utgard14 The Bowery Boys tackle the past life regression fad that was popular in the '50s thanks to the Bridey Murphy book and film. This is the second movie in a row where the series tried something different from the rut it had been in for a long time. I give it credit for trying but, unfortunately, it's too little too late. Without Leo and Bernard Gorcey, the laughs are all on Huntz Hall's shoulders. Hall is someone I found barely tolerable at the height of this series but I find him insufferable in these later entries. This is the forty-fourth Bowery Boys film, which is pretty amazing. But the end is near and that's pretty obvious by the lack of memorable scenes in the last few films. A chuckle here and there but, for the most part, these movies stink.This one has Sach undergoing hypnosis and remembering a past life. From there we get into some nonsense about a pirate treasure. Hall does his usual shtick, for those who enjoy him. Stanley Clements continues to be unimpressive as Slip Mahoney-wannabe, Duke. David Gorcey and Jimmy Murphy blend in with the wallpaper. Queenie Smith makes her final appearance as landlady Mrs. Kelly. She was a likable enough actress but never had the comedic talents of Bernard Gorcey or the chemistry with the rest of the cast that he had. Anyway, this isn't the worst of the post-Leo Bowery Boys movies. It might even be the best. That being said, it's really nothing special. I wouldn't bother with it unless you want to see every Bowery film at least once.

dbborroughs One of the final Bowery Boys films when the only one left was Sach.When Louie died, he was played by Leo Gorcey's dad, the desire to keep making the films went out of Gorcey and some of the others. The studio however soldiered on with Huntz HAll and brought in a few others including a new character named Duke. The films are fine but really Bowery boys.The plot has the boys land lady deciding to be regressed to a past life... wanting to prove the guy a fraud they show up at a press conference with the doctor. A challenge is laid down to prove it all as real, however instead of Duke being put under, it's Sach who regresses back to the time of Blackbeard where he ends up with a map of the treasure. Everyone thinks its a joke until they find that what Sach says pans out. Its then a race to re-hypnotize Sach and then find the treasure.Good film is a little too slow even at an hour. It's an enjoyable time killer either way.The problem is that the film really isn't a Bowery Boys film even if we do get Sach. The boys were a different make up of characters and this, while good is something else entirely.Still its worth a look if you run across it.

Michael_Elliott Hold That Hypnotist (1957) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Sach (Huntz Hall) and Duke (Stanley Clements) try to protect Ms. Kelly from a crooked hypnotist so they set out to prove that he's a fake. When the hypnotist puts Sach under it turns out that the nutty fool at one time knew Blackbeard the Pirate and also knows where a hidden treasure is. The forty-fourth film in the Bowery Boys series is the third without Gorcey and I must admit that compared to the previous two horrid entries this one here comes off as a mini-masterpiece. A new writer and director were introduced to the series and they clearly made a much better movie than we've seen in quite a few films and this goes back to when Leo was with the series. I was a little skeptical when the movie first started because we got all sorts of silly slapstick that really didn't prove any major laughs but once the story is set in place I thought the pacing was very good and things really started to pick up. I think this film works for a number of reasons but one is that the screenplay doesn't get burdened down in familiar plots. Yes, it turns out that the hypnotist is a crook who tries to steal the treasure from the boys but thankfully this doesn't take over the entire plot. Instead of the plot being centered around this, the bad guy aspect doesn't turn up until the final ten-minutes and by doing this the screenplay can center on the boys and I think it does a very good job at keeping everything moving. There's a very funny sequence when Sach first goes under and then another one later when the boys are flirting with the doctor's sexy blonde. There's a flashback sequence where we see Sach's previous life with Blackbeard and while I didn't understand the "game" they were playing, the entire thing was funny and rather clever. Another plus this time out is that Hall and Clements have got a nice chemistry flow, which is yet something else that was missing in the previous two movies. I thought the two worked well off one another and they also mixed well with the other cast members. At just 61-minutes the movie really doesn't contain any dry moments and in the end it turned out to be one of the most entertaining entries in the series.

wes-connors Motherly landlady Queenie Smith (as Kate Kelly) has been reading about reincarnation. Curious about her own past lives, Ms. Kelly makes an appointment with regression hypnotist Robert Foulk (as Simon Noble). Concerned boarding house residents "The Bowery Boys" Huntz Hall (as Horace Debussy "Sach" Jones), Stanley Clements (as Stanislaus "Duke" Coveleskie), David "Condon" Gorcey (as Chuck), and Jimmy Murphy (as Myron) decide to investigate the hypnotist. To prove Mr. Foulk is a fake, Mr. Clements becomes a failed hypnotist's subject. As you might imagine, Mr. Hall seems to fall under the dubious doctor's spell while staring at an earring worn by bosomy accomplice Jane Nigh (as Cleo Daniels)... In a short 1682 flashback to colonial America, cowardly tax collector Hall (as Algy Winkle) must obtain revenue from Blackbeard the pirate. After this scene, the story runs out of steam. While obviously recycling and regurgitating older situations, "Hold that Hypnotist" manages to be no worse than recent entries in "The Bowery Boys" series. For those keeping track, this was the last appearance for Smith, who was brought in as a replacement for Bernard Gorcey's "Louie" character. Apparently, filmmakers felt the "boarding house" springboard for stories wasn't as good as "Louie's Sweet Shop" had been. A new "diner" base was attempted in the next film, but the movie franchise was clearly struggling with fresh ideas.*** Hold That Hypnotist (2/24/57) Austen Jewell ~ Huntz Hall, Stanley Clements, Jane Nigh, Queenie Smith