Smugglers' Cove

Smugglers' Cove (1948)

** (out of 4)

Terrance Mahoney (Leo Gorcey) is left a large mansion on a cliff overlooking the sea. Slip and the boys head out there to take a look not knowing that he's the wrong Terrance Mahoney and that there are some smuggler's working in the house. Number eleven in the series isn't at the bottom but it's no where near the top either. This is the first entry in the series that pretty much left me cold as there wasn't a single laugh to be found anywhere. That might make you think that the movie is a complete waste since this is a comedy after all but in fact I think the more dramatic moments work the best. The actual mystery of what's going on in the basement made for a good drama and director Beaudine actually handles it quite well. I thought he did a very good job at building up the mystery and making the drama work. So, why doesn't the film work better? Because the comedy is so poorly written that it really takes away from the drama. Sach (Huntz Hall) is so out of place here you can't help but wish they'd left him out like they did Louie. The comedy bits from the other players including Gorcey isn't anything special either and in the end we're left with a rather bland attempt at humor. What mild humor does work comes from Gabriel Dell who is once again playing the same character but with a different job. This time out he's playing a rather nerd-ish character who is constantly getting into trouble. I thought the actor did a good job with the role and helped keep the film moving at a decent pace.

Maybe the greatest Bowery Boy pic ever, right up there with Ghost Chasers & Spook Busters. Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Billy Benedict & Gabriel Dell join in the hijinks when Slip (Leo) mistakingly believes he inherits a mansion on the Sea Coast in Bayshore Long Island. Although he isn't the true owner of the house the Bowery Boys end up taking over the house & make it their own, only to discover that Diamond Smugglers are using the Mansion as their drop off point.

Well enough on the plot, the best parts of this movie are the Boys destroying the English language at every turn & battling the bad guys into submission. The caretaker, played by the GREAT EDDIE GRIBBON, has a great name that Satch (Huntz) messes up, his name is DIGGER, but Satch calls him SHOVELER... Satch & Whitey (Billy Benedict) have some great performance as Satch says...Whitey, Whitey, Whitey..., see this film, it's GREAT!

You know there has to be a mistake when Leo Gorcey inherits a spooky Long Island mansion. Spooky mansions only mean one thing in movies, that there is villainy afoot. Otherwise why would you have trap doors, hidden rooms and the like built into your home.

The place is actually owned by another Terrence Aloysius Mahoney if you think the world is ready for another one. This one is played by Paul Harvey who has a command of the English language, but is a rather tired and put upon individual who also visits his Long Island home where caretaker Eddie Gribbon has allowed a group of smugglers headed by Martin Kosleck to operate.

Harvey and the Bowery Boys come separately on the same night, Harvey to visit his house and Gorcey and the gang to claim it. After that it's the usual group of gags that occur in every haunted house picture.

Smuggler's Cove is a pretty good Bowery Boys film, but I personally prefer Hold That Ghost where Abbott&Costello did so much more with the haunted house genre.

In this usual Bowery Boys entry, jokes are mixed with drama and creepy trappings when Leo Gorcey (as Terrence Mahoney) thinks he's been left a large mansion located in Bay Shore, Long Island. What he doesn't know is he's the wrong Mahoney -- the real intended heir is an elder well-to-do type, one "Terrence Mahoney, Esq." All the same, Gorcey, Sach (Huntz Hall) and the rest of the boys head out to the eerie house which happens to be the headquarters of a gang of smugglers. B-movie bad man Martin Kosleck is the leader of the group, and it's always a pleasure to have him, but he doesn't add much to the proceedings this time around. As a side note, this film also features Amelita Ward (seen in 1945's THE JUNGLE CAPTIVE), who went on to become Mrs. Leo Gorcey, and the mother of his son, Leo Jr. **1/2 out of ****

This is one of my favorite Bowery Boys comedies, minus Bobby Jordan. Slip (Terrence Mahoney)played by the great LEO GORCEY, "thinks" he inherits a mansion, but he's mistaken, because the letter is addressed to "Terrence Mahoney, Esq.", and Slip just happens to be cleaning this other Mahoney's office when the letter arrives, great pretense aay?

Well then the hijinks begins as Slip, Satch (Huntz Hall), Whitey (Billy Benedict) & the rest of the boys go to the mansion & discover that there's a diamond smuggling racket going on right in the house. One great scene is when the bad guys have our heroes locked up in a room, Satch loses it and begins to jabber "Oooh Whitey, Whitey, Whitey..." but Whitey just keeps on pacing the floor and doesn't notice Satch's frustration.

Well, the real Terrence Mahoney shows up just in the nick of time as does Gabriel Dell, another original Dead End Kid, and the boys get saved & Slip gets the house. If you get a chance to, see this movie, it'll make you laugh.