Bowery Bombshell

The Bowery Boys movies are hit or miss. I've never ranked them but I'm guessing that there are more misses than hits. "Bowery Bombshell" goes on the hit side of the ledger. Its story is better than usually and the supporting cast is a lot better than usual. I always like it when Sheldon Leonard shows up in any movie and Teala Loring does great job during the gangster impersonation scene. Leo Gorcey is really good in that scene too. As usual, Sach is more annoying than funny but he's not as annoying as he can be. Also there's not enough of Louie in this movie and when he does show he's too serious. That said, I enjoyed "Bowery Bombshell" with extra credit going to that gangster impersonation scene. It's really funny.

The gang's hangout Louie's Malt Shop is in danger. Their friend Louie needs $300 and quick. The guys try to sell their car but nobody is willing to pay for the jalopy. They happen upon a bank robbery and their friend Cathy takes a picture. It shows Sach picking up the stolen loot not knowing that it was stolen. The picture gets on the newspaper and Sach becomes a wanted man.

The setup is great. I really like the premise. The story gets more and more muddled as it goes. It concentrates more on being a screwball comedy. That aspect is fun. There are some good laughs. All in all, the gang has some fun.

A really early chapter in the bowery boys adventures, and leo gorcey already has his brother and dad in on the act. If pops can't come up with some cash fast, he's going to lose the ice cream shop. So slip and the boys try to raise money any way they can. And get caught up in a bank robbery. And now, it's sach's photo on the front page. They will need cathy's help to get out of this jam. Co-stars huntz hall and teala loring. Even sheldon leonard, who snagged parts in some huge films...to have and have not, guys and dolls, and it's a wonderful life. He did it all... producer, director, actor. The usual shenanigans, and clever word play, when slip mixes his metaphors. Even a silas marner reference, a story about being falsely accused of a crime. From 1861! This is one of the better chapters of the boys. And all neatly wrapped up in 65 minutes. Directed by phil karlson, who only made two films with the boys. Fun !

Through the course of the 48 films in the Bowery Boys franchise, the writers tried a lot of insane plot ideas...including monsters, clairvoyance, super-strength and many other weird twists...mostly involving Sach. However, in "Bowery Bombshell", the film is amazingly normal...at least by comparison!

The story begins with Louie needing money and the gang out trying to sell their jalopy to raise money for him. While they are in front of the bank, Sach gets his picture taken...and it also happens to catch one of the crooks as he's robbing a bank! While you'd think they'd just take the photo to the police, they go about doing this in the worst possible way and in the end, the cops think Sach was the robber! So, it's up to the guys to pretend to be mobsters in order to get the real crooks to return the money.

This film is free of crazy plot elements (apart from watching Slip and Bobby pretend to be movie-style gangsters) and is much more watchable for non-Bowery Boys viewers. Enjoyable and surprisingly well made.

When I was a kid back in the 1940's, a "Bowery Boys" film was one of the most anticipated "Saturday Mornings at the Movies" draws. And incredibly, the films attracted both adults and the pre-teen set almost equally. Upon examination, I would suspect the explanation for this bi-level attraction was the group's ability to know their cinematic level. And not only did they manage to maintained this level through a slew of inexpensive, quickly made films, but also excelled within the films limited sphere. In essence, they were unique on the cheap.

This group, starting out in the late 30's film, "Dead End", progressed to the "Eastside Kids" by the mid 40's, finally settling in as the "Bowery Boys" during the mid to late 1950's. At about that time, their comic style succumbed to the rapidly changing demands of the comedy scene on all levels and the "Boys" simply ran out of steam.

If however, you've ever wondered what made them so popular in the first place, pop some popcorn, empty your mind of any serious thought and sit back and enjoy this excellent entry for nothing more than it is. Trust me, you'll enjoy it.