Clipped Wings (1953)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Edward Bernds

Writers:

Charles R. Marion (screenplay)
Charles R. Marion (story)

Release Date:

14 August 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

They CRACK The LAFF BARRIER!

Plot:

Slip and Sach to go the local Air Force base to find out why their friend, an Air Force enlisted man...

Plot Keywords:

Bowery Boys

Cast

Leo Gorcey	...	Terence Aloysius 'Slip' Mahoney
Huntz Hall	...	Horace Debussy 'Sach' Jones
Bernard Gorcey	...	Louie Dumbrowsky
Renie Riano	...	WAF Sgt. Anderson
Todd Karns	...	Lt. Dave Moreno
June Vincent	...	Doreen Thompson
Fay Roope	...	Col. Davenport
Mary Treen	...	Mildred
Anne Kimbell	...	Allison
David Gorcey	...	Chuck (as David Condon)
Benny Bartlett	...	Butch (as Bennie Bartlett)
Elaine Riley	...	Sgt. White
Lou Nova	...	Sgt. Brodsky
Philip Van Zandt	...	Joe Eckler
Lyle Talbot	...	Capt. Blair

Runtime:

65 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #16563, General Audience)

Company:

Monogram Pictures Corporation

Movie Connections:

Follows Spook Busters (1946)

the Bowery Boys in the Air Force--classic slapstick!

By the early 50's, The Bowery Boys post-WWII formula had become a well-oiled machine. The "Boys" consisted of stars Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall, along with group members David Gorcey (here billed as "Condon") and Bennie Bartlett for reaction shots. And of course Leo's father Bernard Gorcey, as Louie, owner of Louie's Sweet Shop, where the gang hangs out. Comedy pros such as Elwood Ullman and Edward Bernds were working their magic with the series, and Monogram/Allied Artists usually surrounded the boys with talented casts of lesser-known players (such as Renie Riano, hilarious as the hatchet-faced WAC leader who orders Huntz Hall around) and old favorites (such as Lyle Talbot, and unbilled, Tris Coffin and Arthur "Canadian Mounties VS Atomic Invaders" Space). Basically, by this time in the series, the Boys were put into a certain situation or locale or profession, and they were let loose. Here they are in the air force (by accident, of course), with Huntz Hall mistakenly assigned to the female WAC unit, and they help a friend in the air force catch some spies (by accident, of course!). If you like Gorcey's constant malapropisms, Hall's rubber-faced, Shemp Howard-style maniacal antics, and the wonderful physical comedy of both, you will enjoy this film. I enjoyed these as a child, and now my children are enjoying them just as much. Gorcey and Hall left a wonderful body of work, and they were still on a roll in 1953 when this was released. They did three or four films a year and were favorites among exhibitors as they brought in regular crowds who couldn't wait for the next entry. Classic slapstick never ages, and this film should bring a smile to any slapstick lover's face --whether you are seven or seventy.