In 1945, when the East Side Kids producer Sam Katzman refused to grant Leo Gorcey's request to double his weekly salary, Gorcey quit the series, which then ended immediately. Bobby Jordan then suggested a meeting with his agent, Jan Grippo. Grippo, Gorcey and Hall formed Jan Grippo Productions, revamped the format and rechristened the series, The Bowery Boys. The new series followed a more established formula than the prior incarnations of the team, with the gang usually hanging out at Louie's Sweet Shop (3rd and Canal) until an adventure came along.
The original main characters were Terrence Aloysius "Slip" Mahoney (Leo Gorcey), Horace Debussy "Sach" Jones (Huntz Hall), Bobby (Bobby Jordan), Whitey (Billy Benedict), and Homer (William Frambes). Homer was replaced after the first film by Chuck (David Gorcey, sometimes billed as David Condon). In 1948, Bobby was replaced by Butch Williams, with former East Side Kids Bennie Bartlett and Buddy Gorman alternating in the role. The proprietor of the sweet shop where they hung out was the panicky Louie Dumbrowski (Bernard Gorcey, Leo and David's real-life father).
Like the previous incarnations of the team, the members went through a number of changes over the course of the series. Thirteen actors were members of the team at one time or another. Bobby Jordan was unhappy with the direction of the series, which favored Gorcey and Hall and limited the salaries and the participation of the other gang members. He left the series after being injured in an elevator accident.
Gabriel Dell returned in the fourth entry, Spook Busters (1946), as Gabe Moreno, a former member of the gang. He remained for the next 16 features. Gabe was a convenient "utility" character, frequently changing jobs (attorney, policeman, song plugger, reporter, television personality) to suit the story at hand, and the limited casting budget. Dell often acted as a bridge between the real world and the Bowery gang he would summon to assist him. His final appearance was in Blues Busters in 1950.
THE BOWERY BOYS 1946-1958
HUNTZ HALL
BOBBY JORDAN
GABRIEL DELL
01 Live Wires 1946
02 In Fast Company 1946
05 Mr. Hex 1946
03 Bowery Bombshell 1946
04 Spook Busters 1946
06 Hard Boiled Mahoney 1947
07 News Hounds 1947
08 Bowery Buckaroos 1947
09 Angels' Alley 1948
10 Jinx Money 1948
11 Smugglers' Cove 1948
12 Trouble Makers 1948
13 Fighting Fools 1949
14 Hold That Baby! 1949
15 Angels in Disguise 1949
16 Master Minds 1949
17 Blonde Dynamite 1950
18 Lucky Losers 1950
19 Triple Trouble 1950
20 Blues Busters 1950
21 Bowery Battalion 1951
22 Ghost Chasers 1951
23 Let's Go Navy! 1951
24 Crazy Over Horses 1951
25 Hold That Line 1952
26 Here Come the Marines 1952
27 Feudin' Fools 1952
28 No Holds Barred 1952
29 Jalopy 1953
30 Loose in London 1953
31 Clipped Wings 1953
32 Private Eyes 1953
33 Paris Playboys 1954
34 Meet the Monsters 1954
35 Jungle Gents 1954
36 Bowery to Bagdad 1955
37 High Society 1955
38 Spy Chasers 1955
39 Jail Busters 1955
40 Dig That Uranium 1956
41 Crashing Las Vegas 1956
42 Fighting Trouble 1956
43 Hot Shots 1956
44 Hold That Hypnotist 1957
45 Spook Chasers 1957
46 Looking for Danger 1957
47 Up in Smoke 1957
48 In the Money 1958
First film with Gabriel Dell
Last film with Bobby Jordan
Last film with Gabriel Dell