Live Wires (1946)

Slip gets fired from his job at a construction company for decking his boss. His sister, who got him a job at the company, is angry with him. Slip manages to get a job with the District ... See full summary »

Director:

Phil Karlson

Writers:

Josef Mischel, Tim Ryan,

Stars:

Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Mike Mazurki

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leo Gorcey	...	Terrence 'Slip' Mahoney
Huntz Hall	...	'Sach' Jones
Mike Mazurki	...	Patsy 'Pat' Clark
Bobby Jordan	...	Bobby
William 'Billy' Benedict	...	Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
William Frambes	...	Homer
Claudia Drake	...	Jeanette
Pamela Blake	...	Mary Mahoney
John Eldredge	...	Herbert L. Sayers
Patti Brill	...	Mabel, the Waitress
Bernard Gorcey	...	Jack Kane
Bill Christy	...	Boyfriend (Dynamite Doyle) (as Billy Christy)
Nancy Brinckman	...	Girlfriend
Robert Emmett Keane	...	Mr. Barton (as Robert E. Keane)
Earle Hodgins	...	Barker

Storyline

Slip gets fired from his job at a construction company for decking his boss. His sister, who got him a job at the company, is angry with him. Slip manages to get a job with the District Attorney serving warrants, as does Sach. Through his job, Slip finds out that all is not quite kosher at his old construction company, and that his sister may be in danger.

---

Plot Keywords:

mistaken identity | merchandise repossession | fistfight | fired from the job | brother sister relationship | 

---

Taglines:

They'll Short-Circuit Your Funnybone!

---

Genres:

Comedy | Crime

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 January 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

O Cadáver Esperto

Company Credits

Production Co:

Monogram Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

65 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first of 48 Bowery Boys movies. In 1945, when East Side Kids producer Sam Katzman refused to grant Leo Gorcey's request to double his weekly salary, Gorcey quit the series, formed his own production company (owning 40% of it) with his agent Jan Grippo called Jan Grippo Productions, revamped the format including getting rid of the teenaged stories and rechristened the series The Bowery Boys (i.e., "Leo Gorcey and The Bowery Boys").

---

Connections

Followed by News Hounds (1947)

---

Soundtracks

"The Right Sort of Man"
Composer unknown
Sung by Claudia Drake at the nightclub

User Reviews

The East Side Kids turn into The Bowery Boys

As this was the first entry in "The Bowery Boys" film series, it seems a good time for a Bowery kid round-up. After "Dead End" (1937) hit big, the original gang of six screen scene stealers - Billy Halop, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan, Leo Gorcey, Gabriel Dell, and Bernard Punsly - became "The Dead End Kids" aka "The Little Tough Guys". The alternating name was dictated by interpersonal studio and actor conflicts, with the main group evolving into "The East Side Kids". This group regularly featured half the original team - Mr. Jordan, Mr. Gorcey, and Mr. Hall (along with others). The original leader, Mr. Halop quit after leading the "Little Tough Guy" group; later, he would be employed to start "The Gas House Kids" (which included Bowery regular Benny "Bennie" Bartlett). Mr. Dell would continue to make his irregular appearances, and Mr. Punsly retired altogether.

Presently, popular "East Side Kid" leader Gorcey and manager Jan Grippo gained the upper "East Side" hand, and took control of the series. Continuing as "The Bowery Boys" are Gorcey (as Terrence "Slip" Mahoney), Hall (as "Sach"), Jordan (as "Bobby"), and William "Billy" Benedict (as "Whitey"). Brother David Gorcey took the week off, but father Bernard Gorcey appears in "Louie's Sweet Shop" (though not yet as its proprietor). Filling in for the former is William Frambes (as Homer), in a one-shot appearance as a Bowery Boy; previously, Mr. Frambes was as a member of rival group "The Cherry Street Boys" (with Billy Benedict) in the East Side Kids' "Clancy Street Boys" (1943). "Live Wires" is fairly typical plot-wise. Gorcey unwittingly gets a job as a snake-oil salesman, with the gang assisting; inevitably, the get-rich-quick scheme leads to gangsters.

**** Live Wires (1/12/46) Phil Karlson ~ Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Mike Mazurki, Bobby Jordan