Spy Chasers

The Bowery Boys are in fine form in "Spy Chasers". There are quite a few laughs in this movie. The story is good as is the supporting cast. This is one of the Bowery Boys movies that I will always stop and watch when I see it on.

Beautiful brown-eyed Lisa Davis (as Princess Ann) follows Huntz Hall (as as Horace Debussy "Sach" Jones) into the "Sweet Shop" and asks to see proprietor Bernard Gorcey (as Louie Dumbrowsky). Ms. Davis reveals she is a blue-blood from Louie's home country, the "Kingdom of Truania". We learn Louie has a brother named "Felix" who is a loyal subject (unfortunately, this Dumbrowsky does not appear). Davis' father, a heavily German-accented Sig Ruman (as King Rako), has been deposed.

Naturally, "The Bowery Boys" are enlisted to help restore King Ruman to his throne. Leo Gorcey (as Terence Aloysius "Slip" Mahoney) begins drilling Mr. Hall, David "Condon" Gorcey (as Chuck) and Benny "Bennie" Bartlett (as Butch) in military maneuvers. The "Spy Chasers" must guard half a coin from Truania, and defeat revolutionaries led by Leon Askin (as Alex Baxis) and his busty moll Veola Vonn (as Zelda). Her underwear, and a diner scene with Hall and Gorcey, are highlights.

**** Spy Chasers (7/31/55) Edward Bernds ~ Huntz Hall, Leo Gorcey, Bernard Gorcey, Veola Vonn

Princess Ann visits Louie Dumbrowsky (Bernard Gorcey). Louie's brother is a military leader working to return her family back to the throne. Slip (Leo Gorcey), Sach (Huntz Hall), Butch, and Chuck join Louie at a meeting with the King who wants to make Louie's shop a communication center.

It's a Bowery Boys screwball comedy. It's got their usual stupidity. It is nice to have a spunky little girl deliver some fresh energy. She plays well with the boys. She's smarter and more capable than them. It's too bad that she only has a couple of scenes. She steals the scenes right out from under the boys.

The biggest disappointment to me in Spy Chasers was that Bernard Gorcey had an opportunity to play a dual role and it was passed up. I would like to have seen him as his own brother as the plot called for.

But we never see General Dumbrowsky in this Bowery Boys film. But the princess of the eastern European country that Louie Dumbrowsky hails from comes to the fabled eatery on the Bowery and asks for help because some spies are trailing her and she wants the tail removed. Of course Bernard Gorcey and the Bowery Boys comply with her wishes.

Princess Lisa Davis further wishes that the Boys help out her father regain his throne. Louie's brother across the sea is a general in the underground army and the delivery of half a coin, matched with the one she and her father the king played by Sig Ruman has will signify that the king should return to claim his throne.

But he's got a pair of fifth columnists in his own entourage in the persons of Leon Askin and Veola Vonn working real hard to see this doesn't happen. Vonn works her wondrous charms on Huntz Hall and he does some things to sabotage their efforts.

As this is a fictional Eastern European country, we can assume that the people who threw the king out were Communists. In 1955 there were still several monarchs and heirs to the crowns of eastern European countries in exile who probably might have been heartened to see one of them start a successful counterrevolution. But they might have been surprised at the source of the help that Sig Ruman got.

All in all your average Bowery Boy comedy.

Much later chapter for the Bowery Boys stories.. Leo Gorcey dropped out pretty soon after this, and they were ALL done in 1958. This one DOES have Gorcey's real dad and brother, and of course, Sig Ruman, who had a steady paycheck from the Marx Brothers' films. and watch for Leon Askin, who was General Burkhalter on Hogan's Heroes. when a princess runs into the shop to hide out from evil-doers, the BB band together to help out the royal family. But not everyone on the royal entourage is loyal to the royal! as usual, the boys stumble over themselves and there's the usual mix of physical and verbal mumbling about. and this one has an annoying little girl that shrieks. the usual antics, misunderstandings, goof-ups but thing usually work out by accident in a Bowery Boys film. Directed by the usual BB director, Edward Bernds. Its okay. shown occasionally on Turner Classics.!