Live Wires

"They'll Short-Circuit Your Funnybone!"

1946 1h 5m EN

😐

5.6

MID

★5.6TMDB · 7

ComedyCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Slip gets fired from his job at a construction company for decking his boss. His sister, who got him a job at the company, is angry with him. Slip manages to get a job with the District Attorney serving warrants, as does Sach. Through his job, Slip finds out that all is not quite kosher at his old construction company, and that his sister may be in danger.

“They'll Short-Circuit Your Funnybone!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Leo Gorcey
Terrence 'Slip' Mahoney
Huntz Hall
'Sach' Jones
Mike Mazurki
Patsy 'Pat' Clark
Bobby Jordan
Bobby
William Benedict
Whitey (as Billy Benedict)
William Frambes
Homer
Claudia Drake
Jeanette
Pamela Blake
Mary Mahoney

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Phil Karlson
Writers: Dore Schary, Tim Ryan, Josef Mischel
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 65-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

80 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Bowery Boys Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall and Mike Mazurki carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They'll Short-Circuit Your Funnybone!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0038699 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 7 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Phil Karlson directs. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 65-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
280 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "The Bowery Boys Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall and Mike Mazurki carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "They'll Short-Circuit Your Funnybone!".
7IMDB entry: tt0038699 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 7 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Runtime: 65 min · 1h 5m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Live Wires (1946)

Part of

The Bowery Boys Collection

From Dead Ends to the East Side and finally landing in Louie's Sweet Shop in the heart of the Bowery (3rd and Canal, natch!), there was no stopping these Boys! When understudy Leo Gorcey joined the ensemble of teen thespians on stage for the Broadway hit "Dead End", Hollywood soon followed with William Wyler taking the troupe in toto for 1937's film version. Personifying the grit and heart of the kid gangs sprouting up in city slums, these little wise guys quickly stole the nation's heart. Ably anchored by the central pair of Huntz Hall and Leo Gorcey, the kids moved from "preachment" and crime pictures to straight up comedy as The Bowery Boys - and the rest is history as the boys capered through scores of pictures for over two decades!