Master Minds

The 16th Bowery Boys entry from Monogram, 1949's "Master Minds" served up some rare mad scientist shenanigans during a lean period for horror films, set in the haunted Forsythe mansion that locals tend to avoid. Huntz Hall's Sach once again finds himself gaining an unexpected ability, not a crooner's voice as in "Blues Busters" but a fortune teller predicting the future after reading about Nostradamus, caused by a candy-induced toothache (betting on horses would come later). Leo Gorcey's Slip trots out sideshow star 'Ali Ben Sachmo, Bowery Prophet' for a typical get rich quick scheme, allowing Alan Napier as Dr. Druzik to utilize this supposed seer as the perfect subject for mind transference with his savage creation Atlas, played to the hilt by Glenn Strange (much neater than a messy brain transplant). Strange absolutely nails his impersonation of Huntz Hall and his effeminate mannerisms, under a hirsute Jack Pierce makeup that harkens back to the glory days of Universal's "House of Dracula," even adding several more cast members as lab assistants, Skelton Knaggs and pretty Jane Adams, no longer burdened by a hump. One would have wished that after several costarring roles opposite good friend Boris Karloff ("Isle of the Dead," "Lured," "The Strange Door") that Alan Napier might have learned something from the master, playing his one and only mad doctor with a permanent smirk, a bemused performance that can only be described as ordinary, similar to John Dehner's later turn in "The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters" (surely, Bela Lugosi must have been available!). Strange was in the midst of several Abbott and Costello vehicles ("The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap," "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein," "Comin Round the Mountain") but would not play another monster in a Hollywood feature, both Gabriel Dell and Billy Benedict departing the Bowery Boys series within two years.

Master Minds (1949)

*** (out of 4)

The Bowery Boys find out they have a money-maker when Sach (Huntz Hall) eats sugar and gets a toothache, which causes him to be able to predict the future. This starts out find until a mad scientist (Alan Napier) sees him in the paper and decides to kidnap him so that he can put Sach's brain into the body of a monster (Glenn Strange). The sixteenth entry in the series is probably the best one to date thanks in large part to a somewhat clever screenplay and some terrific supporting performances. I don't think there's any doubt that this film was inspired by ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN but that's okay because the jokes here work extremely well. I don't think this film is going to appeal to everyone like A&C MEET FRANKENSTEIN but if you're a fan of the Bowery Boys then this here is a must see. What makes the film work so well is the performance of Strange who easily steals the film. He's done up in some ape man like make-up, which looks incredibly well. I guess this should be expected since Monogram also did a good job in THE APE MAN and RETURN OF THE APE MAN. I really did enjoy the look of the monster but what makes the comedy work so well is the performance by Strange. The entire plot works around this monster having the brain of Sach so it's up to Strange to give us those Hall mannerisms, which he does perfectly. That silly walk, arm swings and the various other bits and pieces are perfectly pulled off by Strange and it's downright hilarious. Seeing the tall Strange bouncing around like Sach and flicking his arm was so perfectly done that at times I had tears running down my face. Hall also turns in a strong performance as he has to play himself again but also gets to play the tough, animal-like character. The scene where Hall is in a trance predicting the future has some terrific jokes and especially the one aimed at the man who will become rich at the age of 21. Leo Gorcey and Gabriel Dell are on hand as well and get a few good moments. Bernard Gorcey also gets some funny moments as Louie. The film runs a brief 64-minutes and there's no doubt that it borrows somewhat heavily from other films but that really doesn't take away from the charm and it especially doesn't kill any of the laughs. Not every joke works but the majority of them do and that's what makes this one of the best of the series. Strange and Hall really should have taken this act into other movies.

This is definitely one of the better entries in the Bowery Boys movies, full of clever plot devices which seem to be borrowed heavily from other even scarier Abbot and Costello movies like A & C MEET FRANKENSTEIN. In this one, Huntz Hall and Glenn Strange are forced to switch brains (and personalities) by mad doctor Alan Napier.

The result is some really hilarious acting from Hall and Strange. Glenn has much more to do than he usually did in those Universal horror films he often appeared in. When he apes the mannerisms of Huntz Hall (with Hall's high pitched voice and giggle), he's hilarious.

The other Bowery Boys go through their usual paces, but it's a fun film from start to finish with Glenn Strange really given a chance to show what a good character actor he was.

If you're a fan of the Boys, this is of their best.

Sach goes into a trance and starts predicting the future. Slip uses him as a fortune teller in a carnival sideshow. Mad scientist Dr. Druzik kidnaps Sach for his monstrous experiment, Atlas.

This is The Bowery Boys, Freaky Friday style. The first half is fun but then it goes body swapping. Atlas in Sach body doesn't really work because it's not Sach. The mannerisms are all corrupted. Then they keep switching the minds back and forth. Sach should stay a monster until they switch bodies again. Sach acting like a monster does hold more potential for comedy. Here's how to make it even better. Have both Sach and Slip get kidnapped. Slip is the one getting body swapped and Sach helps him escape. Sach would be walking around with a monster Slip and maybe Sach could befriend the wild beast. That would be the best comedy.

The sixteenth Bowery Boys movie from Monogram is arguably the best in the series. It's certainly my personal favorite. The plot has Sach getting psychic powers from a toothache (?), which leads to him being kidnapped by a mad scientist who wants his brain to put in a monster named Atlas. Alan Napier is good as the mad scientist. Glenn Strange is fun as the hirsute monster, hidden behind some pretty impressive makeup by the great Jack Pierce. Creepy Skelton Knaggs is also in this as Napier's assistant. The mad scientist plot and the work of Pierce and Strange is probably a large part of why I like this so much, given that I'm a huge fan of Universal's classic horror films. But this one is also pretty funny with some good malapropisms from Leo Gorcey and nice rubberfacing by Huntz Hall. Bernard Gorcey is lots of fun as Louie the Sweet Shop owner. The rest of the gang includes William Benedict, Gabriel Dell, the easy-to-forget-he's-there David Gorcey, and Bennie Bartlett, who would take a break from the series for a couple of years after this. The highlight of the film is when the scientist mind swaps Sach and Atlas, giving Hall a chance to act like a movie monster and Strange the chance to act like a goofball, which I'm sure was fun for him.