| Blues Busters | |
| Director: | William Beaudine |
| Producer: | Jan Grippo |
| Starring: | Leo Gorcey Huntz Hall Gabriel Dell David Gorcey William Benedict |
| Music: | Edward J. Kay |
| Cinematography: | Marcel LePicard |
| Editing: | William Austin |
| Distributor: | Monogram Pictures |
| Runtime: | 67 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
Blues Busters is a 1950 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring The Bowery Boys.[1] The film was released on October 29, 1950 by Monogram Pictures and is the twentieth film in the series.
Sach develops an uncanny ability to sing, after having his tonsils removed, and Slip convinces Louie to turn his sweet shop into a nightclub, The Bowery Palace, after unsuccessfully trying to get Sach a singing job at a neighboring club, The Rio Cabana.
After Sach's singing makes him a star, Rick Martin, the owner of the now-rival club, tries to hire him away but is unsuccessful. Rick gets his lady friend, Lola, to get Sach to sign a contract with him, using the pretense that she is asking for his autograph. Rick then goes after the Bowery Palace's other star, Sally Dolan. She, however, does not want to go because Rick is after more than just her singing talent. She tips off Lola about what Rick is up to and Lola agrees to testify that Sach's signature was just an autograph and not a signed contract, thereby allowing him to return to the Bowery Palace. However, by this time Sach has gone to a doctor to help cure the "tickle in his throat' and he has lost the ability to sing.
The working title of the film was The Bowery Thrush.[3] It is the last Bowery Boys film with Gabriel Dell. Tired of taking a back seat to co-stars Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall, he decided to quit the series.
The film was released twice on home media, first on VHS by Warner Brothers on September 1, 1998 and then Warner Archives released the film on made-to-order DVD in the United States as part of "The Bowery Boys, Volume One" on November 23, 2012.
According to a July 3, 1950 The Hollywood Reporter news item, singer Bob Carroll was the singing double for Huntz Hall, but reviews credit John Laurenz as his singing double. Carroll's participation in the final film has not been confirmed.[4]