Angels' Alley

A comedy with the Bowery Boys that had too much emotion for the normal goofiness.

Angels' Alley (1948)

*** (out of 4)

A surprisingly effective entry in the Bowery Boys series has Jimmy (Frankie Darro) being released from prison and staying with Slip (Leo Gorcey) and his mother. Slip soon learns that Jimmy's involved with a small-time gangster and wrapped up in a auto-theft business. This was the ninth film in the series and it comes as a refreshing one as a lot of the silly comedy winds up on the back burner and we're given a lot more drama. The film really comes off as a major throwback to their 30s period when they were known as the Dead End Kids. Pretty much the only thing missing here is Pat O'Brien playing the Father and Humphrey Bogart playing the gangster. The first fifteen-minutes features the type of comedy we've come to expect from the series and it's actually pretty funny. We start off with a pretty good gag with Slip trying to go after the girl who he of course can't have. We get a few other funny pieces but it doesn't take long for the film to take a quick turn and enter the drama mode. The storyline here isn't anything original as we have troubled kids working for a gangster who is of course taking advantage of them. We have a Father (Nelson Leigh) who of course wants to protect his boys and of course we have Slip and the gang taking charge and trying to bring the bad guys down. I was really surprised at how dark some of the subject matter got including one turn of events that you really won't expect. I thought Gorcey gave his most effective performance of the series and manages to handle the comedy well but also the drama. Huntz Hall is once again called on to act the role of the idiot, which he does quite well but at times his comedy style is really out of place. We got Gabriel Dell playing yet a different type of character in Ricky and Nestor Paiva is pretty good as the crime boss. The film's biggest problem is that there's some comedy bits later in the film that don't work as well as they should but this is still a pretty good entry in the series and most importantly a refreshing one.

ANGELS ALLEY was probably the very last Bowery Boys film patterned after the EAST SIDE KIDS. What separated the Bowery Boys films from the latter series was a more dramatic slant, and film has its moments, though you can always rely on Leo Gorcey to spice things up with some outrageous malaprops. This one is still a fun adventure as Slip's cousin (well played by Frankie Darro), just released from prison, is invited to stay with he and his mom (played by old favorite Mary Gordon), and he gets involved with a car theft ring. This one moves fast, and with a lot of classic stolen cars. We also get a glimpse of former Miss America, Rosemary La Planche, who appeared in mostly low budget films, though her appearance in the cult classic STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP brought the actress a great deal of recognition. Character actor Nestor Paiva plays the no-account head of the car jacking ring, called Piggy! William Beaudine does a good job of directing and to note, this is the only film in which Gorcey "laughs", as there was an unwritten rule that Slip wasn't supposed to find anything Sach did funny, though through the years you could catch, here and there, Gorcey holding back a giggle. Sach steps out of character at the end and tells Slip... "This is the last picture i make with you!" Warner Brothers dvd box set.

Back when the East Side Kids were popular in films (late 1930s into the 40s), they were essentially lovable juvenile delinquents. To some, they might not have been all the lovable but they clearly were delinquents and had MANY brushes with the law. However, when many members of this group of young people morphed into the Bowery Boys around the end of WWII, there was a huge change...they no longer were criminally oriented. Instead, at times, they were like idiotic social workers living in the Bowery in New York City. A great example of this change is the team's 9th film, "Angel's Alley".

When the story begins, Slip's cousin, Jimmy (Frankie Darro) has just been released from prison. He was caught stealing cars and he seems destined to go back to this same life of crime. The guy behind this is Locarno...an adult that loves employing young hoodlums to boost cars for him. Slip and the gang decide that their calling is to get evidence to prove Locarno's crimes...and the impetus to do this is when Slip is set up and accused of a crime he never committed.

This is pretty much what you'd expect.... Slip acts tough, Sach is an idiot and the rest of the gang are essentially unimportant. I was surprised because Sach (Huntz Hall) usually is really annoying but I liked seeing and hearing him do some impersonations of Hollywood stars....they weren't half bad. Overall, a film that is pretty typical of their post-war movies....both good (a decent plot) and bad (a little of the Bowery Boys goes a LONG way).

This is a woefully lackluster attempt to revisit some of the original "Dead End" and "Angels…" themes from the original 1930s film series. The strained, more serious "Angels' Alley" storyline isn't helped by the ill-fitting comic antics of Leo Gorcey (as Slip Mahoney) and Huntz Hall (as Sach Jones). William "Billy" Benedict (as Whitey) and David Gorcey (as Chuck) make the most of their small roles. Perhaps acting wisely, Bobby Jordan (as Bobby) makes no appearance at all. Unfortunately, Mr. Jordan opted out of the series, which had reached a relative peak with "News Hounds" and "Bowery Buckaroos" (both 1947).

The "Sweet Shop" is mentioned, but "The Bowery Boys" are based in the "St. Vincent Boy's Club", Gorcey's home, or the local pool hall. Bernard "Louie" Gorcey does not appear; instead, "Slip" lives at home, with his Irish mother Mary Gordon (as Mamie Mahoney) and moocher cousin Frankie Darro (as Jimmy). Other semi-regular "Bowery Boys" of interest include the bad boy duo Benny "Bennie" Bartlett (as Harry "Jag" Harmon) and Buddy Gorman (as Andrew "Andy" Miller). With the forthcoming "Jinx Money", the Bowery series begins a return to its more successful formula.

*** Angels' Alley (3/7/48) William Beaudine ~ Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Frankie Darro