The Bowery Boys
| The Bowery Boys | |
|---|---|
| Medium | Repertory theatre,film |
| Nationality | American |
| Genres | Farce,comedy |
| Subject(s) | New York City-based story lines |
| Former members | Leo Gorcey Huntz Hall Bobby Jordan Billy Benedict David Gorcey |
The Bowery Boysare fictionalNew York Citycharacters, portrayed by acompanyof New York actors, who were the subject of 48 feature films released byMonogram Picturesand its successorAllied Artists Pictures Corporationfrom 1946 through 1958.[1]
The Bowery Boys were successors of theEast Side Kids,who had been the subject of films since 1940. The group originated as theDead End Kids,who originally appeared in the 1937 filmDead End.
Origins[edit]
The Dead End Kids[edit]
The Dead End Kids originally appeared in the 1935 playDead End,dramatized bySidney Kingsley.WhenSamuel Goldwynturned the play into a1937 film,he recruited the original "kids" from the play—Leo Gorcey,Huntz Hall,Bobby Jordan,Gabriel Dell,Billy Halop,andBernard Punsly—to appear in the same roles in the film. This led to the making of six other films that shared the collective title "The Dead End Kids".
The Little Tough Guys[edit]
In 1938,Universallaunched its own tough-kid series, "Little Tough Guys."Gradually, Universal recruited most of the original Dead End Kids, so the series ultimately featured"The Dead End KidsandLittle Tough Guys."Universal made twelve feature films, and three 12-chapter serials with the gang. The final film in Universal's series,Keep 'Em Slugging,was released in 1943, withBobby Jordanreplacing erstwhile ringleaderBilly Halop.
The East Side Kids[edit]
Independent producerSam Katzmancashed in on the Dead End Kids' popularity by producing a low-budget imitation,East Side Kids(1940) with six juvenile actors, includingHally Chesterwho had appeared with individual Dead Enders in various films, and formerOur GangkidDonald Haines.The film was released by Monogram Pictures. When Bobby Jordan and Leo Gorcey became available in 1940, Katzman signed them and "The East Side Kids" became a Monogram series. Katzman also signed Leo's brotherDavid Gorceyand"Sunshine Sammy" Morrison,anotherOur Gangalumnus. Original Dead End Kids Huntz Hall and Gabriel Dell followed Jordan and Gorcey to Monogram, as did freelance juvenileBilly Benedictof the Little Tough Guys.
The original Dead End Kids were now working at several studios, so the East Side Kids were made at the same time that Universal was making the "Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys" series. A total of 22 East Side Kids films were made, with the final one,Come Out Fighting,released in 1945.
The Bowery Boys[edit]
In 1945, when East Side Kids producer Katzman refused to grant Leo Gorcey's request to double his weekly salary, Gorcey quit the series, which then ended immediately. Bobby Jordan then suggested a meeting with his agent, Jan Grippo. Grippo, Gorcey, and Hall formed Jan Grippo Productions, revamped the format, and rechristened the seriesThe Bowery Boys.(The earlier films' credits appear as "Leo GorceyandThe Bowery Boys ".) Gorcey, who owned 40 percent of the company, starred in, produced, and contributed to the scripts. The new series followed a more established formula than the prior incarnations of the team, with the gang usually hanging out at Louie's Sweet Shop (at 3rd & Canal St.) until an adventure came along.
The original main characters were Terrence Aloysius "Slip" Mahoney (Leo Gorcey), Horace Debussy "Sach" Jones (Huntz Hall), Bobby (Bobby Jordan), Whitey (Billy Benedict), and Chuck (David Gorcey,sometimes billed as David Condon). In 1948 Bobby was replaced by Butch Williams, with former East Side KidsBennie BartlettandBuddy Gormanalternating in the role. The proprietor of the malt shop where they hung out was the panicky Louie Dumbrowski (Bernard Gorcey,Leo's and David's real-life father).
Like the previous incarnations of the team, the members went through a number of changes over the course of the series. Thirteen actors were members of the team at one time or another. Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison, "Scruno" in the East Side Kids films, declined an invitation to rejoin the gang. (He later stated in an interview that he "didn't like the setup," possibly referring to the idea of Gorcey and Hall being in the forefront, and being paid much more than the other members.) Bobby Jordan was also unhappy with the direction of the series, which favored Gorcey and Hall and limited the participation of the other gang members. He left the series after being injured in an elevator accident.
Gabriel Dellreturned in the fourth entry,Spook Busters(1946), as "Gabe Moreno," a former member of the gang just out of the Navy with a French war bride in tow. He remained (minus spouse) for the next 16 features. Gabe was a convenient "utility" character, frequently changing jobs (attorney, policeman, song plugger, reporter, television personality) to suit the story at hand—and the limited casting budget. Dell often acted as a bridge between the real world and the Bowery gang he would summon to assist him. He reprised one of his East Side Kids roles inHard Boiled Mahoney(1947), playing a myopic nerd with thick glasses, ascot, and cap. His final appearance was inBlues Bustersin 1950, generally regarded as one of the funniest in the series.
The early films such asIn Fast Company(1946) flirted with the same humor-laced crime drama of the previous series, but they gradually shifted to situation comedy (western comedy, prison comedy, military comedy, college comedy, hillbilly comedy, etc.). In 1953 a new producer, Ben Schwalb, hired directorEdward Berndsand writerElwood Ullman,both closely associated withThe Three Stooges.The situation-comedy content immediately gave way to all-out slapstick, in the Three Stooges manner using many of the Stooges' gags, and the stories became more juvenile. The new approach literally paid off: "The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsterswas the best moneymaker of all of them, "Bernds told historianTed Okudain 1987. "Actually, every Bowery Boys picture made money. Even if it was a bad one, it didn't lose.The Bowery Boys Meet the Monstersstood out above the others in terms of profit. "[2]Bernds left the series afterDig That Uranium(1956), although an unused Bernds-Ullman script was filmed later asLooking for Danger(1957).
The budgets of the series had been lowering gradually. Productions that had formerly been filmed in 10 or 11 days (a speedy schedule to begin with) were now being filmed in five or six days. Cheaper films meant cheaper talent: the Monogram films had featured impressive casts of "name" supporting actors, but by the mid-1950s the studio would hire only one or two veteran featured players per film (Eric Blore,Lyle Talbot,Addison Richards,Barton MacLane,Fritz Feld,Mary Beth Hughes,Byron Foulger,Paul Cavanagh,etc.) and fill out the cast with lesser-known actors.
Gorcey had been drinking heavily during the filming ofDig That Uranium(1955), according to Edward Bernds. After filming was completed, Bernard Gorcey was killed in an automobile accident, devastating his son Leo whose drinking became even heavier. It visibly affected his performance in the following film,Crashing Las Vegas(1956). During filming, he allegedly became violently unhinged, trashing the set and destroying every prop in sight (though this was vehemently denied in the 1980s by bothDavid Gorcey,who called the story "pure shit", andHuntz Hall,who became visibly upset when asked about the incident and called the allegation "a fucking lie!" )[3]At a subsequent meeting with Allied Artists executives, Gorcey demanded an increase on the 40% interest he held in the series. This was denied, and after a heated exchange, he stormed off the studio lot. Gorcey claimed to have quit, but Edward Bernds offered an opinion from behind the scenes: "He was even worse onCrashing Las Vegasthan he was onDig That Uranium,and I believe Ben [Schwalb] went to [studio executive]Walter Mirischand said, 'It won't work; he's impossible and if we're going to continue this series we've got to do it with somebody else'... No, Leo was fired -- he drank too much and he couldn't do his work anymore. "[4]
The studio owed exhibitors three more films for the 1956 season, so Gorcey was replaced byStanley Clements,a former tough-teen actor who had been in a few East Side Kids movies. Clements, as "Duke Coveleskie," adapted to the series easily and completed the three films, which now starred "Huntz Hall and The Bowery Boys." With Louie absent, the gang's new hangout was a rooming house, where they helped landlady Kate Kelly (played first by Doris Kemper, then byQueenie Smith). The new Hall-Clements partnership was successful enough to be renewed for the 1957 season. Four more films were made, with Eddie LeRoy joining the cast as bespectacled "Blinky." The gang returned to the sweet shop, now known as Clancy's Cafe, with its similarly put-upon proprietor Mike Clancy (played first byPercy Helton,then byDick Elliott).
Transition from theaters to television[edit]
The series ended suddenly in September 1957. Producer Ben Schwalb moved on to other projects at Allied Artists, but Huntz Hall still had two films left on his contract. Former film editor and now staff producerRichard Heermancewas assigned to oversee these last two films,Up in SmokeandIn the Money,andWilliam Beaudine-- who had been the Bowery Boys' most frequent director -- came back to conclude the series. The studio then demolished the long-standing "Bowery street" on the studio backlot, replacing it with a western street.[5]
There was still a demand for the Bowery Boys comedies -- they were useful fillers on double-feature programs and kiddie matinées, and drive-ins used them extensively. Allied Artists had been offering a backlog of Bowery Boys titles all along, reminding exhibitors that older titles were still available from local exchanges. After the series concluded withIn the Money,Allied Artists began a formal reissue program, continuing to release the films seasonally. The first of the reissues wasBlues Busters(1950), which returned to theaters in 1958. Theaters continued to play Bowery Boys features well into the 1960s.
Allied Artists was planning to syndicate The Bowery Boys to television. Jan Grippo, who had produced the series from 1946 to 1951, still held a 50-percent interest in his 23 productions, so Allied Artists bought the rights from Grippo in December 1957. The transaction was front-page news in the trade, and the amount was reported as "more than $500,000."[6]Preparing the series for television required making new negatives for 16mm film prints, and then making a complete set of 48 new prints for each local market. With so many films in the series, this took time. The Bowery Boys finally entered TV syndication in 1960. The films became a staple for independent stations across America, often used to fill the early-afternoon time slots on weekends, much as the same films played at matinées in theaters.
The Bowery Boys (48 titles) was third-longest feature-film series of American origin in motion-picture history (behind theCharles Starrettwesterns at 131 titles, andHopalong Cassidyat 66). The final Bowery Boys film,In the Money,was released in 1958. Only Huntz Hall and David Gorcey had remained with the series since 1946.[7]
List of the Bowery Boys[edit]
| Actor | Character | Years Active |
|---|---|---|
| Leo Gorcey | Terrance Aloysius "Slip" Mahoney | 1946–1956 |
| Huntz Hall | Horace DeBussy "Sach" Jones | 1946–1958 |
| Bobby Jordan | Bobby | 1946–1947 |
| Gabriel Dell | Gabe Moreno | 1946–1950 |
| William "Billy" Benedict | Whitmore "Whitey" Williams | 1946–1951 |
| David Gorcey | Charles "Chuck" Anderson | 1946–1958 |
| Bennie Bartlett | Bartholomew "Butch" Williams | 1948–1949, 1951–1955 |
| Buddy Gorman | Butch | 1950–1951 temporarily replacing Bartlett (also various minor roles, 1946–1949) |
| William Frambes | Homer | 1946 |
| Gil Stratton, Jr. | Junior | 1952, temporarily replacing Billy Benedict |
| Jimmy Murphy | Myron | 1956–1957, replacing Bennie Bartlett |
| Stanley Clements | Stanislaus "Duke" Coveleskie | 1956–1958 replacing Leo Gorcey |
| Danny Welton | Danny | 1956, temporarily replacing Jimmy Murphy |
| Eddie LeRoy | Blinky | 1957–1958 |
Other recurring players[edit]
| Actor | Character | Years Active |
|---|---|---|
| Bernard Gorcey | Louie Dumbrowski/Jack Kane | 1946–1955 |
| Doris Kemper | Mrs. Kate Kelly | 1956 |
| Queenie Smith | Mrs. Kate Kelly | 1956–1957 |
| Percy Helton | Mike Clancy | 1957 |
| Dick Elliott | Mike Clancy | 1957–1958 |
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Live Wires | Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan, Billy Benedict, William Frambes |
| 1946 | In Fast Company | David Gorcey replaces William Frambes |
| 1946 | Bowery Bombshell | |
| 1946 | Spook Busters | First film with Gabriel Dell |
| 1946 | Mr. Hex | |
| 1947 | Hard Boiled Mahoney | |
| 1947 | News Hounds | |
| 1947 | Bowery Buckaroos | Last film with Bobby Jordan |
| 1948 | Angels' Alley | |
| 1948 | Jinx Money | Bennie Bartlett replaces Bobby Jordan |
| 1948 | Smugglers' Cove | |
| 1948 | Trouble Makers | |
| 1949 | Fighting Fools | |
| 1949 | Hold That Baby! | |
| 1949 | Angels in Disguise | |
| 1949 | Master Minds | |
| 1950 | Blonde Dynamite | Buddy Gorman replaces Bennie Bartlett |
| 1950 | Lucky Losers | |
| 1950 | Triple Trouble | |
| 1950 | Blues Busters | Last film with Gabriel Dell, who is not replaced |
| 1951 | Bowery Battalion | |
| 1951 | Ghost Chasers | |
| 1951 | Let's Go Navy! | Last film with Buddy Gorman |
| 1951 | Crazy Over Horses | Last film with Billy Benedict; David Gorcey becomes David Condon; Bennie Bartlett replaces Buddy Gorman |
| 1952 | Hold That Line | Gil Stratton, Jr. replaces Billy Benedict |
| 1952 | Here Come the Marines | Last film with Gil Stratton, Jr., who is not replaced |
| 1952 | Feudin' Fools | Gang becomes standardized: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, David Condon, Bennie Bartlett |
| 1952 | No Holds Barred | |
| 1953 | Jalopy | |
| 1953 | Loose in London | |
| 1953 | Clipped Wings | |
| 1953 | Private Eyes | |
| 1954 | Paris Playboys | |
| 1954 | The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters | |
| 1954 | Jungle Gents | |
| 1955 | Bowery to Bagdad | |
| 1955 | High Society | |
| 1955 | Spy Chasers | |
| 1955 | Jail Busters | |
| 1956 | Dig That Uranium | Last film with Bernard Gorcey; last film with Bennie Bartlett |
| 1956 | Crashing Las Vegas | Last film with Leo Gorcey; Jimmy Murphy replaces Bennie Bartlett; Doris Kemper replaces Bernard Gorcey |
| 1956 | Fighting Trouble | First film with Stanley Clements; Danny Welton replaces Jimmy Murphy; Queenie Smith replaces Doris Kemper |
| 1956 | Hot Shots | Jimmy Murphy replaces Danny Welton |
| 1957 | Hold That Hypnotist | Huntz Hall, Stanley Clements, David Condon, Jimmy Murphy |
| 1957 | Spook Chasers | David Condon reverts to David Gorcey; first film with Eddie LeRoy; Percy Helton replaces Queenie Smith |
| 1957 | Looking for Danger | Last film with Jimmy Murphy; Dick Elliott replaces Percy Helton |
| 1957 | Up in Smoke | Huntz Hall, Stanley Clements, David Gorcey, Eddie LeRoy |
| 1958 | In the Money | Last film in the series. |
Home media[edit]
In 2012, all 48 Bowery Boys films were made available as a set ofmanufactured-on-demandDVDs by Warner Brothers under itsWarner Archive Collectionlabel in four volumes, each consisting of 12 films on four recordable media discs. Initial distribution was advertised by Warner Bros. as being traditionally replicated on "pressed disc" media in anticipation of high demand for the films to be "remastered from the best available elements."
References[edit]
- ^Getz, Leonard (2015). "The Bowery Boys".From Broadway to the Bowery: A History and Filmography of the Dead End Kids, Little Tough Guys, East Side Kids and Bowery Boys Films, with Cast Biographies.McFarland & Co. pp. 173–175.ISBN9780786487424.Retrieved15 May2020.
- ^Edward Bernds toTed Okuda,Filmfax#9, Feb.-Mar. 1988, p. 48.
- ^Roat, Richard (2017).Hollywood's Made-to-Order Punks: The Dead End Kids, Little Tough Guys, East Side Kids and the Bowery Boys.BearManor Media.ISBN978-1593934675.
- ^Bernds to Okuda, 1988, p. 61.
- ^Hollywood Reporter,"Westward Bound," October 11, 1957, p. 3.
- ^Hollywood Reporter,"AA Buys Grippo's 23 'Bowery' Films,' December 20, 1957, p. 1.
- ^Me and the Dead End Kid,Leo Gorcey, Jr., Spirit of Hope Publishing, 2003.
Further reading[edit]
- Hollywood's Made-to-Order Punks: The Dead End Kids, Little Tough Guys, East Side Kids and the Bowery Boysby Richard Roat, Mendi Koenig and Brandy Gorcey-Ziesemer, BearManor Media (2009)