News Hounds (1947) User Reviews

Pressed Suits

[wes-connors · 6/10 · 13 June 2009]

While working at the "New York Daily Chronicle", "The Bowery Boys" get involved in exposing a gambling ring. Journalistic leader Leo Gorcey (as Slip Mahoney) is the newspaper's copy boy - and aspiring investigative reporter. Hapless Huntz Hall (as Sach Jones) wants to be a photographer. Bobby Jordan (as Bobby), William "Billy" Benedict (as Whitey), and David Gorcey (as Chuck) help deliver the papers. Former chum turned mob flunky Gabriel Dell (as Gabe) provides the lads with libelous leads. And, fatherly Bernard Gorcey (as Louie) runs their "Sweet Shop" headquarters.

The Bowery regulars follow an intermittently clever screenplay, by Tim Ryan and Edmond Seward, which makes this one of the more enjoyable movies of the series. The Ryan/Seward writing team would reach a peak with their follow-up "Bowery Buckaroos" (October 1947). And, Ryan, a notable character actor, essays one of his bigger Bowery roles, as "Chronicle" editor John "Bullfrog" Burke. The bad guys, led by Anthony Caruso (as "Dapper" Dan Greco) - "Greco, it's quite an accomplishment to be the village idiot in a town the size of New York" - and Ralph Dunn (as "Dutch" Miller) lead a perfect supporting cast.

****** News Hounds (8/13/47) William Beaudine ~ Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan, Gabriel Dell

News Hounds (1947) ***

[JoeKarlosi · 7/10 · 22 April 2010]

Good entry in the Bowery Boys series has a more busy plot line than usual, but that actually works in its favor. Some fun chuckles abound when frustrated copy boy Slip (Leo Gorcey) tries to get a big newspaper story happening around a group of criminals involved in a fixed boxing match (one of them is John Hamilton who'd later wind up as Perry White on TV's SUPERMAN). We get to see Gorcey once again doing his "smooth-talking tough guy in a suit" act as he impersonates another crime boss, and it's hilarious when he mangles the English language in the process (like talking about dealing with the weather's "heat and humility", which he says with a straight deadpan face). And Leo's mixed-up words in general are well-misconstrued this time around. Bernard Gorcey's Louie the sweet shop owner is getting funnier at this point, and Huntz Hall as Sach starts trying really hard to get some laughs (with mixed results for this viewer). Three Stooges regular Christine McIntyre plays the pretty blonde publisher of the newspaper, and Nita Bieber is drop-dead easy on the eyes as Gabriel Dell's latest girlfriend. Speaking of Gabe, it's still difficult to know what to make out of his "friend/foe" appearances in this series. He always struck me as an actor that wanted to try and stand out from the rest of the boys, but usually comes off as an unwelcome liability in these films. *** out of ****

Not among the gang's best.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 22 March 2020]

Generally, the earlier Bowery Boys films were better than the later ones. "News Hounds", the seventh film in the series, is proof that some of the early films would be rather poor. This is a bit surprising since the film still has Bobby Jordan (he left after the next film due to his having less and less to do in these movies)...and he was a good addition to the gang.

Inexplicably, Slip (Leo Gorcey) wants to be a reporter. Considering he never talked about this in any of the movies before or after, this is a surprise. Considering he's a complete moron who cannot write a coherent sentence, his aspirations are a bit odd. In order to get his name in print, Slip and the gang are determined to get the goods on some local gamblers who are fixing sporting events. The problem is that they need proof...not just gut instincts and suspicions. Slip's eagerness to do this results, in part, in a lawsuit against the paper, so it's up to the gang to prove conclusively to the court that the news story published about the crooks is accurate...and that seems very unlikely.

So is this any good? Not particularly...though it's not among the Bowery Boys' very worst...and certainly NOT among their best. It's passable entertainment only and offers few surprises and is a surprisingly dull outing.

"Scoop" Mahoney-- 5 Star Reporter

[curly-17 · 5 December 2000]

Slip Mahoney is working as a copy boy for a large N.Y. newspaper, and has aspirations of being a reporter; Sach is a photographer. Slip wants to expose big-time gamblers, like Dapper Dan Greco, who are fixing sporting events. Slip is assisting a reporter, Mark Morgan, whose girlfriend is Jane Ann Connelly (Christine McIntyre, who was in 32 "Three Stooges" shorts). One of Greco's henchmen, Gabe, is arrested and immediately sprung. Gabe heads to Louie's sweetshop, to talk to the Bowery Boys, and show off his girlfriend Mame. In the sweetshop, Mame (the fabulous Nita Bieber), strikes a cute pose and says, "I've gotta watch my figure." Gabe (noticing Slip, Whitey, Chuck and Bobby staring) retorts, "Well, there's no sense ALL of us watching it!" However, Gabe's tip sets the Bowery Boys into action. Slip and Sach go undercover, approaching crime kingpin Greco, in their aliases "Pete the Blaster" and "Ermine the Crow." Saying they are working for Dutch Miller, they get the inside scoop on the sports fixing racket. But the Bowery Boys get their tell-all story printed in headlines too soon, without photo evidence of their accusations. The newspaper gets sued for $4 million libel. "Gee, ain't that swell," says nitwit Sach, "we're libel to get $4 million!" How will they get out of this mess? Watch the movie and enjoy it. Overall, it's a bit too serious and has too much plot for your typical Bowery Boys movie. But for fans of the series, watching any of their movies is the "pinochle" of enjoyment.

The Tell Tale Picture

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 17 April 2010]

As the title News Hounds would indicate this Bowery Boys feature is about the fourth estate as Leo Gorcey gets a job as a junior reporter. Junior that is to regular reporter Bill Kennedy who is on the trail of a story about the mob muscling in on boxing. A story that's as old as time, but still occurs with depressing regularity.

But Gorcey might just have the goods on the mob this time as a respectable citizen played by John Hamilton is caught with a picture with mobster Anthony Caruso. Huntz Hall does the picture snapping, but in the usual manner of Bowery Boy efficiency he loses the camera. The picture becomes the object of everyone's search including the law.

News Hounds is a good feature from the Bowery Boys series. One thing I can't understand is given Leo Gorcey's command of the English language who would hire him at any job where writing skills are required?

Or am I being petty?

"Judge, I'll reimburse that order to the best of my debility."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 21 December 2015]

Well let the quips fall where they may as Slip Mahoney (Leo Gorcey) would be fond of saying. Actually, a job as a newspaper reporter at the New York Daily Chronicle would have been the ideal gig for Slip, a place where he could continue his unrestrained assault on the English language.

You really have to admire the perspective these films of the era provided when it comes to the value of a buck. The story opens with Sach (Huntz Hall) sweating it out over a loan of thirty five cents that Bobby (Bobby Jordan) made to him. Think about that one for a minute. And Bobby was coming back at the end of the day to collect!

This time out, Slip, Sach and the gang get involved with gangsters running a sports betting racket, with Slip hoping to get the big scoop that nails the bad guys. Things never work out in a straight line for the Bowery Boys and it's no different here. Before it's all over, the hoods wind up in court undergoing cross examination by Slip - what??!!

Well just like a lot of B Westerns of the era, none of this had to make much sense for the matinée fans of the day. After all the shenanigans played out, youngsters watching these stories eventually got to see the Bowery Boys come out on top and the story could be counted on to help those young fans extinguish right from wrong (as Slip would say).

Followers of the Bowery Boys would get to see them hamming it up as gangsters once again a year later in 1948's "Angels in Disguise". Guess how that one starts out - Slip and Sach open the story as copy boys at, where else, The New York Daily Chronicle!

Bowery Boys with Slip and Sach

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 18 November 2023]

Slip is a newspaper copy boy and tries to write a story. The editor rejects him right off the bat although reporter Mark Morgan tries to be helpful. Slip brings the boys along while pretending to be Press. At the police station, they find acquaintance Gabe being taken by the police. Slip and Sach go undercover to do investigative reporting.

The boys do a bit of pretend-gangster, some Three Stooges, and finally a court drama. I can do without the court drama. It's the least interesting. I'm always a sucker for the Three Stooges and Sach does the eye poke block. That made me giddy. This is basic Bowery Boys hijinx.

The quality of Journalism takes a Dip thanks to Slip.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 17 October 2014]

Sooner or later, every comedy team is going to do one of several formulas: a western spoof, a horror spoof, and a comedy where they turn the world of journalism upside down. The Bowery Boys touched on each of these themes several times, and in the case of "News Hounds", they combine it with an organized crime/sports theme as well. Slip is a copy boy out to get the scoop so he can begin his own career in "joynalism" and after a fighter takes a fall in a boxing match he's at, he's convinced he's got the story that will move him past barks of "Copy Boy! Copy Boy!". Photographer Sach has pictures of some big wig businessmen involved in the scam, but if the bad guys have their way, the pictures will never surface. A little street imp also stands in Sach's way, basically bullying him into falling down stairs and losing the evidence.

The Bowery Boys movies were a series that you had to take with a grain of salt and not look at with the intention of learning something new about life on the lower East Side. They are pretty much cartoon characters, with Slip and Sach the equivalent of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Sach is dumb like no other character in movies, piling up tables one on top of each other just so he can get the perfect camera shot. Of course, you know that they are going to start wobbling, and in Sach's case, when weebles wobble, they do fall down. He's both cowardly and child-like, so ridiculously out there and off the wall that you have to wonder if Bob Denver's "Gilligan" and "Scooby Doo's" Shaggy were based on his characters. Slip continues his move from career to career, always pathetically incompetent but amusing with his destruction of the English language. Still enjoyable, these are with few exceptions fun to watch burlesques of a fantasy life, like the Little Rascals never grew up and just moved downtown to live between Delancey and Canal Streets.

THIS SHOULD CONCLUDE THE CONCLUSIVE CONCLUSION!

[tcchelsey · 9/10 · 22 March 2020]

The thing NEWS HOUNDS has going for it is the stellar cast. There are some great actors on board here who chew up the scenery, though you can NEVER top Leo Gorcey's malaprops!

As I've said before, the difference between the 40s episodes of the 50s episodes was the balance between drama and comedy. This story relies more on high drama, but it's still fun to watch, sort of in a noir-ish Bowery Boys slant. In this case, Slip and Sach are now working at a newspaper and -- in their own insane way -- help crack a sports fixing ring.

That all said, Huntz Hall makes good use of his screen time (thanks to director William Beaudine), by staging some fun pratfalls, including a laugh out loud scene where he (as newspaper photographer) sits high atop a bunch of stacked and wobbly tables at Louie's snapping pictures. He does it all over again in the last reel. It's one to see.

Getting to the super cast, John Hamilton (best known as Perry White on Superman) is very convincing as the notorious ring leader. We also get to see Tim Ryan, who plays Slip and Sach's boss, who actually wrote most of the BOWERY BOYS scripts over the years.

Rounding out the cast is popular heavy Anthony Caruso (who has a good old fashioned fist fight with Slip) and Christine McIntyre (as Jane), long time featured player in the THREE STOOGES short films. Nita Bieber (as Mame, Gabe's beautiful gal pal) was an actress, dancer and model and a few years later would be on the front cover of LIFE magazine.

This is also one of the few episodes where Gabe flirts with the bad guys, but saves the day! And don't miss the outstanding courtoom scene as lawyer Slip(!) addresses the judge and jury!

So there you have it, released via Warner Brothers on dvd box sets of 6 to 8 films each.

"It wasn't only the heat, it was the humility."

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 26 December 2015]

The seventh Bowery Boys film from Monogram has the boys getting into the newspaper business. Slip is an aspiring reporter and Sach is a bumbling photographer. Bobby, Chuck, and Whitey are all paperboys. Gabe is in his own side storyline working for gangsters (again). When Slip exposes the gangsters for fixing sporting events, they take a rather unusual step for a movie -- instead of having him killed, they sue his newspaper for libel! Now Slip and the boys have to get some photographic proof to back up Slip's story. It's a fun entry in the series with a little more plot than normal. The regular cast is great, as usual. Christine McIntyre and Nita Bieber (no relation to Justin) provide the pretty. Bernard Gorcey once again steals his few scenes as Louie the Sweet Shop Owner. It's a funny movie with many malapropisms from Leo Gorcey and lots of slapstick silliness from Huntz Hall and the others. One of my favorite bits is very early in the movie when we get a glimpse at the article Slip is writing titled "Pardon, But Your Slip Is Showing." The camera shows us what he's typed and he actually types like he speaks -- yer for your, Sanity Claus for Santa Claus, etc. Classic.

A near Gem from "Poverty Row"

[redryan64 · 10/10 · 20 January 2016]

WE ALL ARE aware and it us surely common knowledge and so incontrovertible a tidbit of knowledge as to qualify as what is called in legal circles as being an example of "Judicial Notice"*, the movies of the Bowery Boys series aren't exactly classified as cinematic art. They are an inexpensive series of "B" movies done in an inexpensive budget, by a notoriously frugal Director (William "One Shot Bill" Beaudine),in the guiding auspices of 'Poverty Row' studio, Monogram Pictures.

AND YET, ALTHOUGH none could refute any of these attributes, NEWS HOUNDS manages to rise above its environment and socioeconomic stratum and bring its charming tale and cast of regulars at least to the threshold of being an "A" picture. This is more likely a sort of spontaneous and unintended occurrence that just happened; much in the same manner that CASABLANCA grew into a true classic at Warner Brothers.**

THE MOVIE DOES start with the very same basic cast of players. The gang consists of: Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordon, Gabe Dell (all 4 originals from DEAD END), David Gorcey and Billy Benedict. Bernard Gorcey appears as sweet shop proprietor, Louie Dombrowsky. Added to this regular company we have: Christine MacIntyre (the Queen of the 3 Stooges series), Anthony Caruso and John Hamilton. (Yes, that's Perry White from the SUPERMAN TV show in a rare casting as a bad guy).

MAKING AN APPEARSANCE to good effect is well cast journeyman, Bill Kennedy. His was a truly prolific, if somewhat obscure, career in Hollywood. His is one of those faces that never seem to be attached to names in the minds of Mr. & Mrs. Moviegoer.***

AS FOR THE story, there just seems to be just a tad more of it in NEWS HOUNDS than the usual entry in the series. Being that it was early in the run of THE BOWERY BOYS movies, there is little more of a frugal budget. But it seems that there just does seem to be a little more care in putting it all together. They even appear to consciously veered away from the dogmatic practice of the farce. There are some very dramatic scenes that prove the "gang" had more versatility beyond the comic; particularly Leo Gorcey's "Slip" Mahoney.

IN OUR OPINION, we believe that this movie is the best of the BOWERY BOYS installments. That would make it the titular 'Flagship' of the 'fleet.' (Schultz sys he would agree, but that...."this ain't no Navy picture!"

NOTE: * The term "Judicial Notice" is a legal one that refers to any well known fact that needs no proof in a judicial procedure; e.g., The sky is blue, the World is round, etc. .

NOTE ** No, no we're not comparing this to CASABLANCA, honest!

NOTE *** The very talented Mr. Bill Kennedy had a long career as a TV host of host of the syndicated BILL KENNEDY AT THE MOVIES, where he hosted and introduced movies, giving background info and commentary. He also did the (uncredited) opening voice-over in the ADVENTIRES OF SUPERMAN. Remember.."...yes it's Superman, strange visitor from another planet, who came to Earth........" etc., etc..

This may well mean the end of my germenistic career!

[sol1218 · 6/10 · 19 April 2010]

***SPOILERS*** Working as a copy boy at the prestigious New York Daily Chronicle Slip Mahoney dreams of making it big in the newspaper business. That's by Slip getting the scoop on the ongoing mob controlled corruption in sports especially professional boxing!

Coming up with his hair-brain idea that champ Jim Gale is going to throw his next fight Slip zeros in on big time mobster Dapper Dan Greco of making a killing off Gale by betting against him. As things turned out Slip's hunch was right on the money, not the fight, when he convinced Greco to put up $50,000.00 betting against Gale at odds of 5 to 1. This in itself showed just how Slip and his pal photo journalist Sach Jones were in fact breaking the law by encouraging illegal gambling on Greco's part! Something that's never fully explained, by it in itself being unexplainable, in the movie!

Of course Slip's ridicules plan back-fired when the person who supposedly gave him the tip on the Gale fight Philly hoodlum Dutch Miller showed up unexpectedly at Greco's office! Just when Slip & Sach were about to show up and collect the $50,000.00 and check out with it leaving Greco out in the cold! It just happened that Greco's lawyer and the person who runs the entire fight-fixing racket in the state the well known pillar of the community Timothy X "Big Tim" Dolin also showed up to see that both Slip and Sach end up at the local hospital emergency ward!

The film "News Hounds" centers mostly on Sach who after taking incriminating photos of Greco and Big Tim Donlin together ended up losing them when he, being attacked by Greco''s hoods, threw the camera and the film in it out the window. Slip who at the time thought that Sach had the photos was about, after he got them, to have it the big story about Greco's connection to fight-fixer Tim Donlin published in the next days edition. It was Slip's former Bowery Boy pal Gabe, who's now working for Greco, who himself had the story published. That was by Gabe faking Slip's friend and star reporter at the paper Mark Morgan's name on the story's byline!

With Big Tim now filing a libel suite, for 4 million dollars, against the paper for it destroying his fine and upstanding reputation it's up to Sach to find the the film that can not only prove that Big Tim is the man behind the biggest sports corruption scandal in the state but also save both Slip and Mark Mogan's journalistic careers.

P.S John Hamilton as Big Tim Donlin who was out to put the "New York Daily Chronicle" out of business with his 4 million dollar libel suite against it would later become a big time newspaper editor himself: As editor in chief of the city of Metropolis' Daily Planet Perry " Great Caesar's Ghost" White in one of the 1950's top rated TV serials "The Adventures of Superman".

the usual B-B antics

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 21 March 2020]

In this chapter of the Bowery Boys films, Slip wants to break in as a news reporter, so he tries to get the scoop on the fixed sporting events around town. Leo Gorcey (with his dad and brother, of course...) star with Huntz Hall, as they tangle with the local mob players trying to find Mister Big. the usual mixups, pratfalls, word-play, and running in circles. Billy Benedict and Gabe Dell are the supporting players (as always) in the story. Bill Kennedy stars as the ace reporter for the Chronicle, who gets fired when he also gets caught up in Slip's antics. watch for Christine McIntyre as the mob's moll, although she doesn't do any singing in this one. It's pretty good.. better than some of the slower movers in the long catalog of Dead End Kids and Bowery Boy films. this one moves right along. no big surprises, but good enough. directed by Bill Beaudine, also as usual. these are frequently shown on Turner Classics.

Bowery Boys #7

[Michael_Elliott · 21 April 2010]

News Hounds (1947)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Slip (Leo Gorcey) and Sach (Huntz Hall) find themselves working at a newspaper where they're helping another reporter trying to crack down on a sports fixing ring. The dumb duo end up getting a libel suit against the newspaper so they then must try and get an important photo to back up their story, which ties an important man to some gangsters. This seventh film in the series is certainly a step up from the previous few films due in large part to a better than average story. The movie isn't a complete screwball comedy as we do get some minor drama added in but what laughs are here are quite good. The story is the real key and what surprised me most was that they obviously put some thought into it because the plot dealing with them trying to get the goods on the bad guys was well drawn out. I thought the story also managed to cover the drama of having some goons going after the media pretty well. With that said, you do have to wonder how Slip or Sach got hired in the first place but this here would be putting too much thought into the story. We get a couple very good gags along the way including a hilarious sequence where the two idiots find themselves in a room with the real gangsters and they don't know it. The funny facial gestures from Gorcey really adds to this scene and Hall too comes off pretty good. The supporting cast of Bowery Boys are pretty much wasted, although Bobby Jordan does get a few more minutes on screen here. Bill Kennedy does a nice job as the real reporter and Ralph Dunn, Tim Ryan and Anthony Caruso are good as the thugs. There are still some pretty bad moments here including a really bad sequence where Sach is "blinded" by a kid picking on him. This entire scene doesn't contain a single laugh and actually comes off pretty embarrassing. With that said, the writing makes this entry better than you'd expect for fans of the series.