To solve the death of a friend, the boys go to gambling school, then go undercover as croupiers in an illegal gambling house.To solve the death of a friend, the boys go to gambling school, then go undercover as croupiers in an illegal gambling house.To solve the death of a friend, the boys go to gambling school, then go undercover as croupiers in an illegal gambling house.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
William 'Billy' Benedict
- Whitey
- (as William Benedict)
Joe Turkel
- Johnny Angelo
- (as Joseph Turkel)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Slip (Leo Gorcey) and Sach (Huntz Hall) are working as runners in a New York brokerage firm owned by David J. Thurston. His daughter Carol Thurston is dating TV producer Gabe Moreno. Out of nowhere, Gabe announces David's apparent suicide, but Slip does not buy it. Slip and Sach start investigating and come upon a crooked gambling club.
This is a The Bowery Boys flick. I'm a little lost especially with the dice game. I think I know the rules, but I'm not that clear about the gambling while in the movie. Sach is funny in his stupidity until everybody takes a backseat to Louie in the second half.
This is a The Bowery Boys flick. I'm a little lost especially with the dice game. I think I know the rules, but I'm not that clear about the gambling while in the movie. Sach is funny in his stupidity until everybody takes a backseat to Louie in the second half.
"It's one of his idiot syncracies".
Another run-of-the-mill entry as the kids (and with their receding hairlines I use that term every so loosely!) learn to be expert croupiers in order to uncover some shady goings on at a high class gambling club.
LUCKY LOSERS is an uneven mixture of comedy and some occasional dramatic turns (as are a good many of these 'comedies'), but ultimately emerges as average Bowery Boys fare.
One impressive sequence involves a montage of the boys' training in the art of card tricks and slight of hand (not performed by the actors themselves, obviously).
Another run-of-the-mill entry as the kids (and with their receding hairlines I use that term every so loosely!) learn to be expert croupiers in order to uncover some shady goings on at a high class gambling club.
LUCKY LOSERS is an uneven mixture of comedy and some occasional dramatic turns (as are a good many of these 'comedies'), but ultimately emerges as average Bowery Boys fare.
One impressive sequence involves a montage of the boys' training in the art of card tricks and slight of hand (not performed by the actors themselves, obviously).
Lucky Losers has our set of overage delinquents from the Bowery investigating some illegal gambling after a prominent Wall Street broker commits 'suicide'. Selmar Jackson had gotten Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall jobs on Wall Street and the boys take his demise quite personal.
Their investigation leads them to a gambling club, illegal of course, that's operated by Lyle Talbot and his mostly fetching moll Hillary Brooke. In order to crash that world they get a course in how to be a crooked gambler and what to watch out for by small time grifter Harry Tyler. The scenes with Tyler are the best in the film.
This is a pretty good entry in The Bowery Boys series, a must for fans of the eternal delinquents.
Their investigation leads them to a gambling club, illegal of course, that's operated by Lyle Talbot and his mostly fetching moll Hillary Brooke. In order to crash that world they get a course in how to be a crooked gambler and what to watch out for by small time grifter Harry Tyler. The scenes with Tyler are the best in the film.
This is a pretty good entry in The Bowery Boys series, a must for fans of the eternal delinquents.
While it might be hard to imagine since they're both morons, the film begins with Slip and Sach working great jobs as runners at a brokerage firm. Life is good and the pair are on top of the world....that is, until their boss is found dead and it's ruled a suicide. But Slip knows that Mr. Thurston was NOT the type to kill himself and the death must have been murder. His only clue is somet dice he finds from the Tip Top Club--a gambling joint. So, he and the gang find an expert to teach them about gambling, as they plan on infiltrating the club and finding anything they can on Thurston's death.
The plot for this Bowery Boys installment is interesting as, if you think about it, is pretty much a film noir plot! Of course it lacks the style and cinematography of such a film....but it IS unusual for them to have a plot like this.
So is it any good? Well, if you like the Bowery Boys, it's pretty much what you'd expect--with fast-talking dope Slip and even dopier Sach--though Slip seems less stupid than usual. As for the rest of the gang, as usual, they're pretty much absent during most of the picture.
So is it any good? Yes...surprisingly so. My only quibble is that that portion of the film where Slip finds an incriminating letter....it just doesn't make any sense why the gamblers would keep such a letter. You'd think they'd destroy it! Otherwise, pretty good stuff...and with a tougher than usual plot...though the final scene is just terrible.
The plot for this Bowery Boys installment is interesting as, if you think about it, is pretty much a film noir plot! Of course it lacks the style and cinematography of such a film....but it IS unusual for them to have a plot like this.
So is it any good? Well, if you like the Bowery Boys, it's pretty much what you'd expect--with fast-talking dope Slip and even dopier Sach--though Slip seems less stupid than usual. As for the rest of the gang, as usual, they're pretty much absent during most of the picture.
So is it any good? Yes...surprisingly so. My only quibble is that that portion of the film where Slip finds an incriminating letter....it just doesn't make any sense why the gamblers would keep such a letter. You'd think they'd destroy it! Otherwise, pretty good stuff...and with a tougher than usual plot...though the final scene is just terrible.
The gambling blood in me really appreciated the gambling scenes in this movie, as Harry Tyler, a gambling expert, teaches the boys the art of cheating in cards and dice. We are treated to some fancy legerdemain actually done by producer Jan Grippo in a hand cameo - what a checkered life he must have led! All five boys (Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, David Gorcey, William Benedict and Buddy Gorman) go undercover as workers in a gambling casino to try to unravel the details of Selmer Jackson's apparent suicide. It's all a lot of fun. I enjoyed the scene where Benedict purposely deals two losing unbilled dowagers blackjacks after urging them to bet the rest of their money. (The writers must have seen Casablanca.)
Our forgetful writers department: Selmer Jackson's character name is apparently "David J. Thurston," since it is engraved in the stone facing of his building. But when he signs a letter, it is "David J. Thurstinn."
Our forgetful writers department: Selmer Jackson's character name is apparently "David J. Thurston," since it is engraved in the stone facing of his building. But when he signs a letter, it is "David J. Thurstinn."
Did you know
- TriviaThe console television in McDermott's office is a 1950 Admiral model 39X36 with a 16 inch black and white screen. The right side of the cabinet houses a radio and turntable. Retail price was $499.99, which is the equivalent to a bit over $6,125 in 2022.
- GoofsAfter Stone's death, all the spinning newspaper banners are printed with "Vol. XLIX, No. 1," even though days pass after the death and investigation. The number would have incremented each day.
- Quotes
Slip Mahoney: I'm gonna powder my nose.
Sach Jones: Yeah, but your nose ain't shiny.
Slip Mahoney: Your head'll be shiny if you don't shut up!
- ConnectionsFollowed by Triple Trouble (1950)
Details
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- High Stakes
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 10 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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