Description

After their success on Broadway, the 'Dead End Kids' were recruited by Hollywood. Eventually these young kids from the streets of New York became bonified celebrities, known as the 'Bowery Boys' and starred in over 50 films and serials. In this film the boys are accompanied by the comedy duo of Leo Gorcye and Huntz Hall. The combination of gangster melodrama and slapstick scenarios makes this Bowery Boys series a favorite for young and old alike. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Most delightful ghost picture the Bowery Boys have done.
This is the 22nd film in he Bowery Boys film series. They began with DEAD END (1937) as the Dead End Kids and then later as The East Side Kids. In 1946, they became the Bowery Boys for 48 more films from 1946-1958. We saw some of the boys, now men, grow up from teenagers in Dead End (1937) to being in their 30's. For the Bowery Boys film series, unfortunatly, their is only six films available on VHS , but rumor is that all of them will soon be available in public domain. In this review, I will list the approx. age of the main Bowery Boys cast. Leo Gorcey 36, Huntz Hall 31, William Benedict 34, David Gorcey 30. Huntz, Bill and David are interested in the supernatural. They try to hold a seance in the backroom of Louie's shop. But of course, the joke is on Huntz and David. Later, Huntz and Bill go to a United Mediums of greater New York seance. Tonight, Margo the Medium trys to summons the spirit of Leonardi. While the performance is going on, a real nice 17th Century ghost, Edgar Smith, appears to us and tells the viewer he has plans of ending this quackery. Probably the most delightful ghost picture and more enjoyable of all the gang's films.

That old gang of mine.
The Dead End Kids begot the East Side Kids. And the East Side Kids begot the Bowery Boys. This Grade B comedy from the early '50s has the charm of a bygone era. Our heroes, overage juvenile delinquent clowns in silly hats, hang around Louie's sweet shop with no visible means of support. They run up IOUs for banana splits and root beer floats. The gang's greatest talent is to find creative ways to get into trouble. In this outing Slip Mahoney (Leo Gorcey), "Sach" (Huntz Hall), and the boys try to stop a fake spirit-medium gang from bilking sweet old ladies of their money. The laughs are low brow, but what they lack in quality, they gain in quantity. Slip mangles the English language as he uses big words incorrectly. Sach rolls his eyes and has more spastic body movements than a nervous dog with active fleas. In the hierarchy of classic comics, if we place the Marx Brothers at the top and work our way down, the Bowery Boys would be on the level just below the Three Stooges. These modest little comedies are targeted at a "kiddies" audience. Although today's high-tech kids will probably look askance at the silly antics, the film will please both nostalgia fans and viewers searching for "G" type fun to share with the family. Nothing sophisticated about this little movie, just sit back and enjoy the nonsense. ... Read more

Description

After their success on Broadway, the 'Dead End Kids' were recruited by Hollywood. Eventually these young kids from the streets of New York became bonified celebrities, known as the 'Bowery Boys' and starred in over 50 films and serials. In this film the boys are accompanied by the comedy duo of Leo Gorcye and Huntz Hall. The combination of gangster melodrama and slapstick scenarios makes this Bowery Boys series a favorite for young and old alike. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Can the Bowery Boys solve the mystery?
This is the sixth film of the Bowery Boys film series and 10 years that the gang has been together in film since DEAD END (1937) as the Dead End Kids, then the East Side Kids and since 1946 as The Bowery Boys. The Bowery Boys are Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan,Gabriel Dell, Billy Benedict and David Gorcey (Leo's brother). Bernard Gorcey is Leo's and David's father. Huntz didn't get his pay at the Elite Detective Agency, so his pal Leo goes down there to straighten things out. When they arrive at the Elite Detective Agency, the private investigator is not there. Just then, a rich woman (Betty Compson), Selena Webster, walks in. She thinks Leo is the investigator. Clearly she is concerned, so Leo and Huntz play along. Her young sister, Elenor (Teala Loring) has been missing. Her husband, Tom, was lost in South America. That was three years ago. Two weeks ago they got word he was alive and coming home. Her sister got nervous. Now she is gone. There is also another man she was seeing. Dr. Rolfe Carter (Pierre Watkin) who is a spiritual healer. A psychic. Can the Bowery men solve the mystery? "Lenny the Meatball" is played by Danny Beck. Dan Seymour plays "Dr. Armand".
The next two films in the series are News Hound (1947), BOWERY BUCKAROOS (1947). ... Read more

Description

After their success on Broadway, the 'Dead End Kids' were recruited by Hollywood. Eventually these young kids from the streets of New York became bonified celebrities, known as the 'Bowery Boys' and starred in over 50 films and serials. In this film the boys are accompanied by the comedy duo of Leo Gorcye and Huntz Hall. The combination of gangster melodrama and slapstick scenarios makes this Bowery Boys series a favorite for young and old alike. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Huntz Hall can suddenly sing!
This is the 20th film in the Bowery Boys film series. It began with the first film DEAD END (1937) when they were so young as The Dead End Kids and later The East Side Kids. As the Bowery Boys, they did in additional 48 films for this series 1946-1958. For this review, I will also include the age of the main Bowery Boys cast, Leo Gorcey 35, Huntz Hall 30, Gabriel Dell 31, Billy benedict 33 and David Gorcey 29. Huntz was in the hospital for a simple tonsillectomy. Bernard Gorcey (Leo & David's father) as "Louie" is having a fit because it's up to him to pay the outrageous hospital bill. So the gang must find a way to help Louie with the bill. Leo is angry that the radio is on. He needs to think. When they realize the radio was not plugged in, they look over at Huntz who miraculously is singing like Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra. With the help of Gabriel Dell, they decide to make some money with Huntz'es new "voice" singing in nightclubs. It is the voice of John Lorenz you hear singing. The next two films in the series are Bowery Battalion (1951) AND GHOST CHASERS (1951).

"Opening Tonite - The Bowery Thrush!"
This has to be my all-time favorite Bowery Boys movie. It's pretty funny. After having his tonsils removed, Satch (Huntz Hall) finds he has acquired the singing voice of a Bing Crosby. Soon the "Bowery Thrush" is the talk of the town and Louie's soda shop has been turned into a swank nightclub threatening the business of the high-class joint across the street. A femme fatale manages to con Satch into missing a performance and signing with the rival club. The "Boys" attempts to put on a show in the absence of Satch are a riot. Louie starts to go broke but just in time the fraudulent behaviour of the rival club is exposed and Satch comes back to Louie's place only to foul it up but good. I wont tell you how they get him back or how he messes up because I don't want to [ruin] the whole movie for you. It's definately worth a look, especially for fans of the "Boys."

Thoroughly light and enjoyable.
Wonderful movie. Full of Bowery Boys adventure and mishap. Huntz Hall and Leo Gorcey were a great team bringing laughter, comedy and outrageously unlikely situations to always happy endings. I would recommend this video to everyone as a great introduction to the Bowery Boys. My only wish would be that there would be more of this movie series offered.

Before There Was Elvis There Was Sach
If Huntz Hall had continued his musical career he would have been the first major singing star of the 1950's. Sit back and enjoy as he sings. ... Read more

Description

COLOR. With JOHN CARRADINE. The title tells it all! In this wildly imaginative story, the fabled vampire, having survived numerous deaths in earlier movies, finally (?) meets his match in the notorious outlaw. Dracula travels out west and pretends hes the uncle of a lovely young ranch owner, whose neck looks mighty inviting and whom he desires to make his bride in the land of the undead. But her fiancŽ and ranch foreman, Billy the Kid (reformed and wishing to settle down) suspects the weird old "uncle" of being the dreaded vampire who has already delivered fatal bites to several women. With two such legendary characters coming into bitter conflict, its obvious that the towns not big enough for both of them - leading to an exciting, deadly showdown. A tongue-in-cheek (and stake-in-the-heart) horror-western, with lots of bite! 73 minutes. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A film that is just as bad as the title leads you to believe
In case you forgot that once upon a time there were movies made specifically for the drive-in crowd, we have "Billy the Kid versus Dracula" to remind us. Written by Carl K. Hittleman and directed by William Beaudine, this film actually managed to get John Carradine to play Dracula, 22 years after he first played the Count in "House of Frankenstein." Of course, this is a Count Dracula who gets to wander around in the sunlight, so it is not like this 1966 film is firmly set within the established vampire mythos (But the idea of having four puncture wounds instead of two does make sense if you think about it).

The big joke is that this horror-comedy-western is actually about a love triangle. You see, Dracula is wooing the lovely Betty Bentley (Melinda Plowman), heiress to a nice ranch, the Bar-B, because for some reason being married would be a good thing. However, it just so happens that her boyfriend is Billy the Kid (Chuck Courtney). Not only that, the notorious outlaw has now gone straight, making this not only a love triangle but an epic battle between good and evil. Okay, it is not anything close to that, but the title of this film promises a bad movie and it delivers. Not in the league of "Plan 9 From Outer Space," but still an appropriate bill of fare for an evening of pizzas with triple cheese toppings.

This ia a bad movie where the point is to revel (or wallow if you prefer) in its badness. Carradine plays Dracula, who is never mentioned by name in the film, with his top hat and his eyes bugging out, which clearly suggests he is in on the joke. More importantly, this film is twice as good as its, uh, companion film by Hittleman and Beaudine, "Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter." You also have to give "Billy the Kid versus Dracula" credit because there sure have been a lot of vampire westerns made in the last few years. Final Note: Red, the former foreman and Betty's previous fiancée, is played by Bing Russell,father of Kurt Russell. ... Read more

Description

After their success on Broadway, the 'Dead End Kids' were recruited by Hollywood. Eventually these young kids from the streets of New York became bonified celebrities, known as the 'Bowery Boys' and starred in over 50 films and serials. In this film the boys are accompanied by the comedy duo of Leo Gorcye and Huntz Hall. The combination of gangster melodrama and slapstick scenarios makes this Bowery Boys series a favorite for young and old alike. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Bowery Boys go west to find gold.
This is the 8th film in the Bowery Boys film series and the gang is celebrating 10 years together on film since the first, DEAD END (1937) as the Dead End Kids when they were so young and later The East Side Kids. Now the Bowery Boys, they made 48 films for this Bowery Boys film series 1946-1958. Sadly, only 6 are available on VHS. For this review, I will include the age of each main Bowery Boy in the cast. Leo Gorcey 32, Huntz Hall 27, Bobby Jordan 25, Gabriel Dell 28, Billy Benedict 30, David Gorcey 32. This film starts on Louie's Sweet Shop. Bernard Gorcey (Leo & David's father) as "Louie" is singing a western tune. Huntz is reading a comic book, "Western Yarns" and Bobby, Billy and David are sitting at the counter. Suddenly, an old western Sheriff, Luke Barlow comes in with his horse. Leo walks in too. The Sheriff has been looking for Louie for 20 years. He's wanted for murder and there is a $5,000 reward. After the sheriff leaves, Louie comes out of hiding. Of course, it is not true. You see, years ago, Louie and a friend discovered gold. Blackjack killed Louie's best firend for the gold. Now, Louie is the only one with he map of where the gold is. So the men go to New mexico to Hangman's Hollow in search of the gold that belongs to Louie and his best friend's daughter. By the way, Indians including Iron Eyes Cody finds the gang. The next eleven films are not available on VHS. Try BLUES BUSTERS (1950).

Funny Slapstick Comedy....
The Bowery Boys go hunt for a lost treasure in Texas with the help of a map tattooed on the back of a sweet-shop owner, whom, they hang around on the Bowery named "Louie". When they travel to Texas to free Louie, a fugitive from justice, (of which he was wrongfully accused) they find out information with the help of a undercover friend (Gabe). On their way there, they tattoo the tattoo on the back of a dim-witted character name Sach, who gets kidnapped by being bribed with a slingshot. He then walks through water and washes off the map which he maintained. With lots of funny wise-cracks and slapstick, and the gang getting into trouble they find the real murderer and through torture they make him confess. Louie is brought to Texas by a Marshal of the town (Hangman's Hallow) and Sach captures the rest of the bad guys gang. Then, it turns out that Sach was just dreaming the entire movie.

The Bowery Boys originated their roles in "Dead End" a Broadway play and movie (1937) in which, some of them were killed. But, they came back alive for the movie "Angels with dirty faces". They started their own gang, and renamed it a few times to: "The Dead End Kids" to "Little Tough Guys", "The East Side Kids" and finally "The Bowery Boys". The Bowery stars of this film are:

Leo Gorcey as Terence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney

Huntz Hall as Horace Debussy 'Sach' Jones

Bernard Gorcey as Louie Dumbrowsky

David Gorcey as Chuck

Benny Bartlett as Butch

Gabriel Dell as Gabe and

Billy Benedict as Whity.

This may not be one of their best movies, but it is a very funny one. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Little Mother
Although this movie has its slow moments, Mary is once again successful in holding her audience. It is too bad she couldn't have children. She was great at caring for the orphans in this movie on and off film. The movie is adventurous and fun and one's heart goes out to the children on the screen.

One of Pickford's Best
The reason why Sparrows works so well as a film is that there is a genuine sense of threat. This is partly because the sets used for the film, although constructed on the Pickford-Fairbanks backlot, are remarkably convincing. The baby farm, where Mary Pickford and her group of orphans are held prisoner, looks old, rundown and dirty, while the swamp surrounding the farm looks fetid, diseased and fully of dangers. The quicksand, which was actually made from sawdust and cork ground up with water, seems ready to swallow up the unwary. The alligators guarding the swamp are real, but their apparent proximity to Pickford and the children is an illusion brought about through clever splicing of two separate images.

The sense of menace which pervades the film also owes a great deal to the performance of Gustav von Seyffertitz as Grimes the owner of the farm. His limping gait means that he creeps everywhere, becoming a looming presence. His looks can be compared to those of Max Schreck in Nosferatu, but von Seyfferitz's performance is not that of a monster from a horror film. The threat that his acting suggests is more realistic than the threat of a nightmare.

Sparrows is a film with a great deal of suspense mixed with some fine humour and emotion. Pickford, as usual, gives a sympathetic performance. She is feisty, resourceful and courageous.

The black and white print used for this DVD is in very good condition. The only slight query I have is with regard to its length. Sparrows is often listed as being between 81 and 84 minutes in length, yet the print for the Milestone DVD runs 107 minutes. It could be that DVD print includes additional material, alternatively it could be that it runs slower than other prints.

The DVD has as a bonus two Pickford Biograph shorts directed by D.W. Griffith. Both Wilful Peggy and The Mender of Nets are entertaining and considering their age look remarkably fine.

Mary, Mary, your movie's quite scary
Listen, contrary to the above, them ain't real alligators in the swamp chase; I saw it on a theatre screen, and I'm pretty sure I glimpsed their strings.

That said, this movie is scrumdiddlyumptious. It might be sentimental, but it's also macabre and intense enough that I've occasionally seen it referred to as a horror film. The atmosphere is so thick you can almost smell the swamp. I fell for it completely and was gasping through it along with the rest of the audience.

Pickford wasn't the shrinking violet her current image might suggest; as here, she played strongwilled girls who held up under awful conditions, and in real life she was one of the most powerful women in Hollywood's history. Here, she gets a villain & a challenge worthy of her.

Pickford's Best
Any doubts that may be held about Mary Picford's skill as an actress and the validity of her screen persona can be put to rest after watching "Sparrows". This is an absolutely beautiful film, and if they were handing out Oscars in 1926 Pickford would surely have been a contender.

The plot is faux-Dickens and it would be easy to sneer at the film's overt optimism and dated sentiment. But its a lovely film all around, with just the right blend of comedy, corn and thrills.

A special nod to some of the most beautiful camerawork I have had the pleasure of witnessing. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The 50's, Through Rose (Bowl) Colored Glasses
Vera Miles, who gave memorable performances in PSYCHO and BACK STREET, is very appealing in this simple love story set against the background of the annual Rose Bowl football game. A youthful Natalie Wood plays her kid sister, with the rest of the cast filled out by some rather mature-looking college guys.
The movie's plot is hardly worth mentioning, but what makes THE ROSE BOWL STORY watchable is its charming portrait of 1950's America. The opening narration (uncredited, but the voice sounds like Richard Carlson) sets the tone of the picture: this is the good old USA, land of solid citizens and proud of old-fashioned traditions.
In short, if you like vintage TV shows such as "Father Knows Best", you'll probably enjoy this movie. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

LASSIE:Martians at the Martins
I think this show was really good. It took a monkey from
out of space working a collie and young child, Jon Provost.
Everybody loves Lassie. I don't have a collie I have a sheltie
name Katie and she is my best friend and my companion. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

William Beaudine Made Over 500 Films. This Is One Of Them.
This is an amazing film. It is the last film ever made by William "One Shot" Beaudine, and was a real resume killer for almost everyone in the cast as well. This is the sequel to "Billy The Kid Versus Dracula" (Beaudine's second to last film) which starred John Carradine. Carradine said that "Billy The Kid Versus Dracula" was the worst movie he ever made. That is saying something coming from John Carradine. Now imagine that this film is the sequel. I have seen both, and I think that "Billy The Kid Versus Dracula" is marginally worse, but I can't imagine seeing these on a double bill, which is how they were typically shown.

The thing that makes this DVD special is the commentary track by Joe Bob Briggs. Joe Bob is a genius in his own right, and is super knowledgeable about any type of Grade B movies. Here he gives us the rundown of the cast and location history, and points out continuity gaffes which are so numerous that some of them would probably escape notice due to sheer volume without his help.

In the film Jesse and his gang have a rendezvous with fate with Dr. Frankenstein's granddaughter (Yeah, I know the title is inaccurate. It isn't the only thing in the film, either.) There are several subplots, most of which don't make sense, and possibly the single most stupefying ending in cinema history. The only thing really well done here is Igor's skull scar. Prepare yourself to laugh at everything else.

I watched the film without the commentary once, and with the commentary once. My advice is to just watch it with the commentary. Joe Bob makes sure you listen in whenever anything important happens (which isn't often) and provides plot summation throughout the film anyhow. Another reason is that sometimes the sound is poor and some of the cast (especially Narda Onyx and Estrelita) have bad accents and diction problems.

The movie gets five stars with Joe Bob's commentary turned on. With the commentary turned off it would get two simply as a lifetime achievement award for William Beaudine.

Great movie? No. Great commentary? Of course!
I can't speak for anyone else, but I bought this DVD solely for the Joe Bob Briggs commentary. I would watch him late at night on MonsterVision and always thought he was hilarious, and could also improve a film by interjecting interesting facts about it. He's a very well educated and talented writer and has a fantastic screen and voice presence. That makes him great on stuff like this.

"The stuff" in question... isn't so good. I love schlocky B-movies as much as the next person, but Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter beats the original Frankenstein's Daughter in the dull department- and that's saying a LOT. I couldn't imagine watching the whole thing without Briggs funny and enlightening commentary. Buy this if you're a fan of the film of Briggs, but if you're expecting a classic horror or western movie- search elsewhere.

The other half of the "Billy the Kid vs. Dracula" twin bill
I think it is safe to say that more people have heard about "Billy the Kid versus Dracula," the 1966 drive-in flick that had John Carradine hamming it up as the vampire count who is involved in a love triangle with the infamous American outlaw suddenly turned good guy, than have actually seen the film. But somehow I managed to remain ignorant of "Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter," made by the same writer (Carl K. Hittleman) and same director (William Beaudine) that same year (1966). Part of the reason that this film has seeped through the cracks of pop culture history is that it lacks the redeeming campy nature of the other film, which was at least laughably bad. This one will just make you wince.

"Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter" flips the situation of "Billy the Kid versus Dracula" with the cowboy coming to the monster this time around. Jesse James (John Lupton) is being pursued by Marhsal MacPhee (Jim Davis; that is right, Jock Ewing himself), so he hides out in Baron Frankenstein's hacienda, which is now being run by his granddaughter Maria (Narda Onyx) and her brother Rudolph (Steven Geray), both of whom have pretty bad fake German accents. She is a chip off the old mad scientist's block, and promptly turns Jesse's less than intelligent sidekick, Hank Tracy (Cal Bolder), into a bald zombie now named Igor. She has been experimenting with brain transplants on the local young boys and that has not been working out so well.

Believe it or not "historically" this film takes place between the disastrous James gang attempt to rob a bank in Northfield, Minnesota and Jesse's death (Jesse even calls himself "Mr. Howard"). There is also the Wild Bunch, led by Butch Curry, so that a large part of this film is a relatively straightforward western. It is only when Hank needs a doctor that Jesse ends up over at the Frankenstein place; however, I defy you to explain why Juanita (Estelita Rodriquez) would take anybody back there now that she has finally succeeded in getting away from the crazy sibling tag team. This film is literally a collision between these two genres, like Hittleman wrote two scripts for two different genres and then mixed them together.

If for some reason you feel compelled to watch this film, then I would strongly suggest you check out the DVD version, which benefits from being presented by Joe Bob Briggs. That alone has got to double the entertainment value of watching "Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter." If you decided to do a drive-in double feature by screening both this one and "Billy the Kid versus Dracula," the order in which you view the two films is pretty much irrelevant (i.e., I have no opinion on which order would either provide the most fun or result in the least amount of harm to your cinematic sensibilities).

"Blazing Saddles" Meets "Young Frankenstein"
Maria Frankenstein and her brother Rudolph have fled from Vienna, and have relocated to an abandoned mission in Arizona. Maria is trying to create the perfect zombie slave by replacing a man's brain with an artificial brain, but her experiments have all been failures. Maybe that's because her brother is opposed to the idea, and keeps injecting her patients with poison. Jesse James and his partner Hank Tracy join another outlaw gang to rob a stagecoach. Hank, a dimwitted, muscular giant, gets shot in the process. Jesse and Hank manage to escape and, along their travels, meet up with a peasant girl named Juanita. With her help, they make it to Doctor Frankenstein's place.

Drooling over the hulk Hank, the good Doctor operates on him to remove the bullet, and later operates on him to remove his brain. She successfully transplants the artificial brain, and renames her creation Igor. The first thing Maria does is to order Igor to kill her brother before Rudolph can inject him with poison. When Juanita and Jesse arrive on the scene, Maria orders Igor to kill Juanita. Unbeknownst to her, the big lug is sweet on Juanita. In the grand tradition of Frankenstein movies, the creation disobeys orders and kills its creator. After Igor kills Maria, he attacks his partner in crime. Juanita shoots Igor dead before he can kill Jesse James. Some may criticize this movie because of the basic incompatibility of the Western and horror movie genres, or because of its absurd plot. Still others will point to the bargain basement sets, the corny dialogue and the wooden acting. As for myself, I gave this movie five stars because it's so bad it's good!

Ouch! This movie's bad!
I purchased this movie just to see how campy it would be and it was terrible. I can't believe that William Beaudine (Producer) actually thought that this flick would sell? Anyway, I thought it would be fun but, it was one big waste of time...

Two thumbs down. Purchase it only if you must but, I wanted it for my collection. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Bruce Lee as Kato
This tape consists of 3 episodes from the "Green Hornet" t.v. series which were made into a 1974 theatrical release movie (according to the description on the back of the tape box). The film was edited to highlight some of Bruce's fight scenes from the t.v. series.

The Green Hornet is similar to the "Batman" t.v. series of the 60's but not quite as hokey. It is quite fun to see Bruce as Kato and brings back memories of seeing the series when I was a kid. Kinda cheesy but fun!

Technical fyi: the tape has been digitally re-mastered from a 35mm print in the original 1:1.85 theatrical aspect ratio, and also includes a documentary featurette on "Black Beauty"; Green Hornet's special custom car.

Another Bruce Lee classic video
The Green Hornet series was done in 1966. This is one of the first of many films in which Bruce Lee begins. From watching a few episodes, you can see why Bruce Lee became such a star! I mean, his movement in the shows are so quick compared to everybody else including the green hornet. My drawback in this film was that some of the storyline was kind of cheesy but if your a bruce lee fan, this'll be a video u must have!

don't have high hopes
if your a bruce lee fan you will like to see a young bruce lee in action but don't get to hyped up remember this was a 1960's television program.The fight scenes are not the type you will see in his movies.this really consists of three of the series plots put together one after the other.I liked this but I am a bruce lee fan.you will also get to see a young Mako..My main drawback is that it is in widescreen format. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Mary Pickford produced and stars in this absorbing melodrama, as Mama Molly, tomboy guardian to a tribe of abused orphans on a "baby farm" in a Gothic southern swamp. "The Devil's share in the world's creation," the swamp is a truly frightening place, with bottomless bog holes that suck up anything thrown into them in a matter of moments. The baby farm's proprietor, Grimes (Gustave von Seyffertitz), is the embodiment of evil, so mean he makes Scrooge look like Santa Claus. He's fond of tossing naughty babies into the sucking ooze (a perversity we hear about but never actually see). The little children are forced into slave labor by Grimes and his harridan wife (the scary Charlotte Mineau). Molly tries to keep the poor kids alive and well, but it's a losing battle.

The plot thickens when some kidnappers stash a wealthy toddler at the farm. Molly falls instantly in love with this roly-poly curly-top and protects her with her life. (A deliberate contrast is made between the well-fed moppet and the grubby, scrawny inhabitants of the baby farm.) When the police come nosing around looking for the kidnapped child, Grimes plans to throw her into the muck. Molly takes off with her and all the kids on a perilous flight across the swamp, narrowly escaping bog holes, pursuing dogs, and gaping-mawed alligators. It's a real nail biter. As always, the proceedings are leavened from beginning to end by Pickford's marvelous sense of humor. There are flashes of comic relief--even as Molly and the kids hang from a branch above the snapping gators--that put this film a cut above run-of-the-mill melodrama. --Laura Mirsky ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Little Mother
Although this movie has its slow moments, Mary is once again successful in holding her audience. It is too bad she couldn't have children. She was great at caring for the orphans in this movie on and off film. The movie is adventurous and fun and one's heart goes out to the children on the screen.

One of Pickford's Best
The reason why Sparrows works so well as a film is that there is a genuine sense of threat. This is partly because the sets used for the film, although constructed on the Pickford-Fairbanks backlot, are remarkably convincing. The baby farm, where Mary Pickford and her group of orphans are held prisoner, looks old, rundown and dirty, while the swamp surrounding the farm looks fetid, diseased and fully of dangers. The quicksand, which was actually made from sawdust and cork ground up with water, seems ready to swallow up the unwary. The alligators guarding the swamp are real, but their apparent proximity to Pickford and the children is an illusion brought about through clever splicing of two separate images.

The sense of menace which pervades the film also owes a great deal to the performance of Gustav von Seyffertitz as Grimes the owner of the farm. His limping gait means that he creeps everywhere, becoming a looming presence. His looks can be compared to those of Max Schreck in Nosferatu, but von Seyfferitz's performance is not that of a monster from a horror film. The threat that his acting suggests is more realistic than the threat of a nightmare.

Sparrows is a film with a great deal of suspense mixed with some fine humour and emotion. Pickford, as usual, gives a sympathetic performance. She is feisty, resourceful and courageous.

The black and white print used for this DVD is in very good condition. The only slight query I have is with regard to its length. Sparrows is often listed as being between 81 and 84 minutes in length, yet the print for the Milestone DVD runs 107 minutes. It could be that DVD print includes additional material, alternatively it could be that it runs slower than other prints.

The DVD has as a bonus two Pickford Biograph shorts directed by D.W. Griffith. Both Wilful Peggy and The Mender of Nets are entertaining and considering their age look remarkably fine.

Mary, Mary, your movie's quite scary
Listen, contrary to the above, them ain't real alligators in the swamp chase; I saw it on a theatre screen, and I'm pretty sure I glimpsed their strings.

That said, this movie is scrumdiddlyumptious. It might be sentimental, but it's also macabre and intense enough that I've occasionally seen it referred to as a horror film. The atmosphere is so thick you can almost smell the swamp. I fell for it completely and was gasping through it along with the rest of the audience.

Pickford wasn't the shrinking violet her current image might suggest; as here, she played strongwilled girls who held up under awful conditions, and in real life she was one of the most powerful women in Hollywood's history. Here, she gets a villain & a challenge worthy of her.

Pickford's Best
Any doubts that may be held about Mary Picford's skill as an actress and the validity of her screen persona can be put to rest after watching "Sparrows". This is an absolutely beautiful film, and if they were handing out Oscars in 1926 Pickford would surely have been a contender.

The plot is faux-Dickens and it would be easy to sneer at the film's overt optimism and dated sentiment. But its a lovely film all around, with just the right blend of comedy, corn and thrills.

A special nod to some of the most beautiful camerawork I have had the pleasure of witnessing. ... Read more

Description

After their success on Broadway, the 'Dead End Kids' were recruited by Hollywood. Eventually these young kids from the streets of New York became bonified celebrities, known as the 'Bowery Boys' and starred in over 50 films and serials. In this film the boys are accompanied by the comedy duo of Leo Gorcye and Huntz Hall. The combination of gangster melodrama and slapstick scenarios makes this Bowery Boys series a favorite for young and old alike. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Who Ya Gonna Call? Spook Busters!
The movie begins as most of the Bowery Boys are graduating from the College of Insect Extermination. Sach (Huntz Hall), the dumbbell of the group, flunked out! When the recent graduates set up shop in Louie's Sweet Shop, they get a call from a real estate agent. An old mansion, located next to a cemetery, needs extermination work done in preparation for selling it. Although it's supposedly abandoned, a mad doctor and his henchmen are using the place to conduct bizarre experiments. When the boys arrive, the bad guys try to scare them off. Lights inexplicably go on and off, knives and hatchets are hurled at them, and a message on the mirror warns them to get out while they're still alive. As Slip (Leo Gorcey) explains, they're just having "optical delusions." Later, Sach is playing the organ, which causes the wall to spin around. This leads to a staircase down to the basement, where Sach discovers the doctor's operating room. Locked in a cage behind closed doors is a giant gorilla! The mad doctor wants to transplant Sach's brain into the body of the gorilla. That plot device was used again, to much better effect, in "The Bowery Boys Meet The Monsters." (Why that Bowery Boys film, their most commercially successful, has never been released on video is a mystery to me.) While the rest of the boys are trapped in the house, Dell (Gabriel Dell) manages to escape and get the cops. They return to rescue the gang and arrest the evil doctor and his henchmen. The poor gorilla, who escaped from his cage, is shot dead in the process. Talk about exterminating pests! Any description for this film that states, "The boys try to exterminate some spooks from a haunted house," is inaccurate. "Spook Busters" is similar to "Ghostbusters" in name only.

GREAT NOSTAGIC FUN
When my brother and I were kids, our dad always watched Bowery Boys movies with us. Being, himself, a poor streets kid from Scranton, PA during pretty much the same era, he seemed to really connect with the flicks. This particular movie I remember enjoying thirty years ago, as I do today. It mixes the typical high jinx of all the Boys' movies with some innocuous monster movie spookiness. Great nostalgic fun for the adult, and great silly, G-rated fun for the kids. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The East Side Kids meet Bela Lugosi again!
The East Side Kids (Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan, Sammy Morrison, Bobby Stone, Billy Benedict, Stanley Clements) meet Bela Lugosi (Dracula [1931]) again! They met him before as "Nardo" in SPOOKS RUN WILD" (1941). This is the second East Side Kids film William Beaudine has directed since CLANCY STREET BOYS (1943). William Beaudine believes in one takes only if it can be done. It was not rare for an East Side Kid film to be done in six days. Boy did he keep a "one-take" this time! Bela thought he would have some fun. The scene where Bela Lugosi is inside the painting and sneezes the offensive word, "s***", was the first take. So Beaudine left it in the film. The plot this time: Jack (Rick Vallin) is going to marry Betty (Ava Gardner) and they have bought a huge house two miles out in the country from the subway. Later, the agent tells him, the house next door is haunted. Mugg's (Leo Gorcey) gets word that the Katzman's mob (an in-joke to producer, Stan Katzman) will crash the wedding. Bela Lugosi as "Emil" is in town. He doesn't want Jack to have that house on Elm Street. Even Emil's assistant tells him the house next door is haunted. The assistant gives him some cash and a business card to call to close the deal. Of course, he will not. Later, the boys find the card on the floor. The boys decide to decorate Jack's new house , but they go by the number on the card and go to the haunted house instead. They don't know the mistake they made. Watch the fun begin with the boys and Bela Lugosi. This is Bobby Jordan's last appearance with the East Side Kids until BOWERY CHAMPS (1944). Then re-joined them for the Bowery Boys films. The next films in the series: Mr. Muggs Steps Out (1943), MILLION DOLLAR KID (1944).

Have to love em!
The East Side Kids/Dead End Kids/Bowery Boys did it again. All your favorite guys are back again for some more fun. If you like Abbott & Costello...The Three Stooges....or The Little Rascals/Our Gang then your going to like these guys. Its fun for the whole family, good viewing you can trust with the kids. Add Bela Lugosi and a little old time spooky fun. Its good to finally see an almost forgotten piece of film history restored thanks to our friend Loyd Kaufman at Troma Studios.

East Side Kids vs. Nazi madmen
Thoroughly inane and forgettable mystery-comedy only worth watching if you are either a fan of so-bad-its-good type of movies and/or Ava Gardner. Beautiful Gardner plays a pre-stardom role as Betty, a sweet young thing who for some unexplained reason is kidnapped by a band of Nazis. The East Side Kids star as the inept group of local toughs who accidentally discover an abandoned house is harboring Nazi saboteurs plotting a takeover--so it is up to them to save Betty and the day! I suppose the misleading title is alluding to the villians and Bela Lugosi as their ringleader (in a thankless part) as the "ghosts," because there certainly are no spooks in this story, apart from the chills our bumbling "heroes" encounter and misinterpret as supernatural in origin. Lighthearted fluff which is entertaining enough if you have nothing better to do (as in my case) and is helped considerably by Gardner's magnetism, breezy pacing, and most of all--the movie's not taking itself seriously.

The East Side Kids Meet Bela Lugosi, Again.
Don't be fooled by the title. Ghosts have nothing to do with this movie. This is another encounter of our hapless heroes with the dark master of the poverty row horror film. This time the East Side Kids find Bela and his gang of Nazi spies occupying a local "haunted" house. These little low budget comedies don't pretend to be any more than they are. This film has the added attraction of a very young Ava Gardner in the unlikely role of Huntz Hall's sister. Bela Lugosi had become a low-budget standby at this point in his career. The East Side Kids, if not lovable, are tolerable in small doses. Due to a misunderstanding that is worthy of the Three Stooges, the boys mistake the deserted house for a honeymoon cottage that needs a good cleaning and decorating. The spooky manse has secret panels, revolving bookcases, paintings with moving eyes, and mysterious people creeping around. The mild thrills and chills are suitable for family viewing. There are a few low brow chuckles, but The East Side Kids and Bela Lugosi had better luck with the earlier "Spooks Run Wild," reviewed elsewhere in Amazon.com. Adjust your expectations accordingly. ;-) ... Read more

Reviews (6)

"I warn you. It's frightening."
That's the warning Dr. James Brewster's medical colleague gives Brewster's sister - - a ghost-hunting psychic - - before she sees Brewster changed into the Ape Man. It's also a warning for us. This is not one of Lugosi's better films. It's barely a step up from what he did with Ed Wood. But in one scene Lugosi evokes more pity than anything in Dracula.

Brewster (the filmmakers should have changed the character's name when they got Lugosi to play the part) injects himself with serum from living victims' spinal columns. (I saw the movie two days ago and I've already forgotten why he needs it.)

We watch Bela Lugosi, by this time fighting drug addiction in real life, shoot up. Then, even through bad monkey makeup, we see the shame and horror on his face as he realizes what he has become.

"I can't fight it," he says.

There's one other interesting thing in the movie. Low-budget pictures made during World War II dealt more explicitly with the fact of men going off to fight than ostensibly better movies with bigger stars. In Holiday Inn (1942) everyone wears dinner clothes and dances and drinks champagne on the Broadway Homefront, while in The Ape Man (1943) the cliché girl photog razzes the cliché cynical reporter about being 4-F (in one month he'll be Seaman Cyncial Reporter and kick Tojo's butt).

The last scene makes it clear the producers had no respect for themselves or their audience. Most of the movie is unspeakably bad. But if you get a chance, watch the first half hour to see one truthful moment with Bela Lugosi.

Uniquely silly Forties horror.
The only thing that saves this effort from a one-star rating is its enjoyable silliness, which is pretty extreme even for poverty row Forties horror flicks. This time, Bela Lugosi is "Dr. Brewster" (yet another Anglo-Saxon name for the exotic Hungarian!), whose unholy experiments with apes have given him a face-encircling beard, a slouching gait, and a tendency to sleep in a cage with his pet gorilla. He needs fresh spinal fluid (human only, please) to restore him to normal, so many complications ensue. His only ally is his sympathetic sister (Minerva Urecal), who addresses him as "you poor boy!" (Lugosi was about 60 at the time.) The film was aparently not even intended to be taken seriously, which is its one small saving grace. Even Lugosi is not as charismatic as usual.

A classic by Beaudine & Katzman.
A Monogram/Banner classic co-produced by Sam Katzman and directed by the one and only William Beaudine. Bela Lugosi is Dr. Brewster who has experimented with spinal fluids from a gorilla on himself. He is now slowly transforming to an ape himself and starts to regret what he has done. So Dr. Brewster and his pet gorilla (!) goes out killing people to get human spinal fluid so he can be cured. This is just as stupid as it sounds, and the film has a total lack of logic. But it's a fun and entertaining movie if you are into the genre of old horrors from the 40's. Well worth a look.

Bela Lugosi goes ape!
Here we have the local mad-scientist and gland expert (Bela Lugosi) working in his basement lab on his latest project. It seems while doing the usual mad-scientist thing of tampering in God's domain, he injected himself with some vaguely defined ape fluid. The ape stuff had some very unfortunate side-effects. Bela now goes around all hunched over, and wearing whiskers and a wig (both very phony). He swings his arms as he walks and mingles words with occasional grunts. Tragically, the only way he can stand upright as a man is to take injections of human spinal fluid. The only way to get human spinal fluid is to render humans inanimate (i.e., dead). The beneficial effect of the injections has become distressingly temporary; it doesn't last long enough for Bela to get rid of the whiskers and wig. Bela has taken to sleeping in the same cramped cage as Mr. Gorilla, his lab animal companion. The sexual overtones of this we won't even discuss.

This low-budget thriller is a good example of bad acting and unintended laughs. Bela Lugosi made some truly classic horror films, but this clunker isn't one of them. Lugosi and his gorilla pal lurking in doorways and alleys remind one of a simian version of Abbott and Costello. Bela is tall and slender while Mr. Gorilla is short and chubby. The snappy dialogue of the newspaper people is meant to be witty, but gets tiresome instead. The WWII jokes hopelessly date the film. The mysterious skinny guy wearing the goofy hat is a silly plot-twist gimmick that emphasizes the poor quality of the story. It's possible that dedicated Bela Lugosi fans or die-hard fans of old horror movies will find value in this movie. The recommended way for anyone else to view this movie is to use it as a "so dumb it's funny" party tape. Just be sure there has been sufficient imbibing of your favorite beverage to dull the senses.

Bela Lugousi needs a shave!!!!!
I really enjoyed Bela in this wacky but still good horror flick. I thought the end was the stupidist part where you find out who the mysterious man is. But other than that it was very good.4 1/2 stars ... Read more

Reviews (6)

"I warn you. It's frightening."
That's the warning Dr. James Brewster's medical colleague gives Brewster's sister - - a ghost-hunting psychic - - before she sees Brewster changed into the Ape Man. It's also a warning for us. This is not one of Lugosi's better films. It's barely a step up from what he did with Ed Wood. But in one scene Lugosi evokes more pity than anything in Dracula.

Brewster (the filmmakers should have changed the character's name when they got Lugosi to play the part) injects himself with serum from living victims' spinal columns. (I saw the movie two days ago and I've already forgotten why he needs it.)

We watch Bela Lugosi, by this time fighting drug addiction in real life, shoot up. Then, even through bad monkey makeup, we see the shame and horror on his face as he realizes what he has become.

"I can't fight it," he says.

There's one other interesting thing in the movie. Low-budget pictures made during World War II dealt more explicitly with the fact of men going off to fight than ostensibly better movies with bigger stars. In Holiday Inn (1942) everyone wears dinner clothes and dances and drinks champagne on the Broadway Homefront, while in The Ape Man (1943) the cliché girl photog razzes the cliché cynical reporter about being 4-F (in one month he'll be Seaman Cyncial Reporter and kick Tojo's butt).

The last scene makes it clear the producers had no respect for themselves or their audience. Most of the movie is unspeakably bad. But if you get a chance, watch the first half hour to see one truthful moment with Bela Lugosi.

Uniquely silly Forties horror.
The only thing that saves this effort from a one-star rating is its enjoyable silliness, which is pretty extreme even for poverty row Forties horror flicks. This time, Bela Lugosi is "Dr. Brewster" (yet another Anglo-Saxon name for the exotic Hungarian!), whose unholy experiments with apes have given him a face-encircling beard, a slouching gait, and a tendency to sleep in a cage with his pet gorilla. He needs fresh spinal fluid (human only, please) to restore him to normal, so many complications ensue. His only ally is his sympathetic sister (Minerva Urecal), who addresses him as "you poor boy!" (Lugosi was about 60 at the time.) The film was aparently not even intended to be taken seriously, which is its one small saving grace. Even Lugosi is not as charismatic as usual.

A classic by Beaudine & Katzman.
A Monogram/Banner classic co-produced by Sam Katzman and directed by the one and only William Beaudine. Bela Lugosi is Dr. Brewster who has experimented with spinal fluids from a gorilla on himself. He is now slowly transforming to an ape himself and starts to regret what he has done. So Dr. Brewster and his pet gorilla (!) goes out killing people to get human spinal fluid so he can be cured. This is just as stupid as it sounds, and the film has a total lack of logic. But it's a fun and entertaining movie if you are into the genre of old horrors from the 40's. Well worth a look.

Bela Lugosi goes ape!
Here we have the local mad-scientist and gland expert (Bela Lugosi) working in his basement lab on his latest project. It seems while doing the usual mad-scientist thing of tampering in God's domain, he injected himself with some vaguely defined ape fluid. The ape stuff had some very unfortunate side-effects. Bela now goes around all hunched over, and wearing whiskers and a wig (both very phony). He swings his arms as he walks and mingles words with occasional grunts. Tragically, the only way he can stand upright as a man is to take injections of human spinal fluid. The only way to get human spinal fluid is to render humans inanimate (i.e., dead). The beneficial effect of the injections has become distressingly temporary; it doesn't last long enough for Bela to get rid of the whiskers and wig. Bela has taken to sleeping in the same cramped cage as Mr. Gorilla, his lab animal companion. The sexual overtones of this we won't even discuss.

This low-budget thriller is a good example of bad acting and unintended laughs. Bela Lugosi made some truly classic horror films, but this clunker isn't one of them. Lugosi and his gorilla pal lurking in doorways and alleys remind one of a simian version of Abbott and Costello. Bela is tall and slender while Mr. Gorilla is short and chubby. The snappy dialogue of the newspaper people is meant to be witty, but gets tiresome instead. The WWII jokes hopelessly date the film. The mysterious skinny guy wearing the goofy hat is a silly plot-twist gimmick that emphasizes the poor quality of the story. It's possible that dedicated Bela Lugosi fans or die-hard fans of old horror movies will find value in this movie. The recommended way for anyone else to view this movie is to use it as a "so dumb it's funny" party tape. Just be sure there has been sufficient imbibing of your favorite beverage to dull the senses.

Bela Lugousi needs a shave!!!!!
I really enjoyed Bela in this wacky but still good horror flick. I thought the end was the stupidist part where you find out who the mysterious man is. But other than that it was very good.4 1/2 stars ... Read more