Jinx Money (1948) User Reviews

"Looks like I'm a little financially decapitated".

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 8 May 2010]

I saw this one coming at me from Turner Classics this morning and couldn't resist. The first thing that struck me was how much older the boys looked, with Gorcey and Hall already pushing thirty and growing out of their young street tough persona, and they'd keep at it for another ten years! I haven't seen any of those later flicks yet and kind of hazard the thought.

The movie is typical stuff, as Slip (Leo Gorcey) and Sach (Huntz Hall) discover a fifty thousand dollar bundle left behind by a gambler who got bumped off. What bothered me for most of the story is how Augie Pollack (Benny Baker) got whacked with the dough, and his killer couldn't figure out it was in the rolled up newspaper. Talk about your world's dumbest criminals. Say, did you notice that Augie was rubbed out under a sign in the alley that said 'Lease Expiring Again' - how appropriate was that!

A lot of the story takes place in Louie's Sweet Shop, Louie portrayed by Leo Gorcey's real life Dad, Bernard Gorcey. The Bowery Boys films were a real family affair most of the time, with Leo's brother David part of the mix as well, most of the time as Chuck, with not much in the way of a speaking role.

I got a kick out of the character names in this one, the second hood to bite the dust was named Cold Deck Shapiro (Ralp Dunn) followed by Benny the Meatball (Ben Welden). The main goon was portrayed by Sheldon Leonard, he was Lippy Harris, and was the only villain to actually knock off a rival besides The Tipper (Lucien Littlefield), who if you were keeping score, polished off four of his former hood associates by the time it was over with the poison umbrella, including Lippy. Who did I miss? - oh yeah, Lippy knocked off Lullaby Kane (John Eldredge), so nobody got the girl in the end; that would have been Candy McGill (Betty Caldwell).

More so than in any other Bowery Boys flick, it seemed to me that Leo Gorcey had a malapropism in just about every sentence he uttered. That got me to thinking whether those lines were scripted for the most part or ad-libbed. They rolled off Gorcey's tongue so nicely, he made it seem like it was 'easy as A,B,3'!

Money with a curse on it

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 16 January 2016]

With a cast of among others John Eldredge, Sheldon Leonard, and Ben Welden all of whom have played various criminal types this Bowery Boys flick has almost the look of an A picture. Then when we get to Louie's Sweet Shop and Leo Gorcey's mangling of the English language we know where we are.

These three and others were involved in a high stakes poker game where the winning pot was $50,000.00. The winner is found stabbed to death, but the money is found by none other than Horace DeBussy Jones. Sach of course being the simple trusting soul that he is shares it with the gang and of course Gorcey takes charge.

Right after that the various participants in that poker game keep turning up dead and there's always a couple of Bowery Boys in the vicinity. Between Gorcey's diction and grammar and Huntz Hall's saying he's seeing a mysterious man with an umbrella at the scene of each incident, slow burning Chief Inspector Donald MacBride is about to lose his police pension.

Actually Sach is quite observant and does one very smart thing that leads to the apprehension of the killer.

Fans of these eternal youths should enjoy this one.

Jinx Money (1948) **1/2

[JoeKarlosi · 6/10 · 16 May 2010]

Typical Bowery Boys feature starts off with Slip and Sach financially desperate but happily stumbling upon $50,000 cash wrapped up in a newspaper lying in the street. It turns out to be the gambling winnings from a poker player who was mysteriously rubbed out right after leaving the game with his loot. Naturally things get dicey when the boys are continually stalked by some shady characters (fronted by Sheldon Leonard again) who'd each like to get their hands on the money, and also by that unidentified murderer armed with a deadly umbrella as his weapon of choice. Not a bad offering, but nothing extraordinary. **1/2 out of ****

Bowery Boys #10

[Michael_Elliott · 16 May 2010]

Jinx Money (1948)

** (out of 4)

Tenth film in the series has a gangster winning $50,000 during a poker game but being knocked off shortly after wards. Slip (Leo Gorcey) and Sach (Huntz Hall) come across the money, which gets their pictures in the paper and other gangsters after them wanting the money. Story wise there's really nothing fresh or original here as we get the basic device of the boys getting into trouble, which of course they have to try and work their way out of. It could be gamblers, gangsters or crooked police, it really doesn't matter as we see the same type of jokes from one film to the next. Even though the story here isn't that fresh, a strong supporting cast lifts this film up better than it probably deserves. There are a few funny moments to be had here including a pretty good sequence when Slip and Sach first come across the money. Their reactions get a few quick laughs as does Bernard Gorcey's performance as Louie, the sweet shop owner who simply wants to get the few bucks he's owed from the boys. The supporting cast includes a nice turn by Sheldon Leonard (Nick in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE) as one of the gangsters and Donald MacBride has several funny bits with Sach as the police captain. As is to be expected, Leo fits his role just fine and delivers his usual, nice performance full of mangled dialogue. Hall is back and as dumb as ever, which is becoming him trademark in these films. Director Beaudine actually does a little better job here as he manages to work in some effective moments including a nice murder sequence to start the film off. The use of shadows works extremely well and is perhaps his best directorial move so far. If you're not fans of the series then I doubt this movie is going to make you change your mind but it's not too bad for those who can put up with The Bowery Boys and their sense of humor.

Why don't you go to an octopus and have your eyes examined!

[sol1218 · 6/10 · 9 May 2010]

***SPOILERS*** In "Jinx Money" The Bowery Boys get themselves into a fix by finding $50,000.00 in illegal gambling money wrapped up in a newspaper on the Bowery. As it turned out the money belonged to Augie Pollack who was murdered as he left a gambling hall by someone known only as the "Umbrella Man".

With the boys, Slip Sach & Co., owing sweet shop owner Louie Dumbrowski $3.80 for milkshakes and banana splits that they haven't yet paid for the 50 G's would more then make up for their debts. What the boys didn't figure on is that the hoods who lost the 50 grand to the now deceased Augie Pollack were determined to get it back. That's if the Umbrella Man" didn't get them first!

More of a murder mystery then a comedy with Slip & Sach trying to do the right thing with the lost $50,000.00 by giving most of it-$38,000.00-away to charity while the mysterious and shadowy "Umbrella Man" kills off those who are trying to rip the hot cash off them. The "Umbrella Man" gets to work on those who both lost the money as well as tried to get it back from boys who have no idea from where it came from. Knocking off the likes of Cold Deck Shaprio Benny the Meatball and Lippy Harris the "Umbrella Man" sets his sights on the boys who by now know that their marked men in having the $50,000.00 in "jinx money".

***SPOILERS*** The only surprise left in the movie is just who this "Umbrella Man" really is! As we and the Bowery Boys soon find out he's someone who the now dead hoodlums always took from granted and stepped all over. It seemed that he just about had enough and with the $50,000.00 in cash to motivate him the "Umbrella Man" had all the reason, money wise and revenge, to do them all in.

P.S As for the flustered and bewildered Louie Dombrowski he finally got his not $3.80 but $5.00, the boys had since ran up their tab, at then conclusion of the film. That, $5.00, was all that was left of the 50 G's after the IRS, as well as a number of private charities, got their hands on it! The movie "Jinx Money" also has in it an mind-numbing dream sequence much like those in the 1945 Alfred Hitchcock psychological thriller "Spellbound" involving Sach being surrounded and overwhelmed by an army of killer umbrellas!

Every guy who tries to steal this $50,000 dies!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 2 August 2020]

When the story begins, a man wins $50,000 in a poker game. After he leaves, some unseen person with an umbrella murders him...but fails to take the money. The next day, as Sach and Slip are walking down the street, Sach finds a newspaper with the money inside...and the gang all assume they are rich. However, again and again, various crooks come to steal the money away from the boys...and each time the thief soon is murdered! It's as if the money is cursed...and in each case, the man with the umbrella is somehow involved.

As another reviewer noticed, Sach is less stupid than usual...even clever. That's odd, that's for sure! And, making the gang less stupid overall was a good decision. Because of this, it's one of the better installments of the Bowery Boys...the 10th of 48...yes, 48 films in the series. And, this isnt' even counting the various other incarnations of the gang, such as the Dead End Kids, the East Side Kids or The Little Tough Guys!

"I am beginning to feel a surge of philanthropics welling up inside of me."

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 18 January 2016]

The tenth Bowery Boys film has Slip and Sach finding $50,000 that belonged to a murdered poker player. When word gets out the boys have the dough, unsavory characters come calling looking to get their hands on it. The second Bowery Boys picture with Bennie Bartlett, but his first as a member of the gang. He joins regulars Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, William Benedict, David Gorcey, and Gabriel Dell, all of whom are solid here. Bernard Gorcey returns as lovable Louie after being missed in the last movie. He's always fun. The supporting cast is peppered with memorable actors like Sheldon Leonard, Donald MacBride, John Eldredge, Lucien Littlefield, and Ben Welden. Betty Caldwell is the obligatory pretty lady. It's a fast-paced entry, light on plot but heavy on fun. Slip's malapropisms and jokes about Sach's intelligence are enjoyable as ever, with the other boys getting a few good jokes in here and there. Fans will like it a lot but, as with the other Bowery Boys movies, it won't be everybody's cup of tea.

Bowery Boys movie

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 13 February 2023]

Augie Pollack wins $50k in a backroom poker game. He puts the money in a bundle of newspaper comics and gets murdered. Slip and Sach find the money bundle. They try to deposit it in the bank, but makes a spectacle of themselves. Gangster Jake 'Cold Deck' Shapiro robs them and promptly gets poisoned by a mystery umbrella man. Police Capt. James Q. Broaderik investigates and suggests turning the jinx money over to the cops.

I like the premise especially for the boys. I would like the story to be less messy or be more messy and add a lot more screwball slapstick. It's their tenth film. It's relatively middle of the road for a Bowery Boys movie.

Loaded with Dough and Nowhere to Go

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 13 June 2009]

Perpetually broke, Leo Gorcey (as Terrance "Slip" Mahoney) and Huntz Hall (as "Sach" Jones) are thrown out of "Louie's Sweet Shop" for lack of funds - they owe $3.80 to proprietor Bernard Gorcey (as Louie). After they contemplate splitting up for greener pastures, the duo stumble upon a stashed $50,000 gambling payoff. Believing their money woes are over, they launder (wash and dry) the money, with fellow "Bowery Boys" William "Billy" Benedict (as Whitey), David Gorcey (as Chuck), and Benny "Bennie" Bartlett (as Butch). Reporter friend Gabriel Dell (as Gabe) publicizes the find, which helps draw the attention of both the police and the original gamblers, who want the money bad...

With this entry, Mr. Bartlett (re-)joins the group, as "Butch Williams". Bartlett had been a member of both the "East Side" and the "Gas House" kids, and roamed in the recent Bowery release "Angels' Alley", as a wayward young criminal. Seniority goes to Mr. Benedict's "Whitey", however, for the scraps of lines not uttered by the starring team of Gorcey & Hall. Gorcey and the gang move into a "promiscuous" new clubhouse, and make the most of the haphazard storyline. Sheldon Leonard (as Lippy Harris) and Donald MacBride (as James Q. Broaderik) notably play their type. In short, everyone makes the most of "Jinx Money", which can be, in itself, appealing.

**** Jinx Money (6/27/48) William Beaudine ~ Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Sheldon Leonard

the bowery boys... at it again

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 3 October 2019]

In one of the earlier "Bowery Boys adventure" films, Leo Gorcey (Slip!) and Huntz Hall ( Sach!) lead the gang on some caper. Here, they find a bundle of money that was lost by the dead guy, and now they are on the run from the people that want that money back. and the guys that want the money are not nice guys! the usual combination of word-play, mixed in with cat and mouse chasing around the mulberry bush. it's another chapter of the guys trying to get rich quick, but they must learn their lesson the hard way. Directed by WIlliam Beaudine, as usual. Had directed so many of the bowery boys films. Once again, Leo worked his brother David and his father Bernard into the films. also keep an eye out for sheldon leonard, who was such a force as actor, director, and producer in old hollywood.... he's Lippy Harris. and keep an eye out for Donald MacBride.. he kept saying "Jumping Butterballs!" in Room Service, with the Marx Brothers! in this one, he's the silly police captain who keeps bellowing, instead of getting out and solving the crime. meh..... its so so. they milked this bit for YEARS...

Goofs, gamblers and gags done the Bowery Boys way.

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 3 October 2016]

A brutal murder in silhouette opens this installment of the "Bowery Boys" entry where found money by the boys leads to the ultimate visual of real money laundering. The money is wanted by the mobsters who killed for it, and by the police as evidence. But through the luck of their own stupidity, the boys are allowed to keep it, and now must figure out how to spend it while trying to keep the gangsters at bay.

Moderate entertainment from the gang that is dumber than a film reel of dissolving celluloid, this isn't dimmed for its preposterous plot and ridiculous antics. There's a quick spoof of psychological dream sequences that I wish had been slightly longer, and a mystery concerning how a gangster who pulls a gun at Louie's sweet shop as an unseen person plants a pill in his coke.

This has every stereotype known to the gangster film, including thug names like Lullaby and Lippy (played by Sheldon Leonard), a femme fatale out to squeeze the dough out of Leo Gorcey, and malapropisms that run the gamut of witty to downright stupid. So it's a mixed bag that is at least an improvement over "Angels Alley".

Sub-Par Bowery Boys

[pmtelefon · 4/10 · 11 March 2023]

The Bowery Boys movies are a hit or miss affair. "Jinx Money" falls on the miss side of the ledger. It's a pretty laughless affair. I'm not even sure there were any jokes in it. The Boys are in okay form. Their supporting cast is unusually strong. Sheldon Leonard and Donald MacBride add a lot of class to a pretty weak production. There is also a weird Sach dream sequence that is not funny at all. It comes out of left field. It should have stayed there. The only thing that "Jinx Money" has going for it is its very friendly running time (68 minutes). Other than that, "Jinx Money" brings nothing to the table.