Clipped Wings (1953 film)

Clipped Wings
Film poster
Directed byEdward Bernds
Written byElwood Ullman
Charles R. Marion
Produced byBen Schwalb
StarringLeo Gorcey
Huntz Hall
David Gorcey
Bernard Gorcey
CinematographyHarry Neumann
Edited byBruce B. Pierce
Music byMarlin Skiles
Production
company
Distributed byAllied Artists Pictures
Release date
  • August 14, 1953 (1953-08-14) (U.S.)
Running time
65 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Clipped Wings is a 1953 comedy film starring The Bowery Boys.[1] The film was released on August 14, 1953, by Allied Artists and is the thirty-first film in the series.

Plot

The boys' friend, Dave Moreno, is being held for treason by the U.S. Air Force. Slip and Sach go to headquarters to help Dave, but mistakenly enlist. Sach, due to a clerical error, is also mistakenly assigned to a WAF barracks. When the boys finally do visit Dave he tells them he does not need help, as he is secretly being used to capture enemy agents. Undeterred by Dave's words, Slip and Sach continue to investigate and wind up airborne, unable to pilot the plane. Good luck allows them to land safely, just where the spies are hiding out. They capture the spies and Dave's true mission is revealed.

Cast

The Bowery Boys

Supporting cast

Production

Filming began on February 13, 1953.[2] In a prime example of product placement, the "Atomic Jet" coin-operated amusement ride from Nat Cohn's Riteway Sales, appearing in the film and advertising material, was offered to be installed in every theatre that showed Clipped Wings.[3]

Reception

The series's new director Edward Bernds and writer Elwood Ullman, both veterans of Three Stooges comedies, emphasized broad slapstick comedy instead of the crime-laced stories the studio had been using. The format change was well received by Motion Picture Daily: "Under Edward Bernds's comedy-experienced direction the indestructible comedians make the 62 minutes of show-wise Ben Schwalb's production pass pleasantly indeed."[4] The Independent Film Journal agreed and commented on the Bowery Boys' steady following: "Clipped Wings stays right up to the level that has been set by the previous Bowery Boys films. The series keeps right on rolling along and this one should find favor in the pictures' regular situations."[5] Trade publisher Pete Harrison sniffed at the broad-comedy approach but gave the film points for being another typical entry: "As in the previous pictures, Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall romp through the proceedings with their zany antics and, though the situations are frequently labored and contrived, they manage to evoke many laughs." Harrison also dismissed the story as being "completely nonsensical, but it moves along swiftly and should be enjoyed by those who accept it for what it is."[6]

Home media

Released on VHS videotape by Warner Brothers on September 1, 1998.

Warner Archives released the film on made-to-order DVD in the United States as part of "The Bowery Boys, Volume Two" on April 9, 2013.[7]

References

  1. ^ Hayes, David (1984). The Films of the Bowery Boys. Secaucus, NJ: The Citadel Press. ISBN 978-0806509310.
  2. ^ Jay Allen, Film Bulletin, Feb. 23, 1953, p. 13.
  3. ^ Billboard, "Motion Picture Atomic Jet Promotion to Get Underway", June 20, 1953, p. 85.
  4. ^ Motion Picture Daily, Dec. 8, 1953, p. 6.
  5. ^ The Independent Film Journal, Nov. 28, 1953. p. 15.
  6. ^ Pete Harrison, Harrison's Reports, Sept. 5, 1953, p. 142.
  7. ^ "THE BOWERY BOYS on DVD: Continuing discussion of Warner's eventual release plans (NEW UPDATE 10/2 Po".
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