Smugglers' Cove

Another fun Bowery Boys picture from Monogram, the eleventh in the series. This one has Slip Mahoney mistakenly believing he's inherited a fortune from a wealthy uncle. So he packs up the Boys and heads to a secluded mansion to collect, only to get involved with smugglers. As usual with the series, it's a simple story but full of laughs. Leo Gorcey's malapropisms and Huntz Hall's rubberfacing buffoonery are on full display. The other Boys (William Benedict, Gabriel Dell, David Gorcey, and Bennie Bartlett) are all enjoyable. One of the best scenes in the picture has Slip taking inventory of the items he thinks he's inherited ("One baby piano, one mahogany coffee table -- twenty dollars for the both of 'em!"). No Louie the Sweet Shop owner in this one, unfortunately. Martin Kosleck makes for a fine villain. He had enough practice, playing a lot of villains throughout the '40s (usually Nazis). After this, he wouldn't appear in another movie for eight years. Paul Harvey is a treat as the other Terence Mahoney (yes, there is apparently more than one in the world). Amelita Ward provides the pretty. She would go on to marry co-star Leo Gorcey (it did not last happily ever after). Between the Boy's hijinks and a few 'old dark house' elements, this is an entertaining entry in the series. Not the best but far from the worst.

Leo Gorcey comes to the mistaken conclusion that he has inherited an estate on Long Island's North Shore; actually, it is series semi-regular Paul Harvey, also named 'Terence Mahoney' who has done so. They all wind up at the house where diamond smuggler Martin Kosleck has set up shot. The usual low hijinx ensue.

The Bowery Boys movies are held in disesteem by serious cineastes, and there's no sensible way to elevate them to high art -- although the same thing can be said about the Lemmy Caution movies, which didn't stop the New Wave. Cheaply made, formulaically written and directed by William Beaudine at his trough, no one ever claimed these were made to do more than to give jobs to the men who had started out as the gang in DEAD END, entertain the kids at weekend matinees, and show a profit.

They did that, in the tradition of Samuel Johnson, who said "No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." While people maunder on about the cinematic arts and who wins the Academy Awards, they seem to forget that the movies are business, and the businessmen are there to make money. Ignoble as that sounds, the great actors, directors, cameramen, writers and others who make movies also want to make some money too. The Bowery Boys offer no advancement in the arts, no examples of great moments, but they did what they were supposed to do.

In this usual Bowery Boys entry, jokes are mixed with drama and creepy trappings when Leo Gorcey (as Terrence Mahoney) thinks he's been left a large mansion located in Bay Shore, Long Island. What he doesn't know is he's the wrong Mahoney -- the real intended heir is an elder well-to-do type, one "Terrence Mahoney, Esq." All the same, Gorcey, Sach (Huntz Hall) and the rest of the boys head out to the eerie house which happens to be the headquarters of a gang of smugglers. B-movie bad man Martin Kosleck is the leader of the group, and it's always a pleasure to have him, but he doesn't add much to the proceedings this time around. As a side note, this film also features Amelita Ward (seen in 1945's THE JUNGLE CAPTIVE), who went on to become Mrs. Leo Gorcey, and the mother of his son, Leo Jr. **1/2 out of ****

Smugglers' Cove (1948)

** (out of 4)

Terrance Mahoney (Leo Gorcey) is left a large mansion on a cliff overlooking the sea. Slip and the boys head out there to take a look not knowing that he's the wrong Terrance Mahoney and that there are some smuggler's working in the house. Number eleven in the series isn't at the bottom but it's no where near the top either. This is the first entry in the series that pretty much left me cold as there wasn't a single laugh to be found anywhere. That might make you think that the movie is a complete waste since this is a comedy after all but in fact I think the more dramatic moments work the best. The actual mystery of what's going on in the basement made for a good drama and director Beaudine actually handles it quite well. I thought he did a very good job at building up the mystery and making the drama work. So, why doesn't the film work better? Because the comedy is so poorly written that it really takes away from the drama. Sach (Huntz Hall) is so out of place here you can't help but wish they'd left him out like they did Louie. The comedy bits from the other players including Gorcey isn't anything special either and in the end we're left with a rather bland attempt at humor. What mild humor does work comes from Gabriel Dell who is once again playing the same character but with a different job. This time out he's playing a rather nerd-ish character who is constantly getting into trouble. I thought the actor did a good job with the role and helped keep the film moving at a decent pace.

This is one of my favorite Bowery Boys comedies, minus Bobby Jordan. Slip (Terrence Mahoney)played by the great LEO GORCEY, "thinks" he inherits a mansion, but he's mistaken, because the letter is addressed to "Terrence Mahoney, Esq.", and Slip just happens to be cleaning this other Mahoney's office when the letter arrives, great pretense aay?

Well then the hijinks begins as Slip, Satch (Huntz Hall), Whitey (Billy Benedict) & the rest of the boys go to the mansion & discover that there's a diamond smuggling racket going on right in the house. One great scene is when the bad guys have our heroes locked up in a room, Satch loses it and begins to jabber "Oooh Whitey, Whitey, Whitey..." but Whitey just keeps on pacing the floor and doesn't notice Satch's frustration.

Well, the real Terrence Mahoney shows up just in the nick of time as does Gabriel Dell, another original Dead End Kid, and the boys get saved & Slip gets the house. If you get a chance to, see this movie, it'll make you laugh.