Spy Chasers

The thirty-eighth film in the Bowery Boys series is a lot of nonsense about the fictional European kingdom of Truania, a coin split in half, and Louie's brother that we never see -- a Truanian general named Felix. Pretty tired movie with some much-needed assistance from Sig Ruman and Leon Askin. Lisa Davis is the pretty princess who brings Louie and the Boys into the whole mess. As for the gang, Huntz Hall is once again trying too hard and Leo Gorcey seems to be phoning in his malapropisms and yelling at Hall. Bernard Gorcey plays a major part in this one but he doesn't have any particularly funny bits. David Gorcey and Bennie Bartlett are also here, barely ever speaking as usual. Best scenes involve the little girl who wants some candy ("Do you want to hear me scream?"). The series was past its prime by this point so you take your laughs where you can get them. The 'boys' all look like they're pushing forty and all seem content to go through the motions. It's nothing great but watchable if you're a fan of the series.

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.

This Bowery boys entry is one where the production code was slightly ignored as the "Mata Hari" character loses a dress and is not wearing a slip; she's wearing a teddy. The Old Production code prohibited showing the female form that revealingly, but that was a crazy idea. Leon Askin was here and playing a version of the middle European villain he always played; whether it was in Hogan's Heroes, What did you do in the War Daddy?, or One,Two, Three. The difference here was he was not facing Bob Crane or James Cagney; he lost to Huntz Hall. It is light hearted fare and should be taken as what it is, a B-movie and the equivalent cinematically of a hot dog.

Spy Chasers (1955)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Number thirty-eight is certainly a step up in the series has a King and Princess from a fake European country find themselves hiding in the Bowery after being kicked out of the country. It turns out Louie (Bernard Gorcey) is the brother of a rebel who is fighting to bring the King back but in the meantime Slip (Leo Gorcey) and Sach (Huntz Hall) must fight the bad guys who plan on double-crossing the King. Considering how fair to poor the previous few films were I really wasn't expecting too much out of SPY CHASERS but it actually turned out to be pretty good and in the end it delivered more laughs than many in the series. The plot is certainly a very stupid one with one big hole after another but then again it's doubtful anyone expected anything better. The film does a nice job with the humor as it comes in a variety of ways but the highlights are when the boys are making fun of Col. Alex Baxis (Leon Askin) who happens to be a bad guy. The stuff that happens when Slip and Sach first meet him is priceless and gets plenty of laughs. Another terrific sequence is a later scene when Slip and Sach come up with a plan to get the Princess back after she's been kidnapped. This includes going into a restaurant where the owner is played by Roger Corman regular Mel Welles. The insults start flying and contain some of the best jokes in the series and Sach's "act" is without question one of the funniest bits you'll see in any of the films. Both Gorcey and Hall seem re-energized as both of them are working at a very fast pace and both deliver what they do best. Gorcey has some very funny lines this time out and Hall plays dumb as well as he can. Daddy Gorcey also does a pretty good job in his role but it's a shame the screenplay didn't include a scene of his brother, the General in battle as it would have been great seeing this "brave" brother. Askin is fun as the bad guy as is Veola Davis in the role of the vixen who uses Sach to carry out her orders. SPY CHASERS certainly isn't a masterpiece but it's a decent enough of an entry and I'm sure fans of the series will have a good time with it.

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.