Fighting Trouble

Fighting Trouble is a 1956 American comedy film directed by George [Blair (director)|George Blair] and starring The Bowery Boys. It was released on September 16, 1956, by Allied Artists. The 42nd film in the Bowery Boys series, it was the first to feature Stanley Clements.

Plot

When Danny loses his job working for the New York Morning Blade, Sach and Duke visit the editor to ask him to give Danny his job back. They agree to get a photo of gangster Frankie Arbo for the paper, and try several disguises to catch Arbo off guard before finally deciding to pose as gangsters themselves.

Cast

The Bowery Boys

Huntz Hall as Horace Debussy "Sach" Jones
Stanley Clements as Stanislaus "Duke" Coveleskie
David Gorcey as Charles "Chuck" Anderson
Danny Welton as Danny
Remaining cast
Queenie Smith as Mrs. Kate Kelly
Adele Jergens as Mae Randle
Thomas Browne Henry as Frankie Arbo
Tim Ryan as Ray Vance, editor
Joe Downing as Handsome Hal Lomax
Laurie Mitchell as Dolly Tate
Production

With the departure of Leo Gorcey, Hall had become the series' main attraction; thus the group was renamed Huntz Hall and the Bowery Boys with this film. It also marked the first appearance of Stanislaus 'Duke' Coveleskie, played by Stanley Clements. Other cast changes include Queenie Smith taking over the role of landlady Mrs. Kelly, and the addition of Danny Welton in his only appearance as a member of the gang.
Both Hall and Clements had considerable input in casting the film. Hall coaxed both Adele Jergens and Tim Ryan out of retirement to lend support to his first lead, and arranged for Joe Downing to appear as a shady hypochondriac. Clements recruited Danny Welton, who had co-starred with Clements in the 1950 teen-gang drama Military Academy with That [Tenth Avenue Gang].

Reception

Surprisingly, the trade press paid scant attention to Leo Gorcey's departure. By this time the Bowery Boys brand name was familiar enough to sell Fighting Trouble to theaters and drive-ins, and the films were so predictably successful in the marketplace that customers already knew what to expect. Thus many trade journals didn't bother to review the Bowery Boys pictures anymore, and those that did simply remarked "lower half filler" or "series average". The review in Picturegoer didn't mention either Gorcey or Clements: "You just can't keep the Bowery Boys down. Huntz Hall is in top form and the rest of the cast play up to him."

Home media

released the film on made-to-order DVD in the United States as part of "The Bowery Boys, Volume Four" on August 26, 2014.