Crashing Las Vegas

Crashing Las Vegas marked the end of the line for Leo Gorcey and really the end of the line for the Bowery Boys. When Stanley Clements came on to replace Gorcey he was not really a good foil for Huntz Hall to play off. With the death of Bernard Gorcey the year before who played lovable little Louis Dumbrowsky, a whole lot was taken out of the series as well as out of Gorcey who can't quite get animated enough in this film. The rehashed plot line didn't help either, Allied Artists was plain running out of ideas for the Bowery Boys.

An electric shock gives Huntz Hall psychic powers he can pick numbers out of anywhere. Where else to put this power to good use but in Las Vegas. So it's off to Vegas where Frank Sinatra and the rest of the developing Rat Pack were getting started.

The film could have used the Rat Pack. Not much to say about Leaving Las Vegas. Slinky Mary Castle becomes the latest in a long line of women to vamp a secret out of Satch. The old badger game is tried on him as well. Only Huntz Hall could be fooled into thinking the first floor is the 21st floor, that was a gag more silly than funny.

Sad to say The Bowery Boys were running out of gas.

Crashing Las Vegas (1956)

** (out of 4)

The forty-first and final Bowery Boys film to feature Leo Gorcey as he's walk from the series after this entry due to a dispute with the studio as well as fighting his own personal demons after the death of his father Bernard who played Louis in the series. In the film Sach (Huntz Hall) gets electrocuted and begins to see numbers in his head. After winning a trip to Las Vegas Slip (Gorcey) decides to use his dumb friend to make a killing but a couple small-time hoods find out about his talents and kidnap him. CRASHING LAS VEGAS is far from the disaster that its reputation would have you believe but at the same time there's no question that the series was running out of gas. It seems this movie is best remembered for the antics of Leo Gorcey, which apparently had him constantly drunk throughout the making of the flick and apparently he destroyed several props and sets. I'm not sure how much of this leaked over into people judging his performance here but many reviews state that it's obvious he's drunk and I really wouldn't say that. There's a sequence towards the end where his foot is up on a bed while he's questioning Hall and he's shaking during this period but outside of this he really didn't act any different from previous films (where he was drinking as well). At times his eyes are obviously bloating but again, you can see this in previous films. In his final appearance he certainly doesn't have enough energy to carry the picture but he is a step up from the previous film. Hall is also apparently bored and he doesn't add any life to the picture either. None of the supporting players are all that memorable and this includes Doris Kemper who is obviously filling in for Bernard Gorcey. CRASHING LAS VEGAS really doesn't feel like a Bowery Boys picture for several reason. One, of course, is the fact that Bernard and his sweet shop aren't here. Another is that director Yarbrough is obviously not too interested in anything going on and the constant long shots really make you feel apart from the film. There's a game show sequence early in the film that isn't too badly done but at the same time it feels as if it belongs in a different film. There's a prison sequence that contains a couple laughs but that's pretty much it. CRASHING LAS VEGAS said goodbye to Gorcey and while it's not a good film to go out on you can at least respect that he did make it to forty-one films, which isn't something very many actors could do.

This was the first and last Bowery Boys comedy Leo Gorcey made after the death of his father, Bernard. While it can be seen that he is intoxicated during most of the filming, this film is hysterical. Leo and Huntz recite the old wheezy jokes as if they were brand new. The supporting players are poor, but their ineptitude adds to the comedy. This is the first film with Jimmy "Myron" Murphy replacing Bennie "Butch" Bartlett. Murphy and David Gorcey actually get to do more than usual and they even get some good punch lines. True, the story revolves around Huntz Hall, but Gorcey has a lot of funny comments to make during the 63 minutes. It is surprising that the film is so funny since neither Ed Bernds nor Elwood Ullman have anything to do with it. Jean Yarbrough directs this time and he makes it look like his work with Abbott and Costello. The Bowery Boys series was never the same after Leo Gorcey left. He was replaced by that "other guy", Stanley Clements. Clements is OK, but it's like Joe Besser replacing Shemp (not to mention Shemp replacing Curly) in the Three Stooges. Besser and Clements are good performers, but they just don't have the spark of their predecessors. I always wondered why David Gorcey just didn't get promoted; "Chuck" could have been the new chief of the Bowery Boys. Why not?

In a plot rehash, an electrical jolt gives Huntz Hall (as Horace Debussy "Sach" Jones) psychic powers, so luckless Leo Gorcey (as Terrence Aloysius "Slip" Mahoney) decides to take his pal and fellow "Bowery Boys" David "Condon" Gorcey (as Chuck) and Jimmy Murphy (as Myron) to Las Vegas. This film featured the last appearance of Mr. (Leo) Gorcey, who had been with the troupe since "Dead End" (1937). Gorcey had already become somewhat secondary to Mr. Hall, who would become the series' credited "star" with the next film ("Fighting Trouble").

Sadly, the noticeably absent "Sweet Shop" owner Bernard Gorcey (who played "Louie" in the series) had just passed away, following a car accident; he was the father of "Bowery Boys" Leo and David Gorcey. In this film, Bowery leader Leo Gorcey is clearly drowning his sorrows, and appears unwell much of the time. In an unrelated milestone, "Crashing Las Vegas" featured the first appearance of a new "Bowery Boy", with Jimmy Murphy's "Myron" replacing Benny Bartlett's departed "Butch". Even without the off-screen drama, this is a less than mediocre series entry.

** Crashing Las Vegas (4/22/56) Jean Yarbrough ~ Huntz Hall, Leo Gorcey, Jimmy Murphy

I felt Gorcey s performance was very hard to watch. Usually his wise cracking and boisterous remarks are more playful and amusing whereas in this film "Crashing Las Vegas" Gorcey delivered his lines with anger and hostility. Even his facial expressions seemed to be lacking in emotion. They were a bit "over the top". This film was made after the death of Gorceys father, Bernard (Sweet Louie Dumbrowsky) and marked his last film of the franchise. It was a disappointing performance in my opinion. I felt he could have delivered a better quality of demonstrating his craft, despite the unfortunate circumstances that were surrounding his personal life. Danielle V.