Here Come the Marines

In an earlier film, the Bowery Boys found themselves in the army. Well, now, once again, they are in the service...though by this point the films were less about a group of fellows but mostly about Sach (Huntz Hall) and Slip (Leo Gorcey). Considering they are not exactly kids any more (both were approaching mid-life) and how amazingly bone-headed the characters were, as you watch you are amazed that the US military would be THIS desperate for soldiers!

When the film begins, Slip is drafted. Soon, his friends volunteer and Slip spends much of the early part of the film trying to keep them out of trouble...but to no avail. However, it turns out that Sach is the son of 'Hardhead' Jones--a sergeant who was apparently quite the soldier. In fact, based JUST ON THIS, Sach (who's IQ approaches that of a grapefruit) is made a sergeant and he spends most of the film lording this over his friends and making their lives miserable. However, despite his being a total dope, he's also much like Curious George...and every mistake turned out to be mistakenly GOOD and he kept getting promoted! But, when a nearly dead marine is discovered, Slip shows some amazing deduction skills and fans of the series would be shocked to see that he's actually pretty competent in getting to the bottom of all this. As for Sach, well, he's still Sach...

This is a film that is far from the best material for the Bowery Boys plus the idea of a group of friends is all but gone. Instead of the usual friends, two completely forgettable guys are there but contribute nothing to the film. As a result, it's entertaining but really a film for the die-hard fans and the average viewer would be hard-pressed to see a reason to watch this one.

When Slip is drafted into the Marines, his buddies join him and make our country just a little less safe in this twenty-sixth Bowery Boys film from Monogram. As if the idea of putting the gang in the military wasn't enough (this was at least their third such movie by this point), a murder mystery is added onto things. Because nothing says Bowery Boys like sleuthing I guess. This is a pretty routine entry in the series and not a particularly funny one, either. Leo Gorcey has a few decent malapropisms ("I'm declined to agree with you" and "I'll depreciate your cooperation," for example) and Huntz Hall does his usual shtick. Bernard Gorcey's Louie doesn't get as much to do here but his few scenes are enjoyable. This marks the second and final appearance of Gil Stratton in the series. He maybe said three lines in both movies he was in so no great loss there. The other two members of the group, David Gorcey and Bennie Bartlett, do next to nothing. The series always focused primarily on Slip, Sach, and (later on) Louie but at least former Bowery Boys like Whitey and Gabe were given some stuff to do. I don't even remember the character names of these three. Anyway, this is not one of the better Bowery Boys movies. It's worth a look if you're a fan of the series but most viewers will probably be a little bored.

The army got bashed in "Bowery Battalion" and then the navy got it in "Let's Go Navy" now it's the Marines turn to taste the slapstick antics of the BBs.

This one opens with a salesman trying to unload a movie projector on Louie. He shows Louie and the boys stock footage of WWII combat action. The paratroopers shown jumping and landing is the actual film of the 503rd PRCT landing on Corregidor on February 16, 1945.

The Boys get drafted into the marine corps. Aturally, Sach gets into trouble by impersonating a doctor, and then a chef. But when Colonel Brown learns that Sach's dad was his sergeant from WWI, he promotes him to sergeant. Sach turns into the toughest marine since John Wayne in "Sands of Iwo Jima." While on a Sach ordered 20-mile hike with full packs, slip finds a badly beaten up marine, along with a unique playing card. The boys get a pass and are steered to an illegal gambling joint by gorgeous fur-draped Lulu Mae. Slip sees that the cards are the same as the one he found by the beaten marine. Can the BBs use this information to bring these crooks to justice?

Hanley Stafford plays Colonel Brown. He is best remembered for playing "Daddy" to Fanny Brice's "Baby Snooks" on the radio for many years.

Myrna Dell is Lulu Mae. She and fellow actress Marguerite Chapman are credited with having invented the autograph show. They started with just two chairs and a card table at a supermarket and it evolved into the big industry that it is today. Quite a legacy for those two lovely ladies.

"Here Come The Marines" is a very good entry in the Bowery Boys series. Worth watching.

Sam Katzman never did worry about continuity for his Bowery Boys. Before Here Come The Marines the guys were in the army and navy both. But military service comedies are always good for laughs and the Bowery Boys were naturals for them.

As the Marine Corps recruiting slogan goes, the Marines are looking for a few good men. So why would the Marines consider drafting the Bowery Boys? Don't those other armed forces talk to each other?

The commandant of the base discovers that Huntz Hall's father was his sergeant in World War I and immediately makes Sach a sergeant. Like that sits well with Leo Gorcey given his natural leadership abilities. I don't think it takes much imagination to see where this is going.

Guest performers include Paul Maxey who runs a gambling clip joint where Marines lose their hard earned pay and the beautiful Myrna Dell who is the come-on.

No new ground for the series broken here.

One thing for sure, THE BOWERY BOYS were put to good use by Uncle Sam! The gang always got caught up in the military, someway or another, and it made good sense the screw up the "by the book" orders, if not drive a sergeant or even a colonel nuts. Here the Bowery Boys go after a gambling ring that's stealing marines paychecks. A lot of fun, particularly between Huntz Hall and veteran actor Hanley Stafford (famous on radio; BABY SNOOKS and BLONDIE) who plays a colonel who thinks that Sach's father was a legendary marine, Hard Hat Jones! Sach becomes a sergeant and theres a running gag with Stafford getting into all kinds of trouble, including falling into a thinly disguised fox hole. Exasperated Slip exclaims, "If you could break a couple of the colonel's ribs, he'll make you a captain!" Rotund Paul Maxey makes a solid bad guy, the head of the gambling ring and there's also lovely Myrna Dell as LuLu Mae, out to get the gang in big trouble. Series writer Tim Ryan also has a part as the corrupt sheriff. Lots of familiar faces and and you can tell Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall are having fun, or at least throwin' out one liners! Gorcey has a good closing line. Box set dvd by Warner brothers.