Spook Chasers

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.

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

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.

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.

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.