Crashing Las Vegas

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

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?

"Crashing Las Vegas" is not the Bowery Boys' finest hour. It is a lost opportunity. Putting the Boys in Las Vegas is a great premise. Unfortunately, this movie wastes whatever potential the idea may have had. There are very few laughs in "Cashing Las Vegas". It gets tedious after a while. "Crashing Las Vegas" is watchable but just barely.

The boys have collected money for their beloved landlady Mrs. Kelly's down payment. Sach is working in the kitchen when he gets an electrical shock. Suddenly, he can predict all the numbers. The boys have tickets to television contest "To Live like a King". Slip wins a trip to Vegas. He has an idea for him and the boys. As Sach goes on a winning streak, he gains some unsavory attention.

The story is a bit convoluted, more than usual. They could have done so much more with a Vegas premise. I'm not looking for the real thing, but that would have been amazing. Sach has always been an idiot, but his idiocy here is not fun. It is much more annoying than anything else. One would also think that the casino wouldn't allow Sach to keep winning. It's a whole different side of the story that is ignored. This one is a little frustrating.

Coming WAAAY at the end of the Bowery Boys films, this was old territory for Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall and the gang. Not that anyone knows what "the bowery" is anymore. In this one, Miss Kelly is getting tossed out of her home for not being able to keep up with the rent. The boys win a trip for a week in Las Vegas, and the adventure begins. When they are loud and rowdy in the casino, Slip and Sach attract the attention of some rough characters. this chapter has the usual intentional, goofy word play, but also a whole lot of lowbrow, slapstick humor. A 25 year old bombshell (Mary Castle) distracts Sach. It's all pretty straight-forward. not bad. Directed by Jean Yarbrough; had directed a bunch of the Bowery Boy films. PS. Bowery comes from the dutch word for Farm, as there were many farms there at one time. later, a pretty rough area, also known as skid row. then the edge of Greenwich Village. this one only has about 260 votes so far, so must not be shown on Turner Classics very often.