Hold That Line
Brief Synopsis
The Bowery Boys crash college when one of them lands on the football team.
Cast & Crew
Read More
William Beaudine
Director
Leo Gorcey
Terence Aloysius "Slip" Mahoney
Huntz Hall
Horace DeBussy "Sach" Jones
John Bromfield
Biff Wallace
Veda Ann Borg
Candy Calin
Mona Knox
Katie Wayne
Film Details
Genre
Comedy
Sports
Release Date
Mar
23,
1952
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Monogram Productions, Inc.
Distribution Company
Monogram Distributing Corp.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 4m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Synopsis
At the alumni club of patrician Ivy University, businessman Morgan T. Stanhope argues that only students with "blue blood" can succeed at the college, while his old friend, A. J. Billingsley, declares that any student who tries hard, regardless of his background, can thrive. Stanhope agrees to wager a new addition for the chemistry building on the dispute, providing he is allowed to choose the students in question. The two stroll through town, and upon spotting The Bowery Boys piling out of their jalopy and into Louie Dumbrowski's malt shop, Stanhope announces to the horrified Billingsley that he has found his test subjects. In the shop, gang leader Terence Aloysius "Slip" Mahoney and his pals, bumbler Horace Debussy "Sach" Jones, Junior, Chuck and Butch, have just discovered that Louie needs $1,500 to bring his brother Morris' family to America. Therefore, when Stanhope and Billingsley enter and offer the boys tuition and a $1,500 bonus, although the gang is eager to avoid the hard work that college entails, they accept in order to give the bonus money to Louie. At the campus, Dean Forrester is appalled to learn that his benefactors have chosen such poor specimens for their experiment, but he agrees to let the boys matriculate. Outside, All-American football star Biff Wallace, his pal Harold and their girl friends, Katie Wayne and Penny Wells, greet the rowdy boys with equal amounts of amusement and dismay. Later, in chemistry class, Sach tries to formulate a miracle medicine but, on learning that he has instead mixed a batch of TNT, throws the potion out the window, where it explodes onto Forrester. As a result, the boys are threatened with expulsion, but Billingsley convinces the dean to give them one more chance. Sach returns to the chemistry lab and this time concocts a potion that gives him almost super-human strength. When he then joins the boys on the gym field, he shocks the coach with his physical prowess and is immediately named the new track and field star. Sach's subsequent status as campus idol angers Biff, especially after the boys join football practice and Sach easily flattens his competition. Slip notices that his friend's sudden might is waning, and when he learns about Sach's "vitamin" potion, he worries that Sach will not be able to repeat the formula. With this in mind, he shields Sach from contact with Biff, but accepts Harold's offer for the boys to pledge their fraternity. Biff devises embarrassing hazing rituals for the group, forcing them to dress as women and parade down the street into Louie's shop. Soon after, Louie decides to join the boys on campus, and proves a huge hit with the co-eds. Over the semester, Sach manages to repeat his potion and, under the nickname "Hurricane Jones," leads the football team to a victorious season, which is to culminate in a match against their rival school, State. Just before the game, however, crooked gambler Mike Donelli realizes that if he can remove Sach from the game at the last minute, he can make a fortune by betting on State. He sends his girl friend, Candy Calin, to ask Biff to introduce her to Sach. Biff, hoping to regain some of his former glory, agrees, and Candy easily lures Sach to her apartment. There, Mike and his goon, Big Dave, knock out Sach and then drug him. The game begins, and although the school laments Sach's disappearance, Biff leads the team admirably. Unfortunately, Biff is injured toward the end of the game, and when Slip congratulates him on the sidelines, a guilt-stricken Biff confesses that Sach is being held at Candy's. The boys call the police and rush to the apartment, but although the gamblers are arrested, Sach cannot be awoken. They bring him back to the locker room and Slip attempts to duplicate the "vitamin" potion, which he offers to the dean to try. Forrester immediately shrinks to two feet tall, after which he once again threatens to expel the group. Sach finally revives, but with no time left to mix up a new potion, the boys take to the football field without special powers. Luckily, Slip takes control and confuses State with a series of backfield maneuvers, allowing him to run down the field unnoticed. He almost fails to make the touchdown when he bangs his head on the goal post, but the other team shoves him over the line accidentally, and Ivy wins the pennant. Later, back in the chemistry lab, Sach mixes a concoction that he vows will allow him to fly. When he jumps out the window, the gang is aghast until they realize that he has once again succeeded.
Director
William Beaudine
Director
Cast
Leo Gorcey
Terence Aloysius "Slip" Mahoney
Huntz Hall
Horace DeBussy "Sach" Jones
John Bromfield
Biff Wallace
Veda Ann Borg
Candy Calin
Mona Knox
Katie Wayne
Gloria Winters
Penny Wells
Taylor Holmes
Dean Forrester
Bernard Gorcey
Louie Dumbrowski/Morris Dumbrowski
Gil Stratton Jr.
Junior
David Condon
Chuck
Bennie Bartlett
Butch
Francis Pierlot
A. J. Billingsley
Pierre Watkin
Morgan T. Stanhope
Bob Nichols
Harold
Paul Bryar
Coach Rowland
Bob Peoples
Assistant coach
George Lewis
Mike Donelli
Al Eben
Big Dave
Tom Hanlon
Announcer
Ted Stanhope
Professor Wintz
Percival Vivian
Professor Hovel
Byron Foulger
Professor Grog
Tom Kennedy
Officer Murphy
Bert Davidson
Police sergeant
Marjorie Eaton
Miss Whitsett, Forrester's secretary
Jean Dean
Girl student
Steve Wayne
Boy student
Ted Jordan
Football player
George Sanders
Football player
Marvelle Andre
Girl
Crew
William Austin
Editing
Frank Beetson
Wardrobe
Charles Cooper
Recording
Ralph Heywood
Technical Advisor
Edward J. Kay
Music Director
Bert Lawrence
Additional Dialogue
Marcel Lepicard
Photography
Charles R. Marion
Screenwriter
Edward Morey Jr.
Assistant Director
Martin Obzina
Art Director
Robert Priestley
Set Decoration
Tim Ryan
Screenwriter
Jerry Thomas
Producer
Ilona Vas
Set Construction
Allen K. Wood
Prod Supervisor
Videos
Trailer
Hosted Intro
Film Details
Genre
Comedy
Sports
Release Date
Mar
23,
1952
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Monogram Productions, Inc.
Distribution Company
Monogram Distributing Corp.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 4m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Articles
Hold That Line
The Bowery Boys crash college when one of them lands on the football team.
Hold That Line
The Bowery Boys crash college when one of them lands on the football team.
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The film's opening title card reads: "Monogram Pictures Corporation presents Leo Gorcey and The Bowery Boys in Hold That Line." Although reviews and the CBCS refer to Gil Stratton, Jr.'s character as "Whitey," he is called "Junior" during the film. For more information about "The Bowery Boys" series, please consult the Series Index and see the entry for Live Wires in AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1941-50.
