Hold That Hypnotist

Although the Bowery Boys just doesn't gel in many ways without Leo Gorcey still it's nice to see Huntz Hall alone in the spotlight in these last remaining Bowery Boy films that Allied Artists did. In this one Sach is hypnotized by faker hypnotist Robert Foulk and he regresses back in his mind to when he was His Majesty's tax collector and none other than Blackbeard the Pirate gives Hall a treasure map in lieu of hard cash for his back taxes. Al Capone could certainly sympathize.

It wasn't Foulk though it was a pair of earrings that Foulk's gal pal come on Jane Nigh was wearing. The bit with the earrings was later used in the Road To Hong Kong to put Bob Hope under. So for Duke, Sach, and the rest it means get the earrings to get the treasure.

One thing this does prove is that Horace DeBussy Jones is the same in any incarnation.

The Bowery Boys tackle the past life regression fad that was popular in the '50s thanks to the Bridey Murphy book and film. This is the second movie in a row where the series tried something different from the rut it had been in for a long time. I give it credit for trying but, unfortunately, it's too little too late. Without Leo and Bernard Gorcey, the laughs are all on Huntz Hall's shoulders. Hall is someone I found barely tolerable at the height of this series but I find him insufferable in these later entries. This is the forty-fourth Bowery Boys film, which is pretty amazing. But the end is near and that's pretty obvious by the lack of memorable scenes in the last few films. A chuckle here and there but, for the most part, these movies stink.

This one has Sach undergoing hypnosis and remembering a past life. From there we get into some nonsense about a pirate treasure. Hall does his usual shtick, for those who enjoy him. Stanley Clements continues to be unimpressive as Slip Mahoney-wannabe, Duke. David Gorcey and Jimmy Murphy blend in with the wallpaper. Queenie Smith makes her final appearance as landlady Mrs. Kelly. She was a likable enough actress but never had the comedic talents of Bernard Gorcey or the chemistry with the rest of the cast that he had. Anyway, this isn't the worst of the post-Leo Bowery Boys movies. It might even be the best. That being said, it's really nothing special. I wouldn't bother with it unless you want to see every Bowery film at least once.

Even without Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall is pretty darn funny in this episode, which also boasts some fancy sets and wardrobe. The wardrobe folks went over the top here. Allied Artists obviously put a little more money into this original story, a take-off on the Bridey Murphy craze of the 50s.

Note, a woman named Virginia Tighe, under hypnosis by Dr. Morey Bernstein, claimed she lived a previous life as an Irish girl called Bridey Murphy, recalling actual historical events, which eventually brought authenticity to the bizarre story.

In this case (purely fictional!), the guys' landlady, Mrs. Kelly, claims she MAY have been Cleopatra, thanks to a hypnotist called Dr. Noble, played by Robert Foulk, a natural in this type of role. Sach and Duke believe the doc is a crook -- until Sach is hypnotized! It turns out he lived in the 17th century, working as a tax collector called Algy Winkle(?), who won a treasure map from Blackbeard the pirate.

Couple of insane thoughts here... Crooked Noble naturally wants to find the whereabouts of the map, HOWEVER, if he really had the capability of putting Sach under and revealing a past life, he would have become rich and famous anyway. In fact, everyone would be rich!

Well written fluff by Lou Morheim and Max Gerath, who went onto some notable movie and tv productions. They used the pen name Dan Pepper here. Guess Lou didn't want it known he wrote for the Bowery Boys. This was the directorial debut of Austen Jewell (who had a cool name), long time assistant director for the series. Austen claims Huntz Hall went to bat for him and got him the job, and was a super guy to work with, along with Stanley Clements. He later became production manager for classic movies like, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT. Super trivia question for movie buffs.

Fun support from pretty and perky character actress Jane Nigh (as Cleo) and big guy Mel Welles (a staple in Roger Corman's films), cast as the one and only Blackbeard. This would be Queenie Smith's last appearance as Mrs. Kelly, a well known acting teacher in Hollywood for many years. Dick Elliott has a small role, who would replace Queenie as Mike Clancy, the owner of the sweetshop (formerly Louie's).

Followed by SPOOK CHASERS. Remastered by Warner Brothers on dvd, generally with 6 to 8 films per box set. Thanks to TCM for faithfully running the entire series.

The Bowery Boys help their sick landlady Mrs. Kelly. It turns out that she paid hypnotist Dr. Simon Noble to 'regress' her. The boys say that he's a fake, but Mrs. Kelly refuses to believe them. They set out to disprove him. Noble challenges Duke to get hypnotized and Sach is right behind him. Sach regresses to 1682 when he's a tax collector who meets up with Blackbeard.

Slip is gone and Duke takes his place. Duke is simply no Slip. On top of that, I don't care about the regression section. It's not that funny and it's all in Sach's mind. Even the investigation detracts from the comedy. Duke is simply too serious and the humor gets drown out.

Leo gorcey had already left the bowery boys series after his dad passed away. But this one still has huntz hall, and leo's brother david. Without leo, the last couple chapters just didn't have the zing and wordplay gags that the earlier ones had. Here, sach discovers his landlord is getting hypnotized, and believes everything the hypnotist says. The usual misunderstandings and goof ups. Sach gets hypnotized, and stumbles into a plot to find a buried treasure. You'll recognize dick elliott, the desk clerk; he was also the mayor on andy griffith! That's probably the most notable thing in this one. No big deal. It's okay. It kind of just ambles along. The series was getting pretty tired by this time. Directed by austen jewell. A sixty one minute shortie.