User reviews

Diner owner Mike Clancy is told by his doctor to get some rest as the Bowery Boys cause general mayhem. Sach (Huntz Hall) tries to help but you know how that goes. A real estate agent and his assistant overhear their conversation and offer a country home for sale. The boys take Mike up to the place but it's a wreck. They try to fix up the place and end up finding hidden loot. The place was formerly owned by a gangster's widow and other gangsters come looking for their money. That's before the ghosts.

It's more of the same from Sach and the Bowery Boys. It's rather late in the franchise and I would think the audience of its time must be getting tired of it all. Aside from some new personnel, this is very much the same old stuff. It's not necessarily good but it's not actually a bad thing. You get what you expect.

Spook Chasers (1957)

** (out of 4)

The Bowery Boys must battle crooks when a real estate agent sells their friend Mike (Percy Helton) a rundown piece of land. The group end up finding money there, which draws the attention of a couple gangsters who plan on making the boys think the house is haunted so that they'll leave. Number forty-five in the series is a step-down compared to the previous film and you can't help but feel the screenwriters have gone to the well one time too many. The horror-comedy bit was something that the Bowery Boys hit upon countless times and dealing with gangsters was another plot point that they did countless times. There are a few nice jokes here, a great supporting cast but in the end there's just not enough laughs to make the film work. There are a couple good sequences and the ending is one of them as the pacing finally picks up as the boys are running from room to room trying to get away from the "ghosts" that are chasing them. There's a funny sequence early on where Sach has to wait on a table and the incident with the coffee was quite funny. Another good joke is when the group first finds the money. Sadly the screenplay doesn't offer much else as the characters just go through the motions and in the end it really doesn't add up to much. There are countless scenes where Sach proves what an idiot he is but this time it comes off rather annoying because he's just too stupid for his own good. Check out the sequence where he tries to fix a faulty drip and ends up ripping up the entire kitchen. Another example of seeing the same thing too much happens when the girl seduces him into giving out yet more information. This is something you could possible use over and over but I wish they would have at least changed it up a bit. As with the previous film, Huntz Hall and Stanley Clements actually do a nice job together as their chemistry is certainly starting to click. David Gorcey, Jimmy Murphy and Eddie LeRoy actually get more to do here and I thought Darlene Fields did a fine job as the sexy seducer. Helton clearly steals the show as the weak-hearted shop owner whose restaurant appears to be the same set that Louie's Sweetshop was at originally. Robert Shayne has a very funny cameo at the end.

Now hanging out at "Clancy's Cafe" in New York City, "The Bowery Boys" are concerned about fatherly proprietor Percy Helton (as Mike Clancy), who has been ordered to get some rest and relaxation. Coincidently, crooked real estate agent Bill Henry (as Harry Shelby) and his busty companion Darlene Fields (as Dolly Owens) arrive to sell Mr. Helton a farmhouse in the country. Insuring that a lack of rest is in the offing, Helton takes "The Bowery Boys" with him to "Cedarcrest", which turns out to be falling apart, connected to gangsters, and possibly haunted!

With two decades behind them, and only three movies to go, "Spook Chasers" was the last time around for what was possibly the group's second most recycled storyline (give or take a few). Despite its frequency, this plot was never one of the Bowery's best.

"The Bowery Boys" herein are: Huntz Hall (as Horace Debussy "Sach" Jones), Stanley Clements (as Stanislaus "Duke" Coveleskie), David Gorcey (as Chuck), Jimmy Murphy (as Myron), and Eddie LeRoy (as Blinky). Although his assignment did not last, Mr. Helton was a better replacement for Bernard Gorcey's "Louie" than Mr. Clements was for Leo Gorcey. Also note, with his brother and father gone, David Gorcey no longer uses his "Condon" surname. And, this was the first appearance for bespectacled Mr. LeRoy, who would stay for the remaining films.

*** Spook Chasers (6/2/57) George Blair ~ Huntz Hall, Stanley Clements, Percy Helton, Darlene Fields

This particular post Gorcey Bowery Boys film is distinguished by having Stanley Clements adopt Leo Gorcey's gift for the malaprop without the same humor. It also is an attempt to use character actor Percy Helton as the proprietor of a Bowery diner as a substitute for Bernard Gorcey. Spook Chasers is just a pale imitation of the series at its height.

A couple of sharp real estate agents unload a lemon of a house on poor Helton who has been prescribed a nice country rest. But the joke gets turned on them when it turns out a whole lot of stolen loot from a former gang boss is found by the Bowery Boys and Helton. Now gangster Peter Mamakos is after it as well as the agents William Henry and Darlene Fields.

Some good bits are in this especially when Fields decides to vamp poor Sach and gets him drunk in the process. Also Sach manages to wreck and mix up all the house utilities in a bit lifted from Abbott&Costello.

The title Spook Chasers comes from the gangsters efforts to frighten the boys away with ghosts as a last gambit. Still it was all done before in this series and elsewhere.

The bowery boys, minus the owner of the franchise, leo gorcey, and his dad bernard. Bernard had died in an odd car accident in 1955, and leo made his last bowery film in 1956, crashing las vegas. In spook chasers, when mike and the guys buy a ramshackle house, they think it's a big money pit. But when the previous owners decide they want the house back, things begin to go wrong. And why do they really want it back? The usual wacky bowery boys shenanigans, but without the word play and slip's leadership, it's definitely a weaker story. They only made a couple more after this. Directed by george blair. He had directed a bunch of superman works. The bowery boys had also made "spook busters in 1946.

I wanted to love this movie, like all the other Bowry Boys featuring Leo Gorcy, but the spark is simply not there. The storyline was good as well as the script itself, the direction was good, and the rest of the cast were good but without Gorcy it just did not have the timing or spark that Gorcy would inject. Not to say that Huntley didn't do a good job, but its almost like he tried too hard to not be a Gorcy standin all the while essentially being a better-looking and younger Gorcy wannabe. The entire time I kept thinking what a treat this could have been if only....oh well, see what you think....

I really enjoyed this Bowery Boys caper "Spook Chasers". In it, Sach (Huntz Hall), Duke (Stanley Clements) and the rest of the boys accompany sweet shop owner Mike Calncy (Percey Hilton) to his newly acquired country home "Cedarcrest". Upon arriving, they discover that the dwelling is nothing more than a ramshackled old farmhouse. Furthermore, it's haunted! Or is it? Gangsters start to figure prominently in the proceedings (sort of like in Abbott and Costello's "Hold That Ghost"). I must say that Stanley Clements was likable as Leo Gorcey's replacement in the series. He had appeared in one of the early East Side Kids movies "Ghosts on the Loose" (1943) and then stayed away from the gang until 1957 (when Leo Gorcey left the series). Gorcey's brother, David, is here as Chuck. He had been one of "the boys" since the East Side Kids series (featuring Leo Gorcey) had commenced at Monogram in 1940. It's too bad that the film "Spook Chasers" is rarely seen. It would be nice to see these later Bowery Boys films, which were made by Allied Artists, get released on DVD.

The Bowery Boys get mixed up with gangsters in an old dark house in this tired entry, the forty-fifth in the series. Humpbacked Percy Shelton plays the cafe owner Mike, yet another attempt to replace the irreplaceable Bernard Gorcey. I like him in many other roles but he's not quite the right fit for the exasperated old gentleman that has to put up with the boys' hijinks. Huntz Hall does OK but he continues to be 'off' without Leo Gorcey. He just doesn't have the same chemistry with boring Stanley Clements and he seems to be trying too hard with the constant mugging for the camera. David Gorcey and Jimmy Murphy are their usual forgettable selves. Eddie LeRoy also joins the gang as Blinky. He makes no impression. Darlene Fields plays the obligatory eye candy. It's a comedy but it's not very much fun. The haunted house gags are worn-out and, at this point, Sach making stupid faces just isn't cutting it anymore.

Hanging out in Mike Clancy's (Percy Helton) diner, the Bowery Boys are engaged in their usual loafing sessions; Sach (Huntz Hall) works on a puzzle book; Duke (Stanley Clements) chows down on Clancy's Iris stew special, and Myron (Jimmy Murphy), Chuck (David Gorcey) and Blinky (Eddie LeRoy)are looking at the pictures in the eatery's library of comic books.

Two diner, real-estate agent Harry Shelby (Bill Henry)and his assistant, Dolly Owens (Darlene Fields), hear that Mike has been ordered by his doctor to take a long rest in the country. They sell him "Cedar Crest," -a paradise in the mountains---which actually had been a robber's hideout. Mike and the Bowery Boys move to the place and find a dilapidated farmhouse. While doing repairs, they find a secret compartment containing new banknotes. Thinking they have found a recluse's treasure, they pay off the mortgage on Cedar Crest.

This draws the attention of three hoodlums, Snap (Peter Mamakos), Ziggie (Ben Welden) and Ernie (Robert Christopher), who order Shelby to buy back the place. Sach, Duke and Mike refuse the offer, even when told the place is haunted. Meanwhile Dolly has vamped Sach---an easy task---into revealing how they got the money to pay off the mortgage, and she and Shelby devise a plan of their own of obtaining the house with many greenbacks in deposit.

A few nights later, the six residents find themselves harassed by a pair of phantom-like goons, and attacked by three loot-hungry gangsters.

Following the death of Bernard Gorcey ('Louie') in a traffic accident, his son, Leo ('Slip'), decided he'd had enough and retired from The Bowery Boys. After all, he'd completed 40 films in the series as well as those made with previous incarnations (such as the East Side Kids). However, instead of just allowing the series to die, the studio was apparently greedy and decided to make seven more pictures! However, the chemistry isn't there and the film highlight Huntz Hall alone....with Stanley Clements ('Duke') playing a Slip- like character and Percy Helton ('Mike') playing what was essentially Louie's part. Because this is a late Bowery Boys film, it's one of these third-rate imitations of a second-rate series.

When the film begins, Mike is told by his doctor to retire as his job at the cafe is killing him. However, he unwisely buys a place sight unseen and it turns out to be a termite-trap! He's furious...until they discover a hidden treasure in this craptastic home. However, Mike and the gang are idiots...and the fact that they AREN'T angry about being swindled makes the crooks suspicious. Plus, the Boss says he wants that property back...as some loot is hidden there! So, as we've already seen in MANY Bowery Boys films, it becomes a haunted house flick with baddies trying, yet again, to scare the boys away from the place. Talk about unoriginal!

The chemistry just isn't right---and I would say that about ALL the later Bowery Boys films. While I am not a huge Leo and Bernard Gorcey fan, they were what everyone associates with the films...not just Huntz Hall and his idiot act. B-movie series like this and the Ma and Pa Kettle films being continued AFTER losing one of the leads is, perhaps, a way to squeeze a few dimes off a moribund series...but it seriously short-changes the audience. Not worth your time.

If you're a fan of The Bowery Boys' particular brand of madcap humour, then you'll probably enjoy this one despite the fact that it a) closely follows the format of several of their other films, and b) it doesn't feature chief Bowery Boy Leo Gorcey (although that's not a big loss in my opinion). On the other hand, if like me you find their knockabout antics hugely irritating, then Spook Chasers isn't going to change your opinion about the 'boys': it's got the same lame jokes as before (Stanley Clements taking over Leo Gorcey's malapropisms), the same dumb slapstick, the same corny villains, and Huntz Hall doing his same old gormless moron routine. I hated every stupid minute of it.

The stale plot sees cafe owner Mike Clancy (Percy Helton) being conned by realtors Harry Shelby (William Henry) and Dolly Owens (Darlene Fields) into buying dilapidated property Cedarcrest, previously a robber's hideout. Together with Horace Debussy 'Sach' Jones and his pals, Mike drives to the old dump and starts to fix the place up. Hilarity ensues as Sach gets the plumbing and electrics mixed up and short-sighted Blinky (Eddie LeRoy) accidentally dips his paintbrush in someone else's mug of coffee (yes folks, that's comedy gold right there!). Eventually, Sach does a pratfall, lands on a tea trolley and crashes into a wall, causing a painting to fall and reveal a stash of cash.

Meanwhile, Shelby is approached by gangster Snap Sizzolo (Peter Mamakos), who wants to buy Cedarcrest, knowing that there is a fortune somewhere in the house. Clancy won't sell, so Shelby and Owens decide to try and scare him and the boys into leaving, dressing up as ghosts. More hilarity ensues as the Bowery Boys are tricked into thinking the place is haunted, the shysters using a variety of hidden passageways, revolving bookcases and disappearing beds to achieve the effect (it's amazing what hidden features you can find in a criminal's hideout). Eventually, Snap and his men also turn up to use brute force, but are foiled by the boys and the timely arrival of the police.

I found the whole thing childish, predictable, and wearisome, and can honestly say that I didn't crack a smile the whole way through.

2.5/10, rounded up to 3 for the lovely Darlene Fields, who helped make things a little less painful.

Although Leo Gorcey left the series a year earlier, SPOOK CHASERS is still a funny episode. Huntz Hall is Huntz Hall, and goofier than ever, paired with Stanley Clements (who went back to the early days of the EAST SIDE KIDS in the 1940s.) Clements is not Gorcey, but he's ok with a few malaprops, and in a way more of a straight man, much like Abbott was to Costello. At least he's smart enough to let Sach get clobbered by the ghosts.

The old cobwebbed haunted house setting has its moments, similar to the THREE STOOGES, especially with Sach acting like Shemp and fixing the plumbing? An added treat is veteran actor Percy Helton, playing Mike, the exasperated owner of the sweet shop, who buys the broken down house way out in the country. He has some goofy scenes here, as can be expected. However, no one could replace Louie, played so memorably by Gorcey's real life dad.

Look for an old Stooges gag when Duke accidentally drinks a cup of varnish, thinking it's coffee. The bed sliding into the wall bit was lifted from HOLD THAT GHOST, starring Abbott and Costello, who borrowed it from Mack Sennett's silent comedies. Another wild bit -- Sach attempting to paint the cuckoo bird popping in and out of the cuckoo clock. Perfect stuff for Huntz Hall.

Look for Robert Shayne (from SUPERMAN) playing a cop. Who else? Darlene Fields (Dolly) was also a tv regular, appearing in several Warner Brothers/ABC shows at this time. Also some great still shots from this movie still available, the best with Duke driving the old Bowery Boys jalopy and Sach in the back seat with two ghosts!

The ending is cool enough when a REAL ghost finally does appear and walks through a wall. Only debit, the ghost should have come sooner!

See for the memories, especially all us big kids who grew up on this insane series. WARNER BROTHERS remastered dvd box set. Usually 6 to 8 episodes are in each box, and with some beautiful cover artwork.

Thanks much to TCM for running the Bowery Boys Saturday mornings, like the old days.