Hold That Hypnotist

Although the Bowery Boys just doesn't gel in many ways without Leo Gorcey still it's nice to see Huntz Hall alone in the spotlight in these last remaining Bowery Boy films that Allied Artists did. In this one Sach is hypnotized by faker hypnotist Robert Foulk and he regresses back in his mind to when he was His Majesty's tax collector and none other than Blackbeard the Pirate gives Hall a treasure map in lieu of hard cash for his back taxes. Al Capone could certainly sympathize.

It wasn't Foulk though it was a pair of earrings that Foulk's gal pal come on Jane Nigh was wearing. The bit with the earrings was later used in the Road To Hong Kong to put Bob Hope under. So for Duke, Sach, and the rest it means get the earrings to get the treasure.

One thing this does prove is that Horace DeBussy Jones is the same in any incarnation.

Hold That Hypnotist (1957)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Sach (Huntz Hall) and Duke (Stanley Clements) try to protect Ms. Kelly from a crooked hypnotist so they set out to prove that he's a fake. When the hypnotist puts Sach under it turns out that the nutty fool at one time knew Blackbeard the Pirate and also knows where a hidden treasure is. The forty-fourth film in the Bowery Boys series is the third without Gorcey and I must admit that compared to the previous two horrid entries this one here comes off as a mini-masterpiece. A new writer and director were introduced to the series and they clearly made a much better movie than we've seen in quite a few films and this goes back to when Leo was with the series. I was a little skeptical when the movie first started because we got all sorts of silly slapstick that really didn't prove any major laughs but once the story is set in place I thought the pacing was very good and things really started to pick up. I think this film works for a number of reasons but one is that the screenplay doesn't get burdened down in familiar plots. Yes, it turns out that the hypnotist is a crook who tries to steal the treasure from the boys but thankfully this doesn't take over the entire plot. Instead of the plot being centered around this, the bad guy aspect doesn't turn up until the final ten-minutes and by doing this the screenplay can center on the boys and I think it does a very good job at keeping everything moving. There's a very funny sequence when Sach first goes under and then another one later when the boys are flirting with the doctor's sexy blonde. There's a flashback sequence where we see Sach's previous life with Blackbeard and while I didn't understand the "game" they were playing, the entire thing was funny and rather clever. Another plus this time out is that Hall and Clements have got a nice chemistry flow, which is yet something else that was missing in the previous two movies. I thought the two worked well off one another and they also mixed well with the other cast members. At just 61-minutes the movie really doesn't contain any dry moments and in the end it turned out to be one of the most entertaining entries in the series.

Leo gorcey had already left the bowery boys series after his dad passed away. But this one still has huntz hall, and leo's brother david. Without leo, the last couple chapters just didn't have the zing and wordplay gags that the earlier ones had. Here, sach discovers his landlord is getting hypnotized, and believes everything the hypnotist says. The usual misunderstandings and goof ups. Sach gets hypnotized, and stumbles into a plot to find a buried treasure. You'll recognize dick elliott, the desk clerk; he was also the mayor on andy griffith! That's probably the most notable thing in this one. No big deal. It's okay. It kind of just ambles along. The series was getting pretty tired by this time. Directed by austen jewell. A sixty one minute shortie.

This is the 44th of 48 Bowery Boys movies. And, being one of the later ones, Leo Gorcey isn't in the film and was replaced by Stanley Clements as leader of the gang.

When the story begins, Duke (Clements) is convinced that the landlady is being bilked by a local hypnotist. The hypnotist claims to be able to take people back to previous lives through his services and so it's not surprising Duke assumes the man is a crook. Soon, he and the gang arrive at the hypnotist's apartment, as he's having a party for the press...and they pretend to be from a local paper. Duke challenges the man to hypnotize and regress him...and nothing happens. But Sach is hypnotized and he recalls being a 17th century tax collector. This tax collector, according to this regression, bested Blackbeard while gambling and obtained his treasure map. Now, back in 1957, Duke insists that they research more about this tax collector so that they can, perhaps, find the treasure.

This is a most unusual installment because Sach is, uncharacteristically, not all that stupid. In fact, he seems pretty clever at times! As for the regression bit, it's not unusual as Sach had all sorts of strange things happen to him in the later films in the series....and this is no stranger than most! Overall, mildly enjoyable and mindless fun. Better than usual.

By the way, there really are hypnotists who claim they can regress people to previous lives or to in utero recollections. Their claims are unproven and are very dubious to say the least.

Even without Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall is pretty darn funny in this episode, which also boasts some fancy sets and wardrobe. The wardrobe folks went over the top here. Allied Artists obviously put a little more money into this original story, a take-off on the Bridey Murphy craze of the 50s.

Note, a woman named Virginia Tighe, under hypnosis by Dr. Morey Bernstein, claimed she lived a previous life as an Irish girl called Bridey Murphy, recalling actual historical events, which eventually brought authenticity to the bizarre story.

In this case (purely fictional!), the guys' landlady, Mrs. Kelly, claims she MAY have been Cleopatra, thanks to a hypnotist called Dr. Noble, played by Robert Foulk, a natural in this type of role. Sach and Duke believe the doc is a crook -- until Sach is hypnotized! It turns out he lived in the 17th century, working as a tax collector called Algy Winkle(?), who won a treasure map from Blackbeard the pirate.

Couple of insane thoughts here... Crooked Noble naturally wants to find the whereabouts of the map, HOWEVER, if he really had the capability of putting Sach under and revealing a past life, he would have become rich and famous anyway. In fact, everyone would be rich!

Well written fluff by Lou Morheim and Max Gerath, who went onto some notable movie and tv productions. They used the pen name Dan Pepper here. Guess Lou didn't want it known he wrote for the Bowery Boys. This was the directorial debut of Austen Jewell (who had a cool name), long time assistant director for the series. Austen claims Huntz Hall went to bat for him and got him the job, and was a super guy to work with, along with Stanley Clements. He later became production manager for classic movies like, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT. Super trivia question for movie buffs.

Fun support from pretty and perky character actress Jane Nigh (as Cleo) and big guy Mel Welles (a staple in Roger Corman's films), cast as the one and only Blackbeard. This would be Queenie Smith's last appearance as Mrs. Kelly, a well known acting teacher in Hollywood for many years. Dick Elliott has a small role, who would replace Queenie as Mike Clancy, the owner of the sweetshop (formerly Louie's).

Followed by SPOOK CHASERS. Remastered by Warner Brothers on dvd, generally with 6 to 8 films per box set. Thanks to TCM for faithfully running the entire series.