Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

A Disappointing Continuation

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

When Slip is drafted into the Marines, his buddies join him and make our country just a little less safe in this twenty-sixth Bowery Boys film from Monogram. As if the idea of putting the gang in the military wasn't enough (this was at least their third such movie by this point), a murder mystery is added onto things. Because nothing says Bowery Boys like sleuthing I guess. This is a pretty routine entry in the series and not a particularly funny one, either. Leo Gorcey has a few decent malapropisms ("I'm declined to agree with you" and "I'll depreciate your cooperation," for example) and Huntz Hall does his usual shtick. Bernard Gorcey's Louie doesn't get as much to do here but his few scenes are enjoyable. This marks the second and final appearance of Gil Stratton in the series. He maybe said three lines in both movies he was in so no great loss there. The other two members of the group, David Gorcey and Bennie Bartlett, do next to nothing. The series always focused primarily on Slip, Sach, and (later on) Louie but at least former Bowery Boys like Whitey and Gabe were given some stuff to do. I don't even remember the character names of these three. Anyway, this is not one of the better Bowery Boys movies. It's worth a look if you're a fan of the series but most viewers will probably be a little bored.

Sam Katzman never did worry about continuity for his Bowery Boys. Before Here Come The Marines the guys were in the army and navy both. But military service comedies are always good for laughs and the Bowery Boys were naturals for them.As the Marine Corps recruiting slogan goes, the Marines are looking for a few good men. So why would the Marines consider drafting the Bowery Boys? Don't those other armed forces talk to each other?The commandant of the base discovers that Huntz Hall's father was his sergeant in World War I and immediately makes Sach a sergeant. Like that sits well with Leo Gorcey given his natural leadership abilities. I don't think it takes much imagination to see where this is going.Guest performers include Paul Maxey who runs a gambling clip joint where Marines lose their hard earned pay and the beautiful Myrna Dell who is the come-on.No new ground for the series broken here.

***SPOILERS*** The "Bowery Boys" end up enlisting in the US Marine Corpes after their leader Slip is drafted, at age 35,into it since the US military, deadlocked in the Korean War, is hard up for new recruits. In no time at all Slip's nutty, but very lucky, friend Sach makes it big in the Corps by his battalion leader Col.Thomas F. Brown finding out that his pop Horace Debussy Jones Sr.,known as "Hard Head" Jones, was his hard as nails drill sergeant back in WWI; The toughest man in the entire US Marine Corpes.Put in charge of the unit that Slip and his "Bowery Boys", Junior Butch & Chuck, are members off Sach makes life miserable for them in forcing the boys on 20 mile force marches, with full pack, while Sach is marching along with them on his bicycle. It's during one of those force marches that Slip finds a barley alive US Marine, Pvt. Hardy, on the side of the road with a playing card on him.It's later while on a 12 hour leave, given by Sgt. Sach, the boys are enticed by sexy Lulu Mea to go to this illegal gambling house run by her boss Jolly Joe Johnson where, besides being cheated out of his money, Slip notices that the cards uses there are exactly like the card he found on the unconscious and now dead Pvt. Hardy!***SPOILERS*** Not one of the better "Bowery Boys" movies in that the "Boys" never really get to do their thing, slap stick shenanigans, in it. Still it's not all bad in Sach making a complete jerk, which isn't that hard for him, of himself to the point where his friends "The Bowery Boys" would like nothing better then stick a bayonet up his behind and end up using him as Popsicle. In fact the "Boys" in the end get their wish with Slip promoted to be their unit leader due to his dad Sgt. "Fighting Terry" Mahoney being Col. Brown's new replacement Col. James Flavin top kick, Sergeant, in WW I. It's now time for the busted down to private Sach to do the grueling force marching while Slip and the boys get a big laugh out of it.

Between Abbott & Costello and The Bowery Boys, it would be a toss up as to who created more havoc on the country's service branches. I don't think A&C ever made it to the Marines though, so Slip, Sach and the gang have a leg up on their comic rivals.Along with the military hi-jinks, the Bowery Boys once again encounter a shady gambling operation, just like they did in "Jinx Money" and "Lucky Losers". This time, an unlucky 'two of hearts' introduces the gang to Jolly Joe Johnson (Paul Maxey) and his moll Lulu Mae (Myrna Dell). They specialize in conning the local military boys out of their pay by virtue of a rigged roulette wheel and a dicey dice table. Once Slip (Leo Gorcey) gets all the facts 'crucified' in his mind, he'll be ready to expose the whole operation and turn it over to the Feds.Say, did you notice something unusual in the opening scene at Louie's Sweet Shop? Every other Bowery Boys flick I've seen had the entrance to the store on the left. This time characters made their way into Louie's from the right. Maybe even more amazing, once the boys got relegated to KP duty in the mess, that ladle Sach (Huntz Hall) took out of the soup pot, you know, the one that vaporized in all the hot sauce - it was bigger than the one he put in! Except for the hole in the bottom of course.Well except for Slip's malapropisms, I wouldn't have known that a sergeant is ranker than a corporal, delightfully proved by Sach as he manages to keep on getting promoted following every goofy mix-up that turns out in his favor. Gorcey also lets out with one of his cleverest phrases ever when near the end of the story, he wishes to avoid a case of the 'delirium Trumans'.