. And who acquires the lamp? Here's a hint, it wasn't Mayor Wagner.

Bowery To Bagdad finds Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall with joint ownership of the lamp and they seal the partnership so much so that genie Eric Blore can't do anything unless they both agree. Huntz Hall being the simple soul he is wants five malteds, but Gorcey has higher ambitions, but just can't get it done.

Not that the Bowery Boys are the only ones who want the lamp. A gangster with molls Joan Shawlee and Jean Willes played by Robert Bice has gotten wind of it. And a couple of Arab looking characters are in the hunt as well. Blore kind of likes the boys, but they've tangled things up pretty good.

Bowery To Bagdad doesn't have quite the ring of Kaiser Wilhelm's fabled project of the Berlin to Bagdad railroad, but I assure you this one is a much funnier journey.