Generally, the earlier Bowery Boys films were better than the later ones. "News Hounds", the seventh film in the series, is proof that some of the early films would be rather poor. This is a bit surprising since the film still has Bobby Jordan (he left after the next film due to his having less and less to do in these movies)...and he was a good addition to the gang.
Inexplicably, Slip (Leo Gorcey) wants to be a reporter. Considering he never talked about this in any of the movies before or after, this is a surprise. Considering he's a complete moron who cannot write a coherent sentence, his aspirations are a bit odd. In order to get his name in print, Slip and the gang are determined to get the goods on some local gamblers who are fixing sporting events. The problem is that they need proof...not just gut instincts and suspicions. Slip's eagerness to do this results, in part, in a lawsuit against the paper, so it's up to the gang to prove conclusively to the court that the news story published about the crooks is accurate...and that seems very unlikely.
So is this any good? Not particularly...though it's not among the Bowery Boys' very worst...and certainly NOT among their best. It's passable entertainment only and offers few surprises and is a surprisingly dull outing.
