Feudin' Fools

I am way behind on the Bowery Boys movies but I am catching up. Most of their movies are pretty funny but, of course, they have a couple of duds too. "Feudin' Fools" belongs somewhere in the middle of the pack. It does have a few laughs but not that many. Thanks to its short running time (63 mins) it doesn't wear out its welcome. "Feudin' Fools" is not one of the Bowery Boys movies that will turn someone into a fan. But if your already familiar with their movies, it's watchable.

The twenty-seventh film in the Bowery Boys series at Monogram has Sach inheriting a farm in Kentucky. The boys travel South and wind up in the middle of a hillbilly feud. A by-the-numbers plot if there ever was one, the only saving grace is the fish-out-of-water aspect of seeing the New Yorkers interacting with the hillbillies. The series was struggling by this point to come up with an idea that was even in the same zip code as original. Leo Gorcey still has a few chuckle-worthy malapropisms and Huntz Hall plays the buffoon to the hilt, but it all just goes so far. David Gorcey and Bennie Bartlett hang around in the background. You'd forget they were there except for the few times they're given something to do, like carry the bags for Slip. Bernard Gorcey, frequently the best part of the '50s Bowery Boys films, isn't in this one much but once he joins the gang in Kentucky things pick up. There are hillbilly jokes galore here like moonshine stills, revenuers, feuds, and the obligatory pretty farmer's daughter. My favorite part of the movie is this exchange between Slip and Sach:

Slip: "I think we better sympathize our watches." Sach: "You mean synchronize?" Slip: "I was usin' the past tense."

When this film begins, some men come into the malt shop looking for Sach. Apparently, Sach has somehow inherited some land out in the country...in hillbilly country. Soon, Sach, Slip and the rest of the gang are headed to see the Jones Farm. Not surprisingly, the place turns out to be a bit of a dump. To make things worse, it turns out that they've walked into the middle of a feud much like the infamous Hatfields and McCoys...except it's between the Smiths and the Jones clans...and Sach is all that's left of the Joneses! And, if this isn't bad enough, soon some desperate bank robbers arrive at Sach's 'palace' and demand the gang help them. And, they get the idea that Louie is a doctor!!

This film has all the usual stereotypes you might expect from a comedy about the hills--guys in bushy beards, moonshine and more. It looks like a L'il Abner cosplayers' convention! Intellectual or subtle the film sure ain't! However, it is reasonably funny-- something you don't see in a lot of the Bowery Boys films from the 1950s. Not a great film by any standard but entertaining and fun.

Sach inherits property in rural hillbilly country. The gang arrives to find a rundown farm. Sach also inherits a local war with a rival family but he manages to hide his Jones name. Then a trio of criminals shows up looking to use the farmhouse as their hideout.

The Bowery Boys are headed into the hills. They are fish out of water. There is plenty of ridiculous rural comedy and a couple of babes. The bank robbers are a little left field but they are a good plot device. This is better than most Bowery Boys flicks. It's silly fun like always.

The writers obviously kept tabs on what Abbott and Costello were doing. In response to A & C's COMIN ROUND THE MOUNTAIN, thus came FEUDIN FOOLS. Many thanks to series writer Tim Ryan.

Sach inherits a farm from his uncle who lived in the South, way out in the middle of nowhere? Also a giant dose of poetic license at work; Slip, Sach and everyone else piles into the jalopy and drive all the way from New York to Kentucky? Their destination is a place called Hogliver Hallow. The story is about Smith versus Jones (Sach Jones, that is), a hillbilly feud that has gone on for generations, and the gang gets caught in the middle. Toss in a broken down farm house. "It looks like a rest home for old vampires!" Slip exclaims.

Good support from reliable heavy Lyle Talbot, playing a gangster called BIG JIM, who gets shot robbing a bank, only to take refuge with his goons at the Jones farm.

Louie (Bernard Gorcey, Leo's real dad) is a hoot playing Dr. Dumbrowski, who pretends to operate on Talbot in order to stall for more time and, hopefully, trick and capture the gangsters. Chock full of Leo Gorcey's malaprops and Huntz Hall is super nuts.

In one scene he opens a trap door and offers the bad guy to go first. The answer NO. "In that case, I'll see if there's a ladder!" Keep an eye on Benny Baker as Corky, one of Big Jim's mob. Benny played everything from sidekicks to bad guys, perfect window dressing for this story.

Note the cartoon characters of Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall at the beginning of the film, which always made me wonder what a terrific cartoon series this would have been. Possibly inspired by the cartoon characters of Laurel and Hardy in their comedy films at Fox in the 40s.

Character actress Anne Kimbell plays Elly May. Did that name inspire the writers for the BEVERLY HILLBILLIES? Look for Robert Bray, later to star on LASSIE, playing one of the detectives. Veteran western actor Fuzzy Knight plays Traps.

A real treat from start to finish, and good theme music thanks to Edward Kay, who scored many of the episodes. Huntz Hall has a super closing line.

Applause to director William Beaudine for pulling this one through, and with some clever touches. On remastered dvd via Warner Brothers box sets, generally containing 6 to 8 episodes per box.