Wonderful character development!

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Fantastic!

A lot of fun.

WELL NOW, HERE'S yet another fine example of just how fine an example of the "B" Movie comedy series was the early BOWERY BOYS were. This one titles SMUGGLERS' COVE is perhaps yet a cut above the others.THIS ENTRY BRINGS us to that point in time where Bobby Jordon had left the series. This left three of the original DEAD END Kids in the series.* In addition to the principal players of Leo Gorcey & Huntz Hall (as the screen comedy duo of "Slip & Sach"), Gabe Dell lent his considerable talents to the stories. The actor born Gabriel Del Vecchio was cast as a sort of member of the old gang; who had now sort of moved up in the world, being employed in a job that kept him away from Louie's Sweet Shop.AND SPEAKING OF the recurring supporting character of "Louie Dombrowsky" himself, Bernard Corcey, was AWOL for this outing. Although the elder Gorcey's talents were greatly missed, he was mentioned at least three times; either by name or in referencing his Malt Shop.THE MOVIE IS a prime example of how a less than high brow "B" picture can boast of such a large and varied cast of supporting players. Among those present we have: Andrew Kosleck, Paul Harvey, Amelia Ward, Jacqueline Dalya, Eddie Gribbon, Hans Schumm and Gene Roth. Benny Bartlett replaces Bobby Jordan in the gang's lineup, filling out the roster along with David Gorcey and Billy Benedict.IN ADDITION TO being perhaps the only BOWERY BOYS installment to have been adapted to the screen from a magazine short story, there are several elements that serve to amplify its total storyline and effect. For example, it has elements of the "Old Dark House Mystery" type of picture. They also showcase elements of the "evil secret society" engaged in clandestine criminal enterprise; which are typically the domain of the Movie Serial ("Cliff-Hanger" or "Chapterplay").THE END EFFECT of this movie at story's end brings it right up to the threshold of an "A" Picture. Now Schultz, that's right up to the edge, but not crossing over the line to the next classification.NOTE: * Although David Gorcey as "Chuck", son of Bernard Gorcey (Louie) and younger brother of Leo (Slip)did have a supporting role in the Broadway stage production of DEAD END, it was that of a rival gang member. a "Second Avenue Boy." This is in itself another story; as his own brother, Leo Gorcey, also had been cast as the other "Second Avenue Boy", but later was upgraded to the part of "Spit", replacing Charles R. Duncan.Is that all clear, Schultz?

In this usual Bowery Boys entry, jokes are mixed with drama and creepy trappings when Leo Gorcey (as Terrence Mahoney) thinks he's been left a large mansion located in Bay Shore, Long Island. What he doesn't know is he's the wrong Mahoney -- the real intended heir is an elder well-to-do type, one "Terrence Mahoney, Esq." All the same, Gorcey, Sach (Huntz Hall) and the rest of the boys head out to the eerie house which happens to be the headquarters of a gang of smugglers. B-movie bad man Martin Kosleck is the leader of the group, and it's always a pleasure to have him, but he doesn't add much to the proceedings this time around. As a side note, this film also features Amelita Ward (seen in 1945's THE JUNGLE CAPTIVE), who went on to become Mrs. Leo Gorcey, and the mother of his son, Leo Jr. **1/2 out of ****

***SPOILERS*** It's when Terrence "Slip" Mahoney was mistaken for Terrence Mahoney Esq in a special delivery letter that was handed to Slip as he and his bumbling janitor pal Sach were cleaning up, or out, Mahoney Esq's office in the Metropolis Building is when things started to get pretty serious for the boys and their Bowery friends. The letter address to Terrene Mahoney Esq gave him complete ownership of the Mahoney Manor on the south coast of Long Island. Unknown to Slip & Co, besides that he's not the Terrence Mahoney that Mahoney Manor belongs to, is that the creepy Count "the diamonds & jewelry" Boris Petrove was using the empty mansion for his diamond and jewelry smuggling operations.In no time at all Slip Sach and the boys drive out, with their dilapidated jalopy, to Mahoney Manor to set up shop and go sun bathing. Unknown to them is that the Count and his henchmen that includes the Sherman tank like, in his indestructibility, Digger and his Great Dame of a guard dog Ajex aren't too keen in the boys interfering with their diamond smuggling operations! The movie really starts cooking when later the real Terrence Mahoney and his lovely daughter Teresa show up to spent the weekend there making what was already a bad situation, for everyone involved, even worse!With the Count trying to neutralize the pesky Bowery Boys by "Deep Sixing" them at the bottom of Long Island Sound he ends up drawing in "Big Ted", or Terrence, Mahoney Esq into the mix with disastrous results. If the Bowery Boys weren't enough to give the Count king size headaches is was "Big Ted", with his devastating left right combinations, who was the person who tipped the scales in Bowery Boys favor.It was also in the film "Smugglers Cove" that its star Leo Gorcy, as Terrence "Slip" Mahoney, met his future wife Amelita Ward, who played Teresa Mahoney, whom he married after the film was finished. Both Leo & Amelita were happily married for some 7 years until drinking problems, probably resulting from Leo's fathers tragic death in a traffic accident, resulted in them breaking up in 1956.

This is one of my favorite Bowery Boys comedies, minus Bobby Jordan. Slip (Terrence Mahoney)played by the great LEO GORCEY, "thinks" he inherits a mansion, but he's mistaken, because the letter is addressed to "Terrence Mahoney, Esq.", and Slip just happens to be cleaning this other Mahoney's office when the letter arrives, great pretense aay?Well then the hijinks begins as Slip, Satch (Huntz Hall), Whitey (Billy Benedict) & the rest of the boys go to the mansion & discover that there's a diamond smuggling racket going on right in the house. One great scene is when the bad guys have our heroes locked up in a room, Satch loses it and begins to jabber "Oooh Whitey, Whitey, Whitey..." but Whitey just keeps on pacing the floor and doesn't notice Satch's frustration.Well, the real Terrence Mahoney shows up just in the nick of time as does Gabriel Dell, another original Dead End Kid, and the boys get saved & Slip gets the house. If you get a chance to, see this movie, it'll make you laugh.