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The Bowery Boys
Mar. 31st, 2006 09:39 pmI mentioned a while back that Jimmy Murphy was in five movies of the Bowery Boys comedy series in the late fifties. Well, I've been dying to watch them. Someone whom I've been talking with in The_Bowery club at Yahoo told me about this awesome website called http://www.forgottenfilms.biz They sell all kinds of rare and out-of-print movies, and they have lots of Bowery Boys films, including all five of the ones with Jimmy Murphy. Nearly two weeks ago I picked one to try and they sent it early this week. I got it Wednesday, and I've seen it three times already. XD I'm especially pleased that it isn't just Jimmy's character that I like. The whole thing was a lot of fun and I liked all the characters, pretty much. It really gave me a sense of nostalgia. I just love old movies, and seeing that one reminded me just how much I do.
The one I picked was called Spook Chasers. XD The guy who runs the cafe the boys hang out at needs a long rest because of being so high-strung. This con man sells him a house out in the country, and it turns out to be a dump. It's also a gangster's hideout and there's a stash of money there. Then some other gangsters want it back, and they're trying to scare everyone away by pretending to be ghosts. It's a simple enough plot, and there were some frequently used clichés (such as laying in bed with the "spook"), but the Boys put their own twist on things and made it really enjoyable.
The later movies aren't as well-liked as the earlier ones, I'm told, and I think it's mainly because of cast changes. Originally the two main characters were Sach and Slip, and then towards the end the actor playing Slip dropped out and they had to get someone new, so they brought in someone else and he played a character called Duke. I know I tend to get mad about cast changes myself, but since I'm coming in on the later films, I have nothing to compare them to. I liked it fine. ^^ All I can say is, if that's considered one of their lesser movies, I can only imagine how great the films are that were made during their "prime." I like them enough that I want to keep seeing the movies, even the ones without Jimmy. XD; But I want to see all the ones with him, first. I ordered two more from Forgotten Films.
I was a bit worried before I saw the film, wondering if the Boys would be anything like the Three Stooges, whom I do not care for. There was a discussion going on in The_Bowery where they were comparing the two comedy teams, but then someone pointed out some things and said that the Boys seem more "real" than the Stooges, more like real friends that you could invite over for tea. Someone else agreed and said that while they loved the Stooges, they'd be a bit afraid to have them over for tea. LOL. But anyway, they were right. I found the characters to be lovable and real, and that's probably one of the things that appealed to me so much.
The main characters are as follows:
Duke: The leader. He always wears a suit and a fedora-type hat. He had a chip on his shoulder for most of the film. XD; He was ticked off at Sach's antics, and sometimes he snapped at Blinky, as well. Looking at it from his point of view, there was definitely a lot of idiocy to be mad about, but he still seemed a little too mean.
Sach: The idiot. XD; Actually, he's really quite well-meaning and isn't as stupid as he could be. He has his moments, and Duke should give him more credit. He's also a good, loyal friend. He's probably my favorite character, other than Myron.
Blinky: The nerd. XD His glasses don't seem to work too well and he made some strange blunders in the film, such as dipping the brush in the wrong cup and trying to varnish a table with Duke's coffee. He can be brave, such as when he attacked one of the "spooks".
Myron: Jimmy's character. He seems rather aloof and distant to me. Even when he's around the others, he seems to keep to himself. He's also sarcastic. XD "It's a nice place to grow poison ivy." He's a bit of a jerk toward Sach sometimes, twice calling him an idiot, but it's nothing like the rants Duke throws. XD
Chuck: I really don't have too much of an opinion on him yet. ^^; He didn't do much in the film that really stood out, except for getting tied up and locked in a closet with Myron.
I love them all, really, except for not really having much opinion on Chuck. Myron's kind of a background character, too, but he did more in the film than Chuck did. Plus, Myron's played by Jimmy Murphy. XD; **laughs.**
And I've started writing the fic where the Monkees are taken by Doctor Mendoza, the mad scientist. The guy has Tony and the others, and even Peter, brainwashed, but Baby Face hasn't been brainwashed and he's ticked off about the whole thing. So now the other three Monkees are figuring that they'll have to form a truce and help each other get out of the mess. XD The story's being written so far like a Monkees dramedy, but it will get a bit darker as it goes on (while still keeping the Monkees' humor intact, of course). There'll be both physical and mental torture, and the effects of it on not just the Monkees, but the mobsters as well.
The one I picked was called Spook Chasers. XD The guy who runs the cafe the boys hang out at needs a long rest because of being so high-strung. This con man sells him a house out in the country, and it turns out to be a dump. It's also a gangster's hideout and there's a stash of money there. Then some other gangsters want it back, and they're trying to scare everyone away by pretending to be ghosts. It's a simple enough plot, and there were some frequently used clichés (such as laying in bed with the "spook"), but the Boys put their own twist on things and made it really enjoyable.
The later movies aren't as well-liked as the earlier ones, I'm told, and I think it's mainly because of cast changes. Originally the two main characters were Sach and Slip, and then towards the end the actor playing Slip dropped out and they had to get someone new, so they brought in someone else and he played a character called Duke. I know I tend to get mad about cast changes myself, but since I'm coming in on the later films, I have nothing to compare them to. I liked it fine. ^^ All I can say is, if that's considered one of their lesser movies, I can only imagine how great the films are that were made during their "prime." I like them enough that I want to keep seeing the movies, even the ones without Jimmy. XD; But I want to see all the ones with him, first. I ordered two more from Forgotten Films.
I was a bit worried before I saw the film, wondering if the Boys would be anything like the Three Stooges, whom I do not care for. There was a discussion going on in The_Bowery where they were comparing the two comedy teams, but then someone pointed out some things and said that the Boys seem more "real" than the Stooges, more like real friends that you could invite over for tea. Someone else agreed and said that while they loved the Stooges, they'd be a bit afraid to have them over for tea. LOL. But anyway, they were right. I found the characters to be lovable and real, and that's probably one of the things that appealed to me so much.
The main characters are as follows:
Duke: The leader. He always wears a suit and a fedora-type hat. He had a chip on his shoulder for most of the film. XD; He was ticked off at Sach's antics, and sometimes he snapped at Blinky, as well. Looking at it from his point of view, there was definitely a lot of idiocy to be mad about, but he still seemed a little too mean.
Sach: The idiot. XD; Actually, he's really quite well-meaning and isn't as stupid as he could be. He has his moments, and Duke should give him more credit. He's also a good, loyal friend. He's probably my favorite character, other than Myron.
Blinky: The nerd. XD His glasses don't seem to work too well and he made some strange blunders in the film, such as dipping the brush in the wrong cup and trying to varnish a table with Duke's coffee. He can be brave, such as when he attacked one of the "spooks".
Myron: Jimmy's character. He seems rather aloof and distant to me. Even when he's around the others, he seems to keep to himself. He's also sarcastic. XD "It's a nice place to grow poison ivy." He's a bit of a jerk toward Sach sometimes, twice calling him an idiot, but it's nothing like the rants Duke throws. XD
Chuck: I really don't have too much of an opinion on him yet. ^^; He didn't do much in the film that really stood out, except for getting tied up and locked in a closet with Myron.
I love them all, really, except for not really having much opinion on Chuck. Myron's kind of a background character, too, but he did more in the film than Chuck did. Plus, Myron's played by Jimmy Murphy. XD; **laughs.**
And I've started writing the fic where the Monkees are taken by Doctor Mendoza, the mad scientist. The guy has Tony and the others, and even Peter, brainwashed, but Baby Face hasn't been brainwashed and he's ticked off about the whole thing. So now the other three Monkees are figuring that they'll have to form a truce and help each other get out of the mess. XD The story's being written so far like a Monkees dramedy, but it will get a bit darker as it goes on (while still keeping the Monkees' humor intact, of course). There'll be both physical and mental torture, and the effects of it on not just the Monkees, but the mobsters as well.
