Movie Review: Fighting Trouble (1956)

Synopsis: When their friend Danny loses his job and faces jailtime over $200 in missing money, Sach and Duke attempt to help him by entering one of Sach's photos in a newspaper contest. They learn the contest is already over, but the city editor offers them an opportunity to earn the money by photographing New York gangster Frankie Arbo and learning more about his criminal activities. 

Who's in it? The movie stars Huntz Hall, Stanley Clements, Adele Jergens, Thomas Browne Henry and Queenie Smith.

Review: I came across Fighting Trouble about a week ago and added it to my library knowing it was one of the later Bowery Boys movies, post Leo Gorcey, and was interested in seeing how the film was. Overall, I think I'd describe it as not being one of my favorites but also an OK comedy.

I think, even by the later films that still had Gorcey, the whole Bowery Boys description was there for name recognition only. Hall was clearly the breakout star with Gorcey falling into more of a supporting role and the "boys" being just there for the occasional comedic scene but remaining mostly in the background. This film took that a step further, reminding me more of an Abbott & Costello film than a Bowery Boys movie.

That said, there were quite a few things I did like about this movie. For one, I thought Duke (Clements) was a great character, bringing a traditional straight man opposite of the quirky (albeit deceptively clever) Sach. I won't say he was a better character than Gorcey's Slip Mahoney, but I did like how the change brought a little more freshness to a movie franchise that, by this point, had been around for nearly two decades.

As far as the plot goes, it was fairly basic, but the film made the most of it with some great comedy featuring the duo posing first as decorators then as mobsters in some over-the-top performances that just worked with this film. There were just enough moveable parts to the plot to keep it from being too predictable as well. It was a comedy, so I knew it would have a happy ending, it just was unclear, especially as things began to fall apart toward the end, how that ending would happen.

Final Opinion: It's a goofy and funny film that did quite a bit with a short runtime and basic plot. I enjoyed watching it and would recommend it.

My Grade: A

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