Crashing Las Vegas

Last updated
Crashing Las Vegas
Crashing Las Vegas.jpg
Directed by Jean Yarbrough
Written by Jack Townley
Produced by Ben Schwalb
Starring Leo Gorcey
Huntz Hall
Mary Castle
David Gorcey
Jimmy Murphy
Doris Kemper
Cinematography Harry Neumann
Edited by George White
Music by Marlin Skiles
Production
company
Distributed byAllied Artists Pictures
Release date
  • April 22, 1956 (1956-04-22)
Running time
62 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Crashing Las Vegas is a 1956 American comedy film directed by Jean Yarbrough and starring the comedy team The Bowery Boys. [1] The film was released on April 22, 1956 by Allied Artists and is the 41st film in the series. It was the last of the series to star Leo Gorcey.

Contents

Plot

The Bowery Boys' landlady Mrs. Kelly needs some money. Sach sustains an electric shock and gains the ability to predict numbers. Thanks to Sach's new power, the boys succeed on a TV game show and win a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada. Sach uses his power at the gambling tables, winning money for Mrs. Kelly. However, it's not too long before some curious gangsters want to get in on Sach's "secret." After the mobsters try to blackmail Hall with a badger game, the gang takes them on in a brawl. During the fracas, Sach's money literally flies out the window, but Mrs. Kelly has since won some prize money herself and no longer needs the gang's assistance.

Cast

The Bowery Boys

Remaining cast

Production

Crashing Las Vegas was Leo Gorcey's last Bowery Boys movie. He had a tough time trying to deal with the death of his father Bernard Gorcey, and began to drink heavily. Gorcey is visibly intoxicated in most of the finished film. After finishing production, Gorcey demanded an increase in his salary, but Allied Artists Pictures refused to do so. Leo quit the series as a result.

Longtime cast member Bennie Bartlett had just left the series, and was replaced by Jimmy Murphy. According to studio publicity, Murphy was working as a parking valet when he was discovered by Leo Gorcey. Gorcey felt that Murphy had a good face for the movies, and had him hired as a Bowery Boy.

With Bernard Gorcey's death, the locale of the series shifted from Louie's Sweet Shop to the gang's boardinghouse, managed by Irish landlady Mrs. Kate Kelly. In this film, she was played by Doris Kemper; for the next three films in the series, Queenie Smith would play the role.

Reception

By 1956 most of the trade press stopped bothering with the Bowery Boys pictures. The films were such predictable moneymakers that there was no longer any reason to review them; one was about as good as another as a useful filler on double-feature programs. The Exhibitor summed up Crashing Las Vegas: "Usual Bowery Boys series nonsense for usual audience." [2] One theater manager, Moz Burles, noticed Leo Gorcey's tipsy performance and advised the studio: "From acting, would say this is Gorcey's last. This is a good series and they could play up the gags to be just a bit more mature and start all over again with Hall." [3] That's exactly what happened: the studio dropped Gorcey and rebooted the series with Hall, and the gang members grew up, trading their casual sweaters for jackets and neckties.

Home media

Warner Archives released the film on made-to-order DVD in the United States as part of "The Bowery Boys, Volume Three" on October 1, 2013.

Related Research Articles

The Dead End Kids were a group of young actors from New York City who appeared in Sidney Kingsley's Broadway play Dead End in 1935. In 1937, producer Samuel Goldwyn brought all of them to Hollywood and turned the play into a film. They proved to be so popular that they continued to make movies under various monikers, including the Little Tough Guys, the East Side Kids, and the Bowery Boys, until 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley Clements</span> American actor (1926–1981)

Stanley Clements was an American actor and comedian, best known for portraying "Stash" in the East Side Kids film series, and group leader Stanislaus "Duke" Coveleskie in The Bowery Boys film series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Gorcey</span> American actor

David Gorcey was an American actor and the younger brother of actor Leo Gorcey. Gorcey is best known for portraying "Chuck Anderson" in Monogram Pictures' film series The Bowery Boys, and "Pee Wee" in its antecedent The East Side Kids.

The Bowery Boys are fictional New York City characters, portrayed by a company of New York actors, who were the subject of 48 feature films released by Monogram Pictures and its successor Allied Artists Pictures Corporation from 1946 through 1958.

<i>Hot Shots</i> (1956 film) 1956 film by Jean Yarbrough

Hot Shots is a 1956 American comedy film starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on December 23, 1956 by Monogram Pictures and is the forty-third film in the series. It was directed by Jean Yarbrough and written by Jack Townley.

<i>Live Wires</i> (1946 film) 1946 film by Phil Karlson

Live Wires is a 1946 film starring the comedy team of The Bowery Boys. It is the first film in the series, which lasted until 1958 and included forty-eight films, after the comedy team of the East Side Kids was revamped and renamed The Bowery Boys.

<i>Bowery Bombshell</i> 1946 film by Phil Karlson

Bowery Bombshell is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Phil Karlson and starring the comedy team of The Bowery Boys. It is the third film in the series and was distributed by Monogram Pictures.

Fighting Fools is a 1949 comedy film starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on April 17, 1949 by Monogram Pictures and is the thirteenth film in the series.

<i>Ghost Chasers</i> 1951 film by William Beaudine

Ghost Chasers is a 1951 comedy horror film, starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on April 29, 1951 by Monogram Pictures and is the twenty-second film in the series.

<i>Crazy Over Horses</i> 1951 comedy film directed by William Beaudine

Crazy Over Horses is a 1951 comedy film starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on November 18, 1951 by Monogram Pictures and is the twenty-fourth film in the series.

<i>Hold That Line</i> 1952 film by William Beaudine

Hold That Line is a 1952 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring the Bowery Boys, Veda Ann Borg and Gloria Winters. The film was released on March 23, 1952 by Monogram Pictures and is the 25th film in the series.

<i>Here Come the Marines</i> 1952 film by William Beaudine

Here Come the Marines is a 1952 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on June 29, 1952, by Monogram Pictures and is the twenty-sixth film in the series.

<i>Feudin Fools</i> 1952 film by William Beaudine

Feudin' Fools is a 1952 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring The Bowery Boys, Anne Kimbell and Dorothy Ford. The film was released on September 21, 1952 by Monogram Pictures and is the twenty-seventh film in the series.

<i>High Society</i> (1955 film) 1955 comedy film directed by William Beaudine

High Society is a 1955 comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring the comedy team of The Bowery Boys. The film was released on April 17, 1955, by Allied Artists and is the 37th film in the series. It is the only film in the series to receive an Academy Award nomination, albeit through being mistaken for another film with the same title.

<i>In the Money</i> 1958 film by William Beaudine

In the Money is a 1958 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on February 16, 1958, by Allied Artists Pictures and is the 48th and final film in the series. It was directed by William Beaudine and written by Al Martin and Elwood Ullman.

<i>Dig That Uranium</i> 1956 film by Edward Bernds

Dig That Uranium is a 1956 American comedy film directed by Edward Bernds and starring the comedy team of The Bowery Boys, Raymond Hatton and Mary Beth Hughes. The film was released on January 8, 1956, by Allied Artists and is the fortieth film in the series.

Fighting Trouble is a 1956 American comedy film directed by George Blair and starring The Bowery Boys. It was released on September 16, 1956, by Allied Artists. The 42nd film in the Bowery Boys series, it was the first to feature Stanley Clements.

<i>Hold That Hypnotist</i> 1957 film

Hold That Hypnotist is a 1957 American comedy film starring the comedy team of The Bowery Boys. The film was released on March 10, 1957 by Allied Artists and is the forty-fourth film in the series. Former assistant director Austen Jewell was now given the chance to direct. The film is a topical satire of hypnotist Morey Bernstein's best-selling book The Search for Bridey Murphy and its film adaptation.

<i>Up in Smoke</i> (1957 film) 1957 film by William Beaudine

Up in Smoke is a 1957 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring the comedy team of The Bowery Boys. The film was released on December 22, 1957, by Allied Artists and is the penultimate film in the series.

Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar is a 1965 American musical film directed by Victor Duncan, and is notable for the reunion of Bowery Boys Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall. The film was released on September 15, 1965, by the independent Marathon Pictures.

References

  1. ↑ Hayes, David (1982). The Films of the Bowery Boys. Secaucus, NJ: The Citadel Press. p. 146. ISBN   978-0806509310.
  2. ↑ The Exhibitor, May 2, 1956, p. 4149.
  3. ↑ Moz Burles (Bingen, Washington) in Motion Picture Herald, Dec. 22, 1956, p. 23.
Preceded by 'The Bowery Boys' movies
1946-1958		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.