Bowery Boys | Movie Posters

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.