thejcowboy22 A Pygmalion theme is present in this episode of our Lower East Side slackers,(Our Bowery Boys)as two distinguished gentleman Billingsly and Stanhope argue over and debate whether an inner city roughian can be molded, transformed into an intellectuals by means of heredity or environment? After searching the bowels of the lower east side of New York these two esteemed colleagues observed Slip Mahoney (Leo Gorcey) and his knucklehead outspoken side kick Satch (Huntz Hall)arguing over some mundane problem of the day.The two gents follow the Slip and Satch and there extended group Butch and Chuck into Louie's Sweet Shop which doubles as a eating establishment and headquarter for our Bowery bunch. The two approach our boys and make them an offer to attend college and whip them into blue bloods. Slip Mahoney our unpolished Leader of the group famous for his obstruction of the English language with his malapropisms at every turn excepts their offer and off to Ivy University for all four infamous freshman. I found this to be personally humorous at the sight of these guys who are pushing thirty to be considered Boys, but it's never to late to learn. Now on to the Ivy Campus where the Boys are matriculating and trying to fit in their unfamiliar surroundings. Their first meeting with a very apprehensive Dean Forrester is very predictable as our boys are acting like bulls in a china shop. Dean Forrester who is handling his pride and joy his beautiful Ming Vase in his marble and mahogany clad office as he calls it, "My beautiful Ming Vace (VAAAAZ) as Satch has a hand in breaking the vase and the Dean's spirit as well. Next they run into football star Biff Wallace (John Broomfield) who looks down upon our uncouth freshman as the girls gravitate towards our Bowery brigade. Some of the classroom scenes are notable for example in Professor Grog's Math class. Satch who's lack of intelligence is questionable at best has the right answers to any math problem that is asked of him. The startled Professor looks in disbelief but Satch has adding machine under his desk which he types with his toes and gets the answers in seconds. On to Chemistry lab as Satch fiddles with chemicals based on the color and taste that suit him. Takes a bold taste and becomes Hurricane Jones with Super human strength. Satch tests his powers on the track and field area as he throws the javelin about a good mile in the air right through the Dean's window.Sadly our Dean was repairing his damaged Ming Vase gluing the last piece together as the javelin pierces the vase. Next you hear a simultaneous crying sound from our devastated Dean. Satch with the help of his super drug still fresh in his system, takes his skills to the Football field and out runs the whole squad into the ground. Each week goes by with huge headlines about Ivy's new star Hurricane Jones beating such and such college or University. By now Satch is making a name for himself as an All-American star player which makes Biff and organized gamblers take notice. Like most previous episodes Louie Dombrowsky joins in as this time he plays a duel role as himself and his cousin Morris who tends the Sweet Shop while our elderly Louie makes up some college credits. The Big game against State is coming up and Biff introduces Satch to Candy who's job is to vamp Satch. Keep him occupied and away from the stadium for the big game. Candy is connected to gambler racketeer Big Dave who has a lot of loot riding on State University. How this all turns out is sheer Bowery Boys comedy. Do I hear ROUTINE OMAHA?

classicsoncall This Ivy University is in a league of it's own when the Bowery Boys come calling. Former seasoned graduates of the esteemed college bet among themselves that it's possible to take a below average student and make them successful given the right environment. This all sounds strangely like the same idea that's gotten underachieving high school grads who can't read or do basic math, into degree programs today some sixty plus years later. Well, at least the Bowery Boys didn't need safe spaces on campus to make the grade, no place was safe once they arrived on the scene.Right around the time this film was coming out, Gloria Winters was about to begin a lengthy series run on TV's 'Sky King', so it was a nice surprise seeing her show up in this flick. She was Kirby Grant's niece Penny King in that show, so one might conclude that her name was borrowed from her character in this movie, Penny Wells. She didn't really have a lot to do here, but managed to be part of the 'in crowd' on campus so to speak, hanging out with the football team's hunky Biff Wallace (John Bromfield), girlfriend Katie (Mona Knox), and second string boyfriend Harold (Bob Nichols).This picture turns out to be Sach's (Huntz Hall) show pretty much all the way, as 'Hurricane' Jones concocts some magical lab potion that makes him a man of steel on the gridiron and Ivy University's newest football hero. To pass a fraternity hazing, the Boys do a drag routine at Louie's (Bernard Gorcey), who we learn after all this time that he has a brother Morris who looks just like him - who would have guessed?Well with a couple of hoods betting on Ivy's big season ending game with State University, Sach gets sidelined by the gang's moll Candy Calin (Veda Ann Borg), but it won't be enough to stop the Bowery juggernaut. Slip (Leo Gorcey) picks up the ball and manages to get tackled into the end zone on the last play of the game to notch a win for Ivy. To Slip's credit, this film offers him the opportunity to utter what might be the longest stream of malapropisms on record in any of the Bowery films, a degree worthy achievement in it's own right.

sol1218 ***SPOILES*** The "Bowery Boys" end up in the ivy league collage Ivy University on a full scholarship not because of their soring IQ's but for the exact opposite reasons. There not even qualified to attend grade school much less kindergarten.Diuring a boring session of chess two Ivy U alumnus' A,J Billingsley & Morgan T. Stanhope made a bet that anyone can attend and graduate from Ivy U if just given the chance even a borderline moron. And it's there where the boys, Slip Sach Junior Chuck & Butch, come in. Checking the poor and uneducated side of town, The Bowery, Billingsly & Stanhope come upon Louie's Sweet Shop and see the boys, acting like a bunch of jerks, in action and realize that they found what they were looking for. At collage things don't go quite right for the "Bowery Boys" in them making complete buffoons, which isn't that hard, of themselves. That's until Sach, who's known as test tube head, starts to play with chemicals in the collage's chemistry department. Mixing a batch of goodies and gulping them down Sach soon becomes superhuman to the delight of the frustrated collage's football team's coach Rowland. Putting Sach on the team he becomes its star running back getting Ivy U into the collage finals against the hated State University who had beaten it the last 15 straight times that the two teams met.***SPOILERS*** As you would have expected in films like this the local mobsters get involved in the big game in trying to fix it that the under dog State U who's a 1-3 in the betting wins with then putting a bundle of cash on it! The one thing that can make that happen is that Sach is somehow not able to get in the game. More or less average "Bowery Boys" movie with the exception of the ending that comes straight out of left field. In not that the person, Sach, whom you would have expected to come out of the bleachers or clubhouse and save the day for Ivy U but the person whom you would have expected to lose it!

fubared1 I find it difficult to understand how this trivial bit of fluff got such high ratings. Like many of us, I enjoyed these films when I was a child, but, unlike others, these haven't withstood the test of time well. About the only thing that still works in these 'comedies' are Leo Gorcey's malapropisms. The rest is just lame. Huntz Hall may have been better in his younger days, but by the time this was made, the group was well into their thirties, and showing signs of age. And the supporting gang members have absolutely nothing to do in this film. Apparently they were just there for decoration. They barely even have any lines to say. Even the physical humor is a series of lame and hackneyed bits stolen from a dozen other comedians. Gorcey's real-life father is just another annoying yiddish comedian. One can see why he only appeared in these films. I rated this a 4 only for nostalgia reasons. And at least it's short and not dull...for the most part.