In Fast Company

I haven't seen as many Bowery Boys movies as I should have. I'm catching up but I'm still way behind. "In Fast Company" is a solid entry in the series. It has a lot of funny lines and a very fast running time (63 mins). The Boys are all in great form. Their supporting cast is also good. Forgive me but I actually found the story of a war between taxi companies interesting. I liked "In Fast Company".

The second in Monogram's Bowery Boys series starring the always funny Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall. Well, always funny to me, anyway. Gorcey's malapropisms and Hall's buffoonery might not be high comedy to some but I get a kick out of them. The plot to this one has Gorcey's Slip Mahoney becoming a taxicab driver, which leads to he and his friends becoming involved in a feud with a rival cab company. In addition to Gorcey and Hall, the Boys includes Bobby Jordan as Bobby, William Benedict as Whitey, and Leo's brother David Gorcey as Chuck. This was David's first Bowery Boys film. In keeping with the theme of nepotism, Leo's father Bernard makes his first appearance as series regular Louie, the ice cream parlor owner. Douglas Fowley makes for a hissable villain. Jane Randolph, Judy Clark, and Marjorie Woodworth provide the pretty. It's a decent entry with some good lines and gags. The phone booth bit is a highlight. Far from the Boys' best but fun.

Second of the '48' BOWERY BOYS films from MONOGRAM which was the longest series ever produced by Hollywood to date. Usual story which pits 'the BOYS' and their independent 'Cassidy's Cab Company' (CCC) versus 'Red Circle Cab' (RCB). Now you would think in a metropolitan area as large as N.Y.C. there would not be much of a conflict, then there would have been no movie. RCB plays rough, running off (literally) the competition.

'The Boys' lead by Terrence 'Slip' Mahoney (Leo Gorcey), his stooge Sach (Huntz Hall) plus, Bobby (Bobby Jordon), Whitey (William Benedict) and Chuck (David Gorcey) take it on the chin for the first half of the film. Then they make contact with the rival companies owner Patrick McCormick (Paul Harvey), with the help of his Daughter Marian (Jane Randolf) reveal the true source of the problem, Steve Trent (Douglas Fowley). After a furious fight the Police arrive and the offenders of 'Cab Etiquette' are taken off to jail.

Leo Gorcey (Slip) fills his character with the usual amount of 'malaprops' and abuse too Hall (Sach). The rest of 'the Boys' just fix cars or stand around. It is the supporting cast that is of real interest. Luis Alberni, Charles D. Brown, Douglas Fowley and Paul Harvey were all quality character actors. Who spent most of their time in the 30s' plying their trade among the 'Big Five Majors' or at least the middle tier studios and would continue to do so. Why then appear in a poverty row quickie from MONOGRAM? It kept you busy, you did not have to invest more then a week to pick up your check and it took no great stretch too fulfill your acting obligations. Need a quick '2 Gs' for a new car or a home improvement then MONOGRAM was a good place to stop.

Overall would rate the BOWERY BOYS series from as low as Two**Stars to a maximum of Six******Stars depending on the entry.

Steve Trent, the ruthless owner of the Red Circle Cab Company is driving independent cabbies out of business. John Cassidy refuses to sell to Trent and soon thereafter Trent's henchmen cause Cassidy to have an accident which leaves him with a broken arm. The kindly and savvy Father Donovan tries to get Slip to drive Cassidy's cab while Cassidy is recovering. Donovan, acting in cahoots with the Irish beat cop, convinces Slip that the only way he can keep from getting arrested for vandalizing a fruit vendor's stand is by helping Cassidy. Somewhat resentful at first, Slip has a change of heart when the priest introduces him to Cassidy and his daughter and mother. There is quite a touching scene between Slip and the little girl. The best gag in the movie is the phone booth stuffing; it's well done and funny. As often happens in the series, the movie ends with a brawl between the bad guys and the Boys. This is Gorcey's movie as the rest of the boys have little to do. He did a good job with it. A highlight was seeing Mary Gordon as Cassidy's mother. Gordon was a Scotswoman (I always thought she was Irish, but no) who will be best remembered for her role as Mrs. Hudson in the Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies. Strong supporting cast with always reliable Douglas Fowley, Charles D. brown and Paul Harvey. Although darker than most of the series entries, it still has its frenetic and funny moments.

The gang saves a neighborhood cab co. from an outlaw rival.

Like the Marx Bros. or the Three Stooges, the Bowery Boys are best when bringing chaos into the well-ordered world of the rich or pretentious. Their's is a street tough brand of chaos, too moronic to be organized. Slip (Gorcey) may try, but the gang are like wacky billiard balls, causing the so-called leader to take out his frustration on the hapless Sach (Hall) in sometimes humorous fashion.

Too bad this entry doesn't get more of that energy on screen. It's actually a pretty dull affair. The one big set-piece, the packed telephone booth, goes on too long with no variation, soon losing its humor. Surprisingly, Hall and Gorcey remain pretty subdued without many of their usual wild antics. It's almost like the producers of this second series entry aren't sure the direction they want the series to take. At the same time, poor Bobby Jordan as the sometimes sane member looks a little lost. Still, it is a good chance to catch the lovely and classy Jane Randolph taking a break from her Cat People role.

The real problem, however, is with the premise. The rival cab company is simply filled with too many characters like the Boys. So the usual silly antics remain just that, silly, and aren't redeemed by puncturing the balloons of the high and mighty.