PRIVATE EYES (1953)
Article #1039 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 1-18-2004
Posting Date: 6-16-2004
Directed by Edward Bernds
Featuring Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bernard Gorcey

When Sach develops the ability to read minds after being punched in the nose, Slip takes advantage of this ability to buy a detective agency in the hopes they’ll be able to spot crooks.

By Bowery Boys standards, this one is pretty good and fairly energetic. It’s business as usual here, with Leo Gorcey in charge of malaprops (“retailed prescription” for “detailed description”, etc.), Huntz Hall in charge of mugging, slapstick and cross-dressing, Bernard Gorcey in charge of being the unwilling participant in Leo’s schemes, and David Gorcey and Benny Bartlett in charge of being the Boys that aren’t Leo and Huntz (I have to feel a bit sorry for them because they really aren’t given much of anything to do). Lee Van Cleef is somewhere in here (though I’m not sure where), but Three Stooges mainstay Emil Sitka has a great little uncredited role as a wheelchair-bound patient who develops a liking for Huntz Hall in drag.