The Bowery Boys made an average of four movies per year for 12 years. So it was that Hold That Line was the 25th in the long-running series. Perhaps borrowing from an old Three Stooges short, the story line involves two old time alumni of Ivy University, who bet pro and con whether uneducated social misfits could succeed as well as "blue bloods" at college. Stopping by Louie's Sweet Shop, the two alumni see and choose the Bowery Boys, even though they are by now in their mid-thirties. The boys consist of Slip, Sach, and three others, but minus Gabe and Whitey, who are long gone from the series. They are all enrolled for one semester (or "siesta"). The boys commit their usual shenanigans in their various classrooms, and do provide a few howls. Sach prepares a TNT formula in Chemistry lab, and nearly blows up the class. But he also concocts a vitamin formula that temporarily strengthens him, and allows him to become a hit at football practice. He even surpasses local football hero, Biff Wallace. Meanwhile the boys join a fraternity, and for their initiation must dress like girls.
The football season begins unusually well, and Ivy U. wins games by scores of 52-0 and 63-0, with Sach (now "Hurricane Jones") standing out. But, it all comes down to the annual game with State U. Of course big time gamblers are involved, and on the day of the big game, an attractive lady (Candy) lures Sach away from the playing field. He is held in the gamblers' apartment, and the game goes on without Sach. Biff has to leave the game because of an injury, and State has a 13-7 lead with time running out. Meanwhile there is a confession and the hideout is discovered; Sach, drugged, is picked up and rushed into the game. Slip tries unsuccessfully to make up a fresh batch of vitamins for Sach. So it is Slip who must become the hero and save the game for Ivy U.
The Bowery Boys films, which do not age well, evoke the witticisms and pretensions of a bygone era. Watching them today is like comparing Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh! (1917) with Satisfaction (1965). In Hold That Line the aging boys still hang out at an ice cream parlor (!), while some of the jokes are old and are suggestive of Harold Lloyd (see one of his truly great films: The Freshman, 1925). Take a look at the outfits the boys wear during their first days at college. See those Bowery boys' football uniforms, which are reminiscent of the 1920s: leather helmets without face masks, light shoulder padding, a sweater. And yet, even though the boys here may be getting old, along with their gags, they still have some appeal. Slip's malapropisms abound. So, for film buffs, the younger set, and for those who remember how it was in the old days, the movie is worth checking out.
The football season begins unusually well, and Ivy U. wins games by scores of 52-0 and 63-0, with Sach (now "Hurricane Jones") standing out. But, it all comes down to the annual game with State U. Of course big time gamblers are involved, and on the day of the big game, an attractive lady (Candy) lures Sach away from the playing field. He is held in the gamblers' apartment, and the game goes on without Sach. Biff has to leave the game because of an injury, and State has a 13-7 lead with time running out. Meanwhile there is a confession and the hideout is discovered; Sach, drugged, is picked up and rushed into the game. Slip tries unsuccessfully to make up a fresh batch of vitamins for Sach. So it is Slip who must become the hero and save the game for Ivy U.
The Bowery Boys films, which do not age well, evoke the witticisms and pretensions of a bygone era. Watching them today is like comparing Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh! (1917) with Satisfaction (1965). In Hold That Line the aging boys still hang out at an ice cream parlor (!), while some of the jokes are old and are suggestive of Harold Lloyd (see one of his truly great films: The Freshman, 1925). Take a look at the outfits the boys wear during their first days at college. See those Bowery boys' football uniforms, which are reminiscent of the 1920s: leather helmets without face masks, light shoulder padding, a sweater. And yet, even though the boys here may be getting old, along with their gags, they still have some appeal. Slip's malapropisms abound. So, for film buffs, the younger set, and for those who remember how it was in the old days, the movie is worth checking out.