The BOWERY BOYS were a reworking of the EAST SIDE KIDS, which ran for five years (1940-45), produced also by Monogram Pictures. The East Side Kids were more comedy/dramas; tough kids in a mess, usually a murder, fashioned after the original DEAD END KIDS, although by the final few episodes were leaning more to comedy.
Comes a super idea!
This was actually the creation of Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall who wanted to expand the series, but with more ad-libbing and throw in their brand of outrageous schtick. At times, if you watch closely, they borrowed bits and pieces from the Three Stooges. In fact, Edward Bernds, who wrote for the Stooges, directed later episodes. It was a gamble that paid off as the series has been in reruns for decades on tv and has a following.
The early Bowery Boys series had more gangster ties, LIVE WIRES the perfect example, which is well written, all about process servers who get beat up a lot. That's why unemployed Slip gets the job in the first place! It's also a neat time capsule of the 40s with the styles and jive all thrown in for good measure. Giant Mike Mazurki makes a special appearance as Slip and Sach try to get the goods on some big shots the HARD way.
Mike had played college football and was at one time a pro wrestler, appearing before this episode in MURDER MY SWEET, as a hulking thug, which became his signature role.
In tv reruns, BOWERY BOMSHELL is sometimes re-run as the first episode, which opens with the gang just hanging around Louie's sweetshop. There is no real "hang out" place for the guys in LIVE WIRES, except for Slip getting yelled at by his sister in their apartment. After this episode, Slip's sister would be faded out, though we would occasionally meet his mom.
Lots of gag scenes at work here, such as Slip dancing around a nightclub singer (played by Claudia Drake) and presenting her with court papers ---while she's on the air. Drake had previously played a singer in the iconic film, DETOUR, the previous year. Also the nightclub fight scene is outrageous with Gorcey acting as the the MC and throwing in some plugs for his boss' company. Listen to the dialogue throughout as its sharp, fast-paced and hilarious.
Bernard Gorcey, who was Leo's father and played Louie the sweetshop owner, is seen here as a man named Jack Kane at the soda fountain. The original gang consisted of Bobby Jordan, who just returned from WWII, also Billy Benedict (as Whitey), Gabe Dell, who would play a variety of different roles, and David Gorcey, Leo's younger brother, who would remain with the series right to the end in 1958.
Not to be missed and remastered by Warner Brothers in boxes of eight films each.
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