THE BOWERY BOYS on DVD: continuing discussion of Warner's eventual release plans (NEW UPDATE 10/2 Po (2 Viewers)

[LouA]

[background=#f2f2f2] I would ideally want to see these films restored to their best ability and packaged together comprehensively with features for a definitive release. I would be more than willing to wait another year, even two, for the series to be done right.[/background]

A comprehensive box would be nice , but WBA did an excellent job on the Bowery boys films - most look great. They don't control the Dead End Kids , or East Side Kids films , so even though WB would probably do a good job in restoring them it most likely won't happen.

 

[Karrenola]

I like what WB did with Hell's Kitchen and The Dead End Kids on Dress Parade. Very clear.

 

[LouA]

I like what WB did with Hell's Kitchen and The Dead End Kids on Dress Parade. Very clear.

Yeah- they did a great job on those . It's a shame WB couldn't get the rights to all of the films.

 

[Joe Davis]

Universal owns the rights to most of the 1940s Dead End Kids/Little Tough Guys titles. The exceptions are "Little Tough Guy" and the three 12-chapter serials, all of which are in the public domain. As a whole, I wouldn't say the Universal DEK titles are the best of the lot, but they're all worth seeing at least once. Shemp Howard, a major influence on Huntz, pops up in three of them. It's been some time since I last viewed these, but I remember liking "Little Tough Guys in Society" (one that doesn't feature any of the DEK) and the last entry, "Keep 'Em Slugging" (with Bobby Jordan and Norman Abbott playing the Halop and Punsly roles, and Shemp as a pre-Louie Dumbrowski soda shop owner).


15 of the 22 East Side Kids films are in the Public Domain, and can be found easily. Finding good quality prints of these films isn't so easy. I'm still trying to track down a print of "Million Dollar Kid" with audio that I can actually hear! I don't who owns the remaining 7 titles, but they're quite good. A sort of rough version of what eventually became the Bowery Boys. My only beef about the later ESK films, no Sunshine Sammy/Scruno! He was always my favorite. Guess he figured being a Step Brother was more rewarding (can't say I blame him, honestly ).


Of course, Warners owns "Dead End" and the six titles made for their studio during the late '30s. I believe all seven have been released to DVD, correct? Random bit of trivia - Ted Turner produced a colorized version of "Angels with Dirty Faces" during his 'color crazy' period in the late '80s. I believe it received a VHS release at some point. Some of the guys also popped up in "Swingtime in the Movies," a 1938 Technicolor short for WB which was made around the same time as "Crime School." That'd make a swell bonus feature!

 

[LouA]

Universal owns the rights to most of the 1940s Dead End Kids/Little Tough Guys titles. The exceptions are "Little Tough Guy" and the three 12-chapter serials, all of which are in the public domain. As a whole, I wouldn't say the Universal DEK titles are the best of the lot, but they're all worth seeing at least once. Shemp Howard, a major influence on Huntz, pops up in three of them. It's been some time since I last viewed these, but I remember liking "Little Tough Guys in Society" (one that doesn't feature any of the DEK) and the last entry, "Keep 'Em Slugging" (with Bobby Jordan and Norman Abbott playing the Halop and Punsly roles, and Shemp as a pre-Louie Dumbrowski soda shop owner).


15 of the 22 East Side Kids films are in the Public Domain, and can be found easily. Finding good quality prints of these films isn't so easy. I'm still trying to track down a print of "Million Dollar Kid" with audio that I can actually hear! I don't who owns the remaining 7 titles, but they're quite good. A sort of rough version of what eventually became the Bowery Boys. My only beef about the later ESK films, no Sunshine Sammy/Scruno! He was always my favorite. Guess he figured being a Step Brother was more rewarding (can't say I blame him, honestly ).


Of course, Warners owns "Dead End" and the six titles made for their studio during the late '30s. I believe all seven have been released to DVD, correct? Random bit of trivia - Ted Turner produced a colorized version of "Angels with Dirty Faces" during his 'color crazy' period in the late '80s. I believe it received a VHS release at some point. Some of the guys also popped up in "Swingtime in the Movies," a 1938 Technicolor short for WB which was made around the same time as "Crime School." That'd make a swell bonus feature!

Sunshine Sammy was a really good actor and Scruno was a memorable character . Like you said , it's too bad he got a better offer with the Step Brothers . It would have been interesting to see how his character would have developed as a Bowery Boy .

 

[Randy Korstick]

Warners owns the rights to the remaining East Side Kids. I heard it was eight films that they own and the rest are public domain.

 

[Karrenola]

Yeah Joe and Lou, Sammy Morrison WAS good, he could do waaay more than dance, which he excelled at along with Huntzie. But the racist elements in the writing always breaks my heart, along with the overall discriminatory/ segregationist environment in America that was behind those bits.

What is interesting about Morrison being one of the East Side Gang and not in the original Dead End Kids is the trends and timing. The Broadway production Dead End debuted right in the middle of FDR's New Deal, in the closing days of Prohibition, right when people-hating Robert Moses and the banks were doing their utmost to newly 'red line' all the colors living in the same neighborhoods away from each other. Beard (Stymie) and Thomas (Buckwheat) in the Our Gang comedies and Morrison with ESK were there because people were used to black people being on the block and in the same New York neighborhood as Italians, Irish, Jewish, Germans and their descendants. The buildings were segregated but not the neighborhoods until Moses under Mayor La Guardia had his way, and that took till WW II. As you may have noticed, Morrison was dropped from the roster during mid-war and after.

Friendships were forged behind the scenes during productions, which weren't allowed to be publicized, part of the reason each studio demanded their actors and crew only hang with others from the same studio, on or off the job. Morrison clicked with the gang. You can hear it in some interviews, and you can see it when he acts beside Huntz. Huntz had dancing in his blood so he got right in sync when Morrison broke it down next to him.

Most people who had the chance to work together despite all the forces in place to separate them, and who had half an eye open cherished and supported their friends regardless of color or creed. Despite the parts they had to play to survive. I always remember this when I see Clancy Street Boys where Morrison is not allowed into the restaurant scene, or when he is served watermelon for dinner, and when seeing Huntz in blackface.

 

[Joe Davis]

Yeah Joe and Lou, Sammy Morrison WAS good, he could do waaay more than dance, which he excelled at along with Huntzie. But the racist elements in the writing always breaks my heart, along with the overall discriminatory/ segregationist environment in America that was behind those bits.

What is interesting about Morrison being one of the East Side Gang and not in the original Dead End Kids is the trends and timing. The Broadway production Dead End debuted right in the middle of FDR's New Deal, in the closing days of Prohibition, right when people-hating Robert Moses and the banks were doing their utmost to newly 'red line' all the colors living in the same neighborhoods away from each other. Beard (Stymie) and Thomas (Buckwheat) in the Our Gang comedies and Morrison with ESK were there because people were used to black people being on the block and in the same New York neighborhood as Italians, Irish, Jewish, Germans and their descendants. The buildings were segregated but not the neighborhoods until Moses under Mayor La Guardia had his way, and that took till WW II. As you may have noticed, Morrison was dropped from the roster during mid-war and after.

Friendships were forged behind the scenes during productions, which weren't allowed to be publicized, part of the reason each studio demanded their actors and crew only hang with others from the same studio, on or off the job. Morrison clicked with the gang. You can hear it in some interviews, and you can see it when he acts beside Huntz. Huntz had dancing in his blood so he got right in sync when Morrison broke it down next to him.

Most people who had the chance to work together despite all the forces in place to separate them, and who had half an eye open cherished and supported their friends regardless of color or creed. Despite the parts they had to play to survive. I always remember this when I see Clancy Street Boys where Morrison is not allowed into the restaurant scene, or when he is served watermelon for dinner, and when seeing Huntz in blackface.

Actually, the reason Morrison disappeared from the gang was because he took the offer to join the Step Brothers, a popular song and dance team. If given the choice between appearing in a series of low budget features that probably didn't pay much and an performing with an act that was actually getting hired by bigger studios (Morrison nearly got a contract with 20th Century Fox during his stint as a Brother), I think I would go with the latter.


But you're right, as with many non-white performers of the day, Ernie fell victim to stereotyping. On the one hand, Scruno was almost always treated as a regular member of the gang. On the other hand, he was stuck with unfunny "watermelon" jokes.


In my opinion, the one ESK film that portrays Scruno in the worst way possible is his first film, "Boys of the City." It's simply embarassing to watch him in it. Though in fairness, the film as a whole ain't so hot! Afterwards, Sunshine Sammy went to Sam Katzman's office and requested more creative control over how his character should be portrayed.


Katzman gave him the okay, and from that point on, Scruno wasn't that bad of a stereotype (if you compare him to "Boys of the City" Scruno, anyhow). Heck, there were some moments in the series whre he managed to outsmart some of the other guys.


I always felt Huntz Hall treated Sunshine Sammy the same way he would later treat Billy "Whitey" Benedict. Sure, Huntz would pick on Scruno and Whitey from time to time, but he had an obvious brotherly love towards both of them. In fact, Huntz once reportedly got an extra fired for calling Morrison a nasty name.


Leo and Huntz both evidently liked working with Sunshine Sammy, as he was actually one of the people they suggested for the original Bowery Boys lineup. But Morrison was retiring from show business at the time. Besides that, he "didn't like the setup," as he later put it. I suppose that had something to do with inevitably taking an extreme back seat to Leo and Huntz. Bobby Jordan and Gabe Dell realized this a little too late into the game!

 

[Karrenola]

That's good stuff Joe, never knew Morrison went to Sam Katzman to request more control over his part and that Katzman agreed. They at least made a dent in the situation, which like you said in stuff like Boys of the City was a Birth of a Nation level insult. Yeah the whole film kinda stunk but still.

I need to check out this 'Step Brothers' thing. Given the times though, that couldn't' expectations been that much better a 'setup'. Good to know Gorcey and Hall used the strength of their positions and friendship and at least tried to get him into the Bowery Boys. In those days however, with the fall of the Harlem Renaissance from economic to just cultural significance, and the fallout from all the red lining and Robert Moses' push to segregate via who drives and who doesn't, every black person from Harry Belafonte down to everyday guys like my folks knew their only out was to go into song & dance or factory work.

I think Leo said Ernie showed up at Bobby Jordan's funeral in a pink Cadillac. Sheesh, imagine that. I guess that Step Brothers thing worked out well for him, huh. Can't get any more Bowery Boy than that, Steve Brody would've been proud.

 

[Karrenola]

HAPPY THANKSGIVINGS GUYS!!

 

[LouA]

Yeah Joe and Lou, Sammy Morrison WAS good, he could do waaay more than dance, which he excelled at along with Huntzie. But the racist elements in the writing always breaks my heart, along with the overall discriminatory/ segregationist environment in America that was behind those bits.

What is interesting about Morrison being one of the East Side Gang and not in the original Dead End Kids is the trends and timing. The Broadway production Dead End debuted right in the middle of FDR's New Deal, in the closing days of Prohibition, right when people-hating Robert Moses and the banks were doing their utmost to newly 'red line' all the colors living in the same neighborhoods away from each other. Beard (Stymie) and Thomas (Buckwheat) in the Our Gang comedies and Morrison with ESK were there because people were used to black people being on the block and in the same New York neighborhood as Italians, Irish, Jewish, Germans and their descendants. The buildings were segregated but not the neighborhoods until Moses under Mayor La Guardia had his way, and that took till WW II. As you may have noticed, Morrison was dropped from the roster during mid-war and after.

Friendships were forged behind the scenes during productions, which weren't allowed to be publicized, part of the reason each studio demanded their actors and crew only hang with others from the same studio, on or off the job. Morrison clicked with the gang. You can hear it in some interviews, and you can see it when he acts beside Huntz. Huntz had dancing in his blood so he got right in sync when Morrison broke it down next to him.

Most people who had the chance to work together despite all the forces in place to separate them, and who had half an eye open cherished and supported their friends regardless of color or creed. Despite the parts they had to play to survive. I always remember this when I see Clancy Street Boys where Morrison is not allowed into the restaurant scene, or when he is served watermelon for dinner, and when seeing Huntz in blackface.
















Agreeing with most of what you wrote , I have to say that the actor who probably suffered the most in terms of roles was Willie Best . He was almost ubiquitous at one point having recurring roles in Trouble With Father , My Little Margie , and Waterfront and other show as well. If you read up on him , you see that in real life, he was the opposite of the characters he played . I have to say that for myself , what always drew me to these African American actors, and you can include Tim Moore , Mantan Morland , Johnny Lee, Spencer Williams, Alan Hoskins ,and Matthew Beard in the group, was their likability . Despite the roles , they always seemed like very likable and decent people . Sadly as the films and TV shows they contributed to disappear so will any trace of their talents and contributions .

 

[Joe Davis]

You know, there's a fascinating book by Donald Bogie called "Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams: The Story of Black Hollywood" that focuses on African-American actors in Hollywood during the old days. Worth a read if you're interested in some of these players.

 

[Karrenola]

Yeah Lou, we don't want the stuff Willie Best and the other black actors back in the day did to disappear, those productions are historical jewels for all they showed and didn't show. My mom and dad LOVED Steppin' Fetchit, they always said so to anybody. What I need some folks in the black community to realize is there are universal elements in being lazy, shiftless and just plain dumb that people all over the world see as human, and there are types of the same characteristics born of survival in slavery that many black Americans understand and can laugh at from familiarity. The problem comes from executive level heavy, long term promotion of the productions as typical of a type of people rather than typical of many types of humans. So rather than banning or deleting anything, the best lesson is to leave it as it is, preserve it in its entirety and teach it / learn from it / value the art in it from a historical and human perspective. A comedy doesn't always have to make you laugh to be a very good, artistically made work. But man, it does take getting past the long term insults, taking them into the kind of context that a viewer of Euripides had to do when seeing his works over 2,500 years ago. You make allowances for what the rulers allow and whatever lies they want to promote, see beyond it to the meat -- the art.

My dad knew Matthew Beard. He lived near him in LA after mom divorced him to take me and my sisters to Philly. Dad said Matt had his head on straight and really respected him, like he respected Jack Lemmon. Dad sometimes went to do gardening work for Jack, and said he was moved by his total lack of racism, human warmth and astounding intelligence.

Hey Joe, I'm gonna get that book Bright Boulevards, tanks fer dat recommendation!

What I'd highly recommend to yous guys for excellent background info is Ken Burns' documentary New York. Seeing that 9-part series a few times brings home the reasons New York City mattered so much as to make the Kids' daily banter epic American fare.

I also tink re-reading Leo Jr's work, to get dose little details missed due to the shock factor at the foist reading, is very woith it. Did he ever do the sequel?

 

[Karrenola]

I also recommend Drinking in America: Our Secret History by Susan Cheever, just out last month. Boy does DIS ever clear tings up.

 

[Mr. Handley]

After a brief hiatus, I'm back to watching the Bowery Boys films for the very first time, in chronological order. Last night, it was the delightful romp called Blues Busters. This is the one where Satch gets his tonsils out and turns into a Crosby-like crooner! Not much plot beyond that, but it gives Hall a chance to shine. Karen will be glad to see that I currently rank it at #4 on my list:


1. Blonde Dynamite

2. Master Minds

3. Hold That Baby!

4. Blues Busters

5. Bowery Bombshell

6. In Fast Company

7. Angels In Disguise

8. Fighting Fools

9. Lucky Losers

10. Trouble Makers

11. Live Wires

12. Triple Trouble

13. Jinx Money

14. Bowery Buckaroos

15. News Hounds

16. Smuggler's Cove

17. Spook Busters

18. Hard Boiled Mahoney

19. Mr. Hex

20. Angels' Alley

 

[Karrenola]

Yeah Paul, Blues Busters is a diamond-encrusted hit for soooo many reasons. The writing is tops. The lines! Been using some of these for years:
'Dis is a smile?'
'Yeah, I'm sick too. Sick of YOU!'
'Dis bell ain't got no crack in it.'
'We're in.' 'Throw 'em out!'
'It's like singin' in a mausoleum out there.'
'I'm hittin' nutin' but bullseyes tonight!'
'They've got it all their own way.'
'Dose dames don't fight fair!'
'Here's $800.'
'Still holdin' out, huh.'

And, drum roll please, my all time favorite from Louie:
'Dere goes all da profits.'

Adele is simply my bell, I love that woman. She was gorgeous, carried herself with the confidence of a seasoned fashionista and could deal with you like the seasoned New Yorker she was. She acted her ass off in this film. Don't know if she actually sang the songs but I've memorized all her bits.

My boy Huntzie was a star in this, his Children's Professional School training, short though it was, really shone through in this one, made you forget all about his nose. Him pushing Slip aside like a peasant had me on the floor. Notice how during the song 'You Walked By' Sach waves Louie away as he 'walks by'. Fascinatin' timin' folksies. And superb writing / ad lib.

The guy doing Huntzie's voice overs was a damn good crooner. My first bird, who lived with me for 17 lovely years, liked only two songs his entire life and 'You Walked By' was one of them. He LOVED that song, wanted me to sing it to him whenever and wherever possible. It just clicked with him, it was weird in a way how much he responded to that song. Can't sing it without a tear these days, now four years after he passed.

This film's got so much of what makes New York matter. It's got the elements of Donald Trump obnoxiousness too, as he's got Slip's bombasticness and Rick the club owners gall. Trump's popularity is further proof New York still matters.

Leo 'Slip' Gorcey, front runner in the GOP presidential race. Can ya pitchur dat.

 

[Mr. Handley]

I also love the little dance number that the boys do towards the end to the mostly-empty club. Also, Louie had me in stitches during the opening scenes (per usual).

 

[Matt Hough]

The guy doing Huntzie's voice overs was a damn good crooner.

John Lorenz did the vocals for Huntz. Gloria Wood did the singing for Adele Jergens.

 

[Karrenola]

I just loved that dance number, those guys not only did a great job ham-boning it up but had priceless face expressions (especially David) when they saw customers headed out of there. I liked Phyllis Coates (Sally) a lot in this, she played a girl loyal to the gang and had a tear-jerking sorrowful face while Leo was trying to talk folks into staying.

Strangely enough, both Swanee River and Dixie were composed by New Yorkers in New York City for the hugely popular minstrel stage in the Bowery. Lincoln loved that Dixie tune he heard when he went to see the minstrel featuring it in Astor Place near his hotel, where he stayed before his presidential campaign speech. There is also the story that the name Dixie came from the name of a Long Island slave owner who was rumored to treat his chattel so 'well' others referred to his plantation as 'Dixieland', inspiring a renown minstrel songwriter to whip up something quick to keep up with the demand.

None of us today has experienced any stage or screen genre that has generated the massive scale, entrenched popularity that minstrel shows enjoyed for more than eighty years before WWII. The ones in New York employed hundreds of people at a time and paid them well, including some black people in blackface. Blues Busters came out at a time when most New Yorkers like Leo and other producers as well as the audience still felt the drawing power and influence of the minstrel shows, which were mostly a Bowery born and bred institution.

Thanks for those names Matt! But are you sure it's Lorenz? Rumor has it it's another guy who ain't credited.

 

[Mr. Handley]

Just watched Bowery Battalion last night. This is the one where the boys enlist during a mock air raid over Manhattan! Not enough yuks for me, which is surprising, given the amount of screen time for Louie. I'm not a big fan of service comedies in general, so that may be part of it too. I was pleasantly surprised to see Three Stooges supporting player Emil Sitka in a small role.


Here's my current rankings (best-to-worst):


1. Blonde Dynamite

2. Master Minds

3. Hold That Baby!

4. Blues Busters

5. Bowery Bombshell

6. In Fast Company

7. Angels In Disguise

8. Fighting Fools

9. Lucky Losers

10. Trouble Makers

11. Live Wires

12. Triple Trouble

13. Jinx Money

14. Bowery Buckaroos

15. Bowery Battalion

16. News Hounds

17. Smuggler's Cove

18. Spook Busters

19. Hard Boiled Mahoney

20. Mr. Hex

21. Angels' Alley