''Blues Busters'' is a 1950 American
comedy film
The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
directed by
William Beaudine
William Washington Beaudine (January 15, 1892 – March 18, 1970) was an American film director. He was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, turning out a remarkable 179 feature-length films in a wide variety of genres.
He is best know ...
and starring
The Bowery Boys. The film was released on October 29, 1950 by
Monogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...
and is the twentieth film in the series.
Plot
Sach develops an uncanny ability to sing, after having his tonsils removed, and Slip convinces Louie to turn his sweet shop into a
nightclub
A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...
, The Bowery Palace, after unsuccessfully trying to get Sach a singing job at a neighboring club, The Rio Cabana.
After Sach's singing makes him a star, Rick Martin, the owner of the now-rival club, tries to hire him away but is unsuccessful. Rick gets his lady friend, Lola, to get Sach to sign a contract with him, using the pretense that she is asking for his autograph. Rick then goes after the Bowery Palace's other star, Sally Dolan. She, however, does not want to go because Rick is after more than just her singing talent. She tips off Lola about what Rick is up to and Lola agrees to testify that Sach's signature was just an autograph and not a signed contract, thereby allowing him to return to the Bowery Palace. However, by this time Sach has gone to a doctor to help cure the "tickle in his throat' and he has lost the ability to sing.
Cast
The Bowery Boys
*
Leo Gorcey
Leo Bernard Gorcey (June 3, 1917– June 2, 1969) was an American stage and film actor, famous for portraying the leader of a group of street-wise city toughs known variously as the Dead End Kids, East Side Kids, the East Side Kids, and as adults ...
as Terrance Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney
*
Huntz Hall
Henry Richard "Huntz" Hall (August 15, 1920 – January 30, 1999) was an American radio, stage, and movie performer who appeared in the popular "Dead End Kids" movies, including ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (1938), and in the later "The Bowe ...
as Horace Debussy 'Sach' Jones
*
William Benedict as Whitey
*
David Gorcey as Chuck
*
Buddy Gorman
Charles J. "Buddy" Gorman''Hollywood's Made-To-Order-Punks: The Complete Film History of the Dead End Kids, Little Tough Guys, East Side Kids, and Bowery Boys,'' Richard Roat, BearManor Media, 2010. (September 2, 1921 – April 1, 2010) was an A ...
as Butch
Remaining cast
*
Gabriel Dell as Gabe Moreno
*
Adele Jergens as Lola Stanton
*
Bernard Gorcey
Bernard Gorcey (born Baruch Ugorsky; 9 January 1886 – 11 September 1955) was an American actor. He began in Vaudeville, performed on Broadway, and appeared in multiple shorts and films. He portrayed ice cream shop proprietor Louie Dumbrowski i ...
as Louie Dumbrowski
*
Craig Stevens as Rick Martin
*
Phyllis Coates as Sally Dolan
* William Vincent as Teddy Davis
*
Virginia Herrick (uncredited)
Production
The working title of the film was ''The Bowery Thrush''. It is the last Bowery Boys film with
Gabriel Dell. Tired of taking a back seat to co-stars
Leo Gorcey
Leo Bernard Gorcey (June 3, 1917– June 2, 1969) was an American stage and film actor, famous for portraying the leader of a group of street-wise city toughs known variously as the Dead End Kids, East Side Kids, the East Side Kids, and as adults ...
and
Huntz Hall
Henry Richard "Huntz" Hall (August 15, 1920 – January 30, 1999) was an American radio, stage, and movie performer who appeared in the popular "Dead End Kids" movies, including ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (1938), and in the later "The Bowe ...
, he decided to quit the series.
Home media
The film was released twice on home media, first on VHS by Warner Brothers on September 1, 1998 and then
Warner Archives released the film on made-to-order
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
in the United States as part of ''"The Bowery Boys, Volume One"'' on November 23, 2012.
Soundtrack
* "Wasn't It You?"
** Written by Ben Raleigh and Bernie Wayne
** Played on a radio and sung by Huntz Hall (dubbed by John Laurenz)
* "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho"
** Traditional spiritual
** Sung by Adele Jergens in a nightclub (dubbed by Gloria Wood)
* "Bluebirds Keep Singin' in the Rain"
** Written by Johnny Lange and Eliot Daniel
** Published by Bulls Eye Music Inc. (ASCAP)
** Played on piano by Gabriel Dell
** Sung by Huntz Hall (dubbed by John Laurenz)
** Reprised by Huntz Hall in the nightclub (dubbed by John Laurenz)
* "Let's Have a Heart to Heart Talk"
** Written by Billy Austin, Edward Brandt and Paul Landers
** Played on piano by Gabriel Dell
** Sung by Huntz Hall (dubbed by John Laurenz)
** Reprised by Huntz Hall in the nightclub (dubbed by John Laurenz)
* "You Walk By"
** Written by Ben Raleigh and Bernie Wayne
** Played by the orchestra with Gabriel Dell on piano
** Sung by Huntz Hall (dubbed by John Laurenz)
* "Better Be Lookin' Out for Love"
** Written by Ralph Wolf and Johnny Lange
** Sung by Adele Jergens in a nightclub (dubbed by Gloria Wood)
* "Swanee River"
** Written by Stephen Foster (as Stephen Collins Foster)
** Jazzy version played by Gabriel Dell on piano
** Danced to by William 'Billy' Benedict, David Gorcey and Buddy Gorman
* "Dixie's Lan"
** Written by Daniel Decatur Emmett
** Sung by Leo Gorcey
According to a July 3, 1950 ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' news item, singer Bob Carroll was the singing double for Huntz Hall, but reviews credit John Laurenz as his singing double. Carroll's participation in the final film has not been confirmed.
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blues Busters
1950 films
Bowery Boys films
American black-and-white films
1950s English-language films
1950 comedy films
Monogram Pictures films
Films directed by William Beaudine
American comedy films
1950s American films
Films set in nightclubs
Films about singers