AnhartLinkin
This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
Jonah Abbott
There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
Deanna
There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
mark.waltz
O.k., closer to 30, but they looked older. But that's how creepy European nobleman Martin Kosleck refers to them in one of the better entries in the series, sort of an old dark house mystery where the audience is in on the truth, but the visitors to this old white elephant of a house are not.Overhearing his name being mentioned as the heir to a country mansion, Terrence "Slip" Mahoney (Leo Gorcey) decides to take up residency with his gang. Encountering the head of a smuggling ring (Kosleck), they end up prisoners of his gang as the real heir (Paul Harvey) arrives and more confusion begins.Utilizing the house setting from dozens of other Z grade films, this expands it to make it look more luxurious than it is. A cave set and various other parts of the supposed mansion make it seem to be quite atmospheric with plenty to offset the cheapness of the rest of the budget. A complex plot makes this a step above the normal series entries which usually ranked a 3 or 4 and often too silly to fully enjoy.
utgard14
Another fun Bowery Boys picture from Monogram, the eleventh in the series. This one has Slip Mahoney mistakenly believing he's inherited a fortune from a wealthy uncle. So he packs up the Boys and heads to a secluded mansion to collect, only to get involved with smugglers. As usual with the series, it's a simple story but full of laughs. Leo Gorcey's malapropisms and Huntz Hall's rubberfacing buffoonery are on full display. The other Boys (William Benedict, Gabriel Dell, David Gorcey, and Bennie Bartlett) are all enjoyable. One of the best scenes in the picture has Slip taking inventory of the items he thinks he's inherited ("One baby piano, one mahogany coffee table -- twenty dollars for the both of 'em!"). No Louie the Sweet Shop owner in this one, unfortunately. Martin Kosleck makes for a fine villain. He had enough practice, playing a lot of villains throughout the '40s (usually Nazis). After this, he wouldn't appear in another movie for eight years. Paul Harvey is a treat as the other Terence Mahoney (yes, there is apparently more than one in the world). Amelita Ward provides the pretty. She would go on to marry co-star Leo Gorcey (it did not last happily ever after). Between the Boy's hijinks and a few 'old dark house' elements, this is an entertaining entry in the series. Not the best but far from the worst.
John T. Ryan
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?
wes-connors
While cleaning offices in the "Metropolis Building", loquacious Leo Gorcey (as Terrance "Slip" Mahoney) receives a letter stating "Terrance Mahoney, Esq." is the heir to an estate in Long Island. Believing he has struck it rich, Mr. Gorcey brings pals Huntz Hall (as Sach), William "Billy" Benedict (as Whitey), David Gorcey (as Chuck), and Benny "Bennie" Bartlett (as Butch) to inspect the mansion. As you might expect, "The Bowery Boys" discover "Mahoney Manor" is inhibited by spooks and diamond smugglers. Describing himself s a "friend of the family," private investigator Gabriel Dell (as Gabe Moreno) arrives to help. This is yet another stab in the "old dark house" plot, with the most notable feature being the return of pretty Amelita Ward (as Teresa Mahoney), who would soon marry Gorcey.*** Smugglers' Cove (10/10/48) William Beaudine ~ Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, Amelita Ward
