Movie Review: Live Wires (1946)
Synopsis: No longer in high school, Slip Mahoney is struggling to hold onto a job, frustrating his sister, Mary, who has promised to take care of him. Not wanting to disappoint her, Slip reluctantly takes a job as a skip tracer and proves to be a natural. However, an assignment to serve a summon to auto thieves puts his life in danger and reveals information about Mary's boss, Herbert Sayers, just as she is about to travel to Mexico with him.
Who's in it? The movie stars Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Pamela Blake, John Eldredge and Bobby Jordan.
Review: It had been a short while since I last watched a Bowery Boys movie and, after coming across Live Wires, the first film to introduce that version of Leo Gorcey and his crew, I decided to take the time to watch it. After finishing it, I have to say I liked it.
While the movie was Slip (Gorcey) focused and had the rest of the Bowery Boys, even Sach (Hall) more in a supporting role, I thought the overall story was entertaining. It was intriguing to see Slip trying to make that transition to manhood while still holding onto his pride/arrogance that made him want to start at the top rather than work his way there.
His failures were some of the most entertaining things about this movie, whether it was his failed attempt to sell a miracle cleaner or getting fired minutes after Mary's (Blake) boss Sayers (Eldredge) gave him a job. However, him falling into the skip tracer business was something that made this movie believable because it just fit his personality so perfectly. You got to see his cunning side, such as when he repossessed a car but also caught a glimpse of his humanity when he did things like negotiate a $100 equity payment for a woman he had to repossess a ring from because he saw she was having a hard time financially.
I also found I liked the Slip/Mary brother/sister relationship in this film. It was clear this film was a comedy, but their interactions were kept wholesome and serious so there was no doubt she worried about him, and he cared enough about her not to want to be a disappointment and to become suspicious of her boss when she began seeing him socially. It made the rest of the movie work so much better in comparison.
Final Opinion: It probably could have used a bit more Huntz Hall but is still a film that has a good mix of comedy and seriousness, making it entertaining to watch. I'd recommend it.
My Grade: A
_____________________________________________________________________
Here are some reviews of other Bowery Boys movies:
Movie Review: The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters (1954)
Movie Review: Bowery Blitzkrieg (1941)
Comments
Post a Comment