Considering this black and white film was released eight (8) decades ago, I will say that I was quite impressed with how well the story line holds up. There are five main characters in this crime/drama film which stars Ida Lupino as a young telephone operator named Stella Goodwin who lives at home with her parents who show little affection towards each other and Stella is still dating the old high school quarterback named George Watkins played by Eddie Albert (Green Acres fame). Now George has a good job in Brooklyn and he loves Stella and some day would like to marry her. Stella though is bored and very restless and she yearns for some excitement to get her out of her dreary Brooklyn neighborhood which her boyfriend George Watkins just does not understand because George is very content with his work, his neighborhood and his girlfriend Stella.
Strolling into town is a two bit hood named Harold Goff (played by John Garfield) who has grand ideas that he is going to run Brooklyn and live the high life which includes having as many broads as he so desires. One of those so called broads that he desires is the naive and high strung Stella Goodwin. There is good chemistry and there is bad chemistry. Harold toying with Stella's need for instant gratification and plenty of excitement makes for some bad chemistry, which very quickly implodes not only in Stella's old boyfriend George Watkin's face, but also in Stella's fathers' face Jonah Goodwin played by Thomas Mitchell and his best friend and fishing buddy Olaf Johnson played by John Qualen.
Now Jonah and Olaf both work hard during the day and they love to escape in the evening in their tiny conservative fishing boat onto the Brooklyn waterways whether they catch any fish or not, they just want to put their troubles aside for a few hours and enjoy each others company. But trouble follows them in the name of the two bit hood Harold Goff who extorts out of these two fisherman a weekly sum of five (5) dollars to avoid anything harming their boat and/or their personal bodies.
The film is interspersed with some light comedy via the many humorous conversations that take place amongst the five main characters as well as by the local restaurant owner Caroline Pomponette, played by Odette Myrtil, who is chasing Olaf (who is the cook) around the restaurant kitchen and even out on the fishermans wharf to marry her and have children with her which Olaf wants nothing to do with her.
The film ending is both redeeming and rewarding and right to the bitter end the film continues with some light comedy as well as drama. You know the old adage, "crime doesn't pay"? Well, lets just say that I enjoyed Out Of the Fog even though it is close to a century old now. I give the film a decent 6 out of 10 rating.
Strolling into town is a two bit hood named Harold Goff (played by John Garfield) who has grand ideas that he is going to run Brooklyn and live the high life which includes having as many broads as he so desires. One of those so called broads that he desires is the naive and high strung Stella Goodwin. There is good chemistry and there is bad chemistry. Harold toying with Stella's need for instant gratification and plenty of excitement makes for some bad chemistry, which very quickly implodes not only in Stella's old boyfriend George Watkin's face, but also in Stella's fathers' face Jonah Goodwin played by Thomas Mitchell and his best friend and fishing buddy Olaf Johnson played by John Qualen.
Now Jonah and Olaf both work hard during the day and they love to escape in the evening in their tiny conservative fishing boat onto the Brooklyn waterways whether they catch any fish or not, they just want to put their troubles aside for a few hours and enjoy each others company. But trouble follows them in the name of the two bit hood Harold Goff who extorts out of these two fisherman a weekly sum of five (5) dollars to avoid anything harming their boat and/or their personal bodies.
The film is interspersed with some light comedy via the many humorous conversations that take place amongst the five main characters as well as by the local restaurant owner Caroline Pomponette, played by Odette Myrtil, who is chasing Olaf (who is the cook) around the restaurant kitchen and even out on the fishermans wharf to marry her and have children with her which Olaf wants nothing to do with her.
The film ending is both redeeming and rewarding and right to the bitter end the film continues with some light comedy as well as drama. You know the old adage, "crime doesn't pay"? Well, lets just say that I enjoyed Out Of the Fog even though it is close to a century old now. I give the film a decent 6 out of 10 rating.