Movie Review: Master Minds (1949)

Synopsis: When Sach eats too much candy, he develops a toothache that causes him to be able to see into the future. Slip, Gabe and the rest of the Bowery Boys take advantage of this and turn him into a successful sideshow attraction. However, a newspaper article about Sach's clairvoyance attracts the attention of Dr. Druzik, who wants to put Sach's brain into Atlas, a monster he has created.

Who's in it? The movie stars Huntz Hall, Leo Gorcey, Alan Napier, Gabriel Dell, Jane Adams and Glenn Strange.

Review: I had no idea what movie I wanted to watch this morning so, undecided and running out of time, I went with something familiar and found a Bowery Boys film, Master Minds. It might have been a last second decision, but it turned out to be a good one.

This is a film that is basically two movies in one. The first half, featuring Sach's (Hall) newly discovered ability and the way his friends, especially Slip (Gorcey), were abusing that gift to the point of letting him rot his teeth probably would have made a great film on its own. Adding a traditional mad scientist/brain swap with a monster plot only added to it.

The movie does a great job showcasing Huntz Hall's comedy style, especially the physical comedy whenever he was temporarily turned into a monster. Hearing his voice come out of Atlas (Strange) was also fun, albeit something that wasn't necessarily original, especially since the creature managed to mimic a lot of Sach's body language, selling it.

Dr. Druzik (Napier) meanwhile worked as a villain. His experiments had a clear, evil purpose to them and he wasn't above blackmailing his assistant Nancy (Adams) to keep her helping him or afraid to take a human life if needed. The film did a good job keeping him that way throughout rather than ruining a good thing by having him attempt to be more comedic (as too many other films would do).

I also liked how the movie made full use of its ensemble cast. A lot of other Bowery Boys films focus almost entirely on Slip or Slip and Sach. This one remembered there were other talented actors. Whitey (William "Billy" Benedict) especially seemed to get more of a role, almost filling in for Sach when he wasn't on screen while Gabe (Dell) got quite a bit of screen time to himself. And, of course, the shopkeeper Louie (Bernard Gorcey) got a chance to make his mark as well. It was a good balance between giving characters their chance to shine without bogging down the movie.

Final Opinion: There are, as mentioned, some elements that aren't overly original. The overall movie though is entertaining, funny and fun to watch. I would recommend it.

My Grade: A

_____________________________________________________________________________

Here are some reviews of other movies featuring mad scientists:

Movie Review: Voodoo Woman (1957)

Movie Review: Indestructible Man (1956)

Movie Review: The Neanderthal Man (1953)

Movie Review: Frankenstein's Daughter (1958)