After receiving an electric shock, Sash (Huntz Hall) has developed the
ability to predict numbers - whichever numbers that is. And this would
make him a natural for the roulette-table, right? Good thing then that
Slip (Leo Gorcey) has just won a trip to Las Vegas for four on a TV
gameshow - and off are Sach, slip and the other Bowery Boys (David Condon,
Jimmy Murphy) to Sin City. Once in a casino, Sach wins at roulette with
haunting regularity - but usually loses everything due to his klutziness
-, so much so that he attracts the attention of crooks Carol (Mary Castle)
and Murlock (Don Haggerty). At first, Carol tries to just use her
seductive charms on Sach, but that plan backfires, because when she's near
he loses his concentration and totally fails at guessing numbers. So they
make up a scheme for her to take Sach to her room with her, then let a
phony burst in who plays her husband, and after a short rowe, Sach is made
to believe he has killed the husband (though nobody has actually died). Now
Sach considers himself on the run while the other Bowery Boys have called
the police to help them find Sach, who they think has been kidnapped. To
make a long story short, in the end the others manage to convince Sach he
hasn't killed anyone, all the baddies get their just desserts, Sach loses
his newfound talent but also his money, and everything is back to normal
again. Some historical facts first: This was the first Bowery
Boys-film made after the death of Bernard Gorcey, Leo Gorcey's
father, a loss that didn't go down easy with Leo Gorcey (whose last Bowery
Boys-film this would be). Reportedly, he had taken to heavy
drinking when filming this one - and to be quite frank, it sort of shows
in some scenes ... but that said, the slightly inebriated look and feel go
well with Gorcey's character, and while I've got no idea how much footage
landed on the cutting room floor due to his condition, his performance on
film, including timing, diction and the like, is quite ok. That all said
though, Crashing Las Vegas is not exactly comedy gold, more a
series-film based on a simplistic to childish premise, carried by a few
too many too old jokes. Sure, the film has a certain low budget old school
charm to it, but it's not exactly something you couldn't live without.
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