The Hardy Boys were the exact opposite of the Bowery Boys. Their mission was to exclusively track down some nefarious character, generally with a supernatural slant, and just plain eerie. The Bowery Boys got their chance in a nifty old dark house mystery/ adventure, which was based on the popular Bluebook series. This was also one of the
few comedies without Louie, though the gang mentions him, but in name only. The hilarious start has Slip, a big building janitor, being mistaken for a well established businessman who is about to inherit a sprawling oceanside estate.
The cool part is that the place is a headquarters for a nest of smugglers. Martin Kosleck, fresh from playing a host of Nazi spies, is on target as the menacing leader. There's lots of sliding doors and stairways to nowhere, making this one quite atmospheric, and a well directed series entry.
Huntz Hall is hilarious running around the house and Gabe Dell has a neat scene as he bursts into the place, looking for the gang, and starts his way up the stairs. He turns to the towering caretaker and exclaims, "It's better than crawling! The caretaker is played by Eddie Gribbon, a familiar face in many films, who was a regular in the Joe Palooka boxing films, also shot at Monogram. To note Gribbon's humungous Great Dane (called Ajax), was similarly cast in the cult chiller THE FACE OF MARBLE (1946), another Monogram production. Of special note, we get a glimpse of Leo Gorcey's real-life wife, Amelita Ward, playing Paul Harvey's daughter. She may have started a trend in Hollywood as she was one of a few actors to drive a PINK Cadillac, like Jayne Mansfield. This is one stylish, classy if not over the top entry not to be be missed, especially for all the familiar faces! Originally released on Warner Brothers box set dvd in 2013, which has come down in price thru the years!
The cool part is that the place is a headquarters for a nest of smugglers. Martin Kosleck, fresh from playing a host of Nazi spies, is on target as the menacing leader. There's lots of sliding doors and stairways to nowhere, making this one quite atmospheric, and a well directed series entry.
Huntz Hall is hilarious running around the house and Gabe Dell has a neat scene as he bursts into the place, looking for the gang, and starts his way up the stairs. He turns to the towering caretaker and exclaims, "It's better than crawling! The caretaker is played by Eddie Gribbon, a familiar face in many films, who was a regular in the Joe Palooka boxing films, also shot at Monogram. To note Gribbon's humungous Great Dane (called Ajax), was similarly cast in the cult chiller THE FACE OF MARBLE (1946), another Monogram production. Of special note, we get a glimpse of Leo Gorcey's real-life wife, Amelita Ward, playing Paul Harvey's daughter. She may have started a trend in Hollywood as she was one of a few actors to drive a PINK Cadillac, like Jayne Mansfield. This is one stylish, classy if not over the top entry not to be be missed, especially for all the familiar faces! Originally released on Warner Brothers box set dvd in 2013, which has come down in price thru the years!