Lucky Losers

"Lucky Losers" is too straight-forward to be a memorable Bowery Boys picture, though it does contain a good supporting cast. It's just not wacky enough and it lacks memorable set pieces. The scenes with Louis posing as a rich gambling fool, for example, fall flat. Still, it manages to be quite amusing and the Gorcey-Hall chemistry is as incomparable as ever.

Hillary Brooke is one of the glories of B cinema (although, regrettably, she doesn't have much to do here). Dick Elliott, who plays the drunken conventioneer, would turn up as Mike Clancy in a couple entries at the tail end of the series.

The gambling blood in me really appreciated the gambling scenes in this movie, as Harry Tyler, a gambling expert, teaches the boys the art of cheating in cards and dice. We are treated to some fancy legerdemain actually done by producer Jan Grippo in a hand cameo - what a checkered life he must have led! All five boys (Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, David Gorcey, William Benedict and Buddy Gorman) go undercover as workers in a gambling casino to try to unravel the details of Selmer Jackson's apparent suicide. It's all a lot of fun. I enjoyed the scene where Benedict purposely deals two losing unbilled dowagers blackjacks after urging them to bet the rest of their money. (The writers must have seen Casablanca.)

Our forgetful writers department: Selmer Jackson's character name is apparently "David J. Thurston," since it is engraved in the stone facing of his building. But when he signs a letter, it is "David J. Thurstinn."

Lucky Losers has our set of overage delinquents from the Bowery investigating some illegal gambling after a prominent Wall Street broker commits 'suicide'. Selmar Jackson had gotten Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall jobs on Wall Street and the boys take his demise quite personal.

Their investigation leads them to a gambling club, illegal of course, that's operated by Lyle Talbot and his mostly fetching moll Hillary Brooke. In order to crash that world they get a course in how to be a crooked gambler and what to watch out for by small time grifter Harry Tyler. The scenes with Tyler are the best in the film.

This is a pretty good entry in The Bowery Boys series, a must for fans of the eternal delinquents.

Inspired by television commentator pal Gabriel Dell (as Gabe Moreno)'s investigative reports, Leo Gorcey (as Terence Aloysius "Slip" Mahoney) and Huntz Hall (as Horace Debussy "Sach" Jones) go undercover as Las Vegas-styled gambling card and dice dealers. Joining the crime-solving duo at New York's swanky "High Hat Club" are fellow "Bowery Boys" William "Billy" Benedict (as Whitey), Buddy Gorman (as Butch), and David Gorcey (as Chuck). Fatherly "Sweet Shop" owner Bernard Gorcey (as "Arizona" Louie) poses as a high-stakes gambler.

Quick, well-paced, and familiar Bowery shenanigans, with the regular cast in fine, comfortable form. Their guest-starring gang of adversaries - veteran Lyle Talbot (as Bruce McDermott), classy Hillary Brooke (as Countess Margo), and attractive Joseph Turkel (as Johnny Angelo) - are especially appealing. And, Harry Tyler (as Wellington Jefferson "Buffer" McGee) makes a noteworthy impression as the hawkish street vendor who teaches Gorcey and the gang how crooked casino owners work the tables to cheat their gambling customers out of hard-earned cash.

****** Lucky Losers (5/14/50) William Beaudine ~ Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, Hillary Brooke

While it might be hard to imagine since they're both morons, the film begins with Slip and Sach working great jobs as runners at a brokerage firm. Life is good and the pair are on top of the world....that is, until their boss is found dead and it's ruled a suicide. But Slip knows that Mr. Thurston was NOT the type to kill himself and the death must have been murder. His only clue is somet dice he finds from the Tip Top Club--a gambling joint. So, he and the gang find an expert to teach them about gambling, as they plan on infiltrating the club and finding anything they can on Thurston's death.

The plot for this Bowery Boys installment is interesting as, if you think about it, is pretty much a film noir plot! Of course it lacks the style and cinematography of such a film....but it IS unusual for them to have a plot like this.

So is it any good? Well, if you like the Bowery Boys, it's pretty much what you'd expect--with fast-talking dope Slip and even dopier Sach--though Slip seems less stupid than usual. As for the rest of the gang, as usual, they're pretty much absent during most of the picture.

So is it any good? Yes...surprisingly so. My only quibble is that that portion of the film where Slip finds an incriminating letter....it just doesn't make any sense why the gamblers would keep such a letter. You'd think they'd destroy it! Otherwise, pretty good stuff...and with a tougher than usual plot...though the final scene is just terrible.