When Slip is drafted into the Marines, his buddies join him and make our country just a little less safe in this twenty-sixth Bowery Boys film from Monogram. As if the idea of putting the gang in the military wasn't enough (this was at least their third such movie by this point), a murder mystery is added onto things. Because nothing says Bowery Boys like sleuthing I guess. This is a pretty routine entry in the series and not a particularly funny one, either. Leo Gorcey has a few decent malapropisms ("I'm declined to agree with you" and "I'll depreciate your cooperation," for example) and Huntz Hall does his usual shtick. Bernard Gorcey's Louie doesn't get as much to do here but his few scenes are enjoyable. This marks the second and final appearance of Gil Stratton in the series. He maybe said three lines in both movies he was in so no great loss there. The other two members of the group, David Gorcey and Bennie Bartlett, do next to nothing. The series always focused primarily on Slip, Sach, and (later on) Louie but at least former Bowery Boys like Whitey and Gabe were given some stuff to do. I don't even remember the character names of these three. Anyway, this is not one of the better Bowery Boys movies. It's worth a look if you're a fan of the series but most viewers will probably be a little bored.

In an earlier film, the Bowery Boys found themselves in the army. Well, now, once again, they are in the service...though by this point the films were less about a group of fellows but mostly about Sach (Huntz Hall) and Slip (Leo Gorcey). Considering they are not exactly kids any more (both were approaching mid-life) and how amazingly bone-headed the characters were, as you watch you are amazed that the US military would be THIS desperate for soldiers!When the film begins, Slip is drafted. Soon, his friends volunteer and Slip spends much of the early part of the film trying to keep them out of trouble...but to no avail. However, it turns out that Sach is the son of 'Hardhead' Jones--a sergeant who was apparently quite the soldier. In fact, based JUST ON THIS, Sach (who's IQ approaches that of a grapefruit) is made a sergeant and he spends most of the film lording this over his friends and making their lives miserable. However, despite his being a total dope, he's also much like Curious George...and every mistake turned out to be mistakenly GOOD and he kept getting promoted! But, when a nearly dead marine is discovered, Slip shows some amazing deduction skills and fans of the series would be shocked to see that he's actually pretty competent in getting to the bottom of all this. As for Sach, well, he's still Sach...This is a film that is far from the best material for the Bowery Boys plus the idea of a group of friends is all but gone. Instead of the usual friends, two completely forgettable guys are there but contribute nothing to the film. As a result, it's entertaining but really a film for the die-hard fans and the average viewer would be hard-pressed to see a reason to watch this one.

***SPOILERS*** The "Bowery Boys" end up enlisting in the US Marine Corpes after their leader Slip is drafted, at age 35,into it since the US military, deadlocked in the Korean War, is hard up for new recruits. In no time at all Slip's nutty, but very lucky, friend Sach makes it big in the Corps by his battalion leader Col.Thomas F. Brown finding out that his pop Horace Debussy Jones Sr.,known as "Hard Head" Jones, was his hard as nails drill sergeant back in WWI; The toughest man in the entire US Marine Corpes.Put in charge of the unit that Slip and his "Bowery Boys", Junior Butch & Chuck, are members off Sach makes life miserable for them in forcing the boys on 20 mile force marches, with full pack, while Sach is marching along with them on his bicycle. It's during one of those force marches that Slip finds a barley alive US Marine, Pvt. Hardy, on the side of the road with a playing card on him.It's later while on a 12 hour leave, given by Sgt. Sach, the boys are enticed by sexy Lulu Mea to go to this illegal gambling house run by her boss Jolly Joe Johnson where, besides being cheated out of his money, Slip notices that the cards uses there are exactly like the card he found on the unconscious and now dead Pvt. Hardy!***SPOILERS*** Not one of the better "Bowery Boys" movies in that the "Boys" never really get to do their thing, slap stick shenanigans, in it. Still it's not all bad in Sach making a complete jerk, which isn't that hard for him, of himself to the point where his friends "The Bowery Boys" would like nothing better then stick a bayonet up his behind and end up using him as Popsicle. In fact the "Boys" in the end get their wish with Slip promoted to be their unit leader due to his dad Sgt. "Fighting Terry" Mahoney being Col. Brown's new replacement Col. James Flavin top kick, Sergeant, in WW I. It's now time for the busted down to private Sach to do the grueling force marching while Slip and the boys get a big laugh out of it.

Between Abbott & Costello and The Bowery Boys, it would be a toss up as to who created more havoc on the country's service branches. I don't think A&C ever made it to the Marines though, so Slip, Sach and the gang have a leg up on their comic rivals.Along with the military hi-jinks, the Bowery Boys once again encounter a shady gambling operation, just like they did in "Jinx Money" and "Lucky Losers". This time, an unlucky 'two of hearts' introduces the gang to Jolly Joe Johnson (Paul Maxey) and his moll Lulu Mae (Myrna Dell). They specialize in conning the local military boys out of their pay by virtue of a rigged roulette wheel and a dicey dice table. Once Slip (Leo Gorcey) gets all the facts 'crucified' in his mind, he'll be ready to expose the whole operation and turn it over to the Feds.Say, did you notice something unusual in the opening scene at Louie's Sweet Shop? Every other Bowery Boys flick I've seen had the entrance to the store on the left. This time characters made their way into Louie's from the right. Maybe even more amazing, once the boys got relegated to KP duty in the mess, that ladle Sach (Huntz Hall) took out of the soup pot, you know, the one that vaporized in all the hot sauce - it was bigger than the one he put in! Except for the hole in the bottom of course.Well except for Slip's malapropisms, I wouldn't have known that a sergeant is ranker than a corporal, delightfully proved by Sach as he manages to keep on getting promoted following every goofy mix-up that turns out in his favor. Gorcey also lets out with one of his cleverest phrases ever when near the end of the story, he wishes to avoid a case of the 'delirium Trumans'.