"Wharf Angel" is a movie that took place on the docks in San Francisco for the most part. It's a romance with unnecessary drama. I don't mean unnecessary in that a movie does not need drama, because every movie needs some type of drama to even be interesting. What I mean is that the nature of the drama in this movie was unnecessary.
At the very beginning a man named Como Murphy (Preston Foster) burst into a bar where he let them know he was running from the police. A patron named Turk (Victor McLaglen) and the proprietor, Mother Bright (Alison Skipworth) gave him refuge as they weren't all that fond of the police themselves. No one knew what he was running from the police for, but they helped him anyway.
While trying to hide, Como found himself in a flat belonging to a woman named Mary aka Toy (Dorothy Dell). Toy also gave refuge to Como. Her profession kept her on the wrong side of the law as well, so in Como she saw a kindred spirit.
For good measure Toy pressed Como about why he was wanted by the police. He told her that they suspected him of a murder he didn't commit.
Como and Toy had an instant attraction. He was a nice enough guy and she was available, so they fell in love on the spot. But Como could not stick around the docks and play boyfriend because he was a wanted man. As a result he decided to board a ship headed to China where he would work in the boiler room amongst a bunch of other sailors.
Como was one thread of the unnecessary drama.
The other thread was Turk (Victor McLaglen). Turk was a big, gruff, brute who happened to believe that Toy was into him. He thought Toy's affections were a sign of something more than her doing her job, which was prostitution. He took her signs as actual love as though he was the best thing since sliced bread and she recognized it. The truth is he was a john, and the moment she found Como she forgot all about Turk and she forgot all about that entire lifestyle of hers. However, Turk was not ready or willing to let Toy go, but he had to board a ship so he had to leave her alone for at least the next six months.
That was the Turk thread of the unnecessary drama.
Aboard the ship, Turk and Como became the best of friends. Turk saw that Como was a real standup guy and he befriended him. What Turk and Como did not know is that they had eyes on the exact same girl. Como, for good reason, because she was truly in love with him, and he was in love with her. Turk, however, had no good reason to be waxing poetically about Mary when he didn't even know where she lived, who she was, or if in fact she truly loved him. You knew this would become an issue later and it did, and that's the biggest bone of contention I actually had with this movie.
The two threads intertwined when both Turk and Como docked back in San Francisco. The drama truly stemmed from Turk having this obsession with Toy and this bewildering understanding that she actually loved him and wanted him. He was an absolute moron, but I don't think he was so dumb as to take subtle signs of affection to be actual love and desire. It was like this guy had not been a sailor his whole life.
For whatever reason, he thought that Toy was not like other janes. Toy did not help matters when later, after Turk and Como returned from sea, she accepted money from Turk in order for her and Como to skip town. She had to know that Turk had serious feelings for her. He proposed to her God's sake! So, for her to then take money from Turk was none other than a clear sign to him that she at least had some feelings for him. Another woman--a smarter woman, less desperate woman--would've shut him down the moment he mentioned marriage. She would've said clearly and unequivocally that she was not in love with him, and that she did not want to marry him, but Toy was too shy or too distracted to do that.
It ended with Turk doing right by Como, but not until he had done wrong by him. It was a frustrating mess because of Turk's irrational behavior. There was drama to be had without Turk being emotionally stunted, the writers only needed to look a little harder.
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At the very beginning a man named Como Murphy (Preston Foster) burst into a bar where he let them know he was running from the police. A patron named Turk (Victor McLaglen) and the proprietor, Mother Bright (Alison Skipworth) gave him refuge as they weren't all that fond of the police themselves. No one knew what he was running from the police for, but they helped him anyway.
While trying to hide, Como found himself in a flat belonging to a woman named Mary aka Toy (Dorothy Dell). Toy also gave refuge to Como. Her profession kept her on the wrong side of the law as well, so in Como she saw a kindred spirit.
For good measure Toy pressed Como about why he was wanted by the police. He told her that they suspected him of a murder he didn't commit.
Como and Toy had an instant attraction. He was a nice enough guy and she was available, so they fell in love on the spot. But Como could not stick around the docks and play boyfriend because he was a wanted man. As a result he decided to board a ship headed to China where he would work in the boiler room amongst a bunch of other sailors.
Como was one thread of the unnecessary drama.
The other thread was Turk (Victor McLaglen). Turk was a big, gruff, brute who happened to believe that Toy was into him. He thought Toy's affections were a sign of something more than her doing her job, which was prostitution. He took her signs as actual love as though he was the best thing since sliced bread and she recognized it. The truth is he was a john, and the moment she found Como she forgot all about Turk and she forgot all about that entire lifestyle of hers. However, Turk was not ready or willing to let Toy go, but he had to board a ship so he had to leave her alone for at least the next six months.
That was the Turk thread of the unnecessary drama.
Aboard the ship, Turk and Como became the best of friends. Turk saw that Como was a real standup guy and he befriended him. What Turk and Como did not know is that they had eyes on the exact same girl. Como, for good reason, because she was truly in love with him, and he was in love with her. Turk, however, had no good reason to be waxing poetically about Mary when he didn't even know where she lived, who she was, or if in fact she truly loved him. You knew this would become an issue later and it did, and that's the biggest bone of contention I actually had with this movie.
The two threads intertwined when both Turk and Como docked back in San Francisco. The drama truly stemmed from Turk having this obsession with Toy and this bewildering understanding that she actually loved him and wanted him. He was an absolute moron, but I don't think he was so dumb as to take subtle signs of affection to be actual love and desire. It was like this guy had not been a sailor his whole life.
For whatever reason, he thought that Toy was not like other janes. Toy did not help matters when later, after Turk and Como returned from sea, she accepted money from Turk in order for her and Como to skip town. She had to know that Turk had serious feelings for her. He proposed to her God's sake! So, for her to then take money from Turk was none other than a clear sign to him that she at least had some feelings for him. Another woman--a smarter woman, less desperate woman--would've shut him down the moment he mentioned marriage. She would've said clearly and unequivocally that she was not in love with him, and that she did not want to marry him, but Toy was too shy or too distracted to do that.
It ended with Turk doing right by Como, but not until he had done wrong by him. It was a frustrating mess because of Turk's irrational behavior. There was drama to be had without Turk being emotionally stunted, the writers only needed to look a little harder.
Free on Odnoklassniki.