At 54 minutes in length, this little film was obviously a B film made to precede the feature picture of the evening, back when the movies were an evening's entertainment. It for sure has plenty of atmosphere and plenty of promise when you look at the synopsis, but it plods along so slowly it really is work to pay attention throughout.
Fay Wray is Mary, a taxi dancer at a port dive, where the proprietor, Tony (Paul Porcasi), is not particular as to how his girls are treated. They often get mauled by the customers, and one night in comes first mate Groder, who actually tears Mary's dress. She slaps him and goes back into the dressing room. Tony blames her for the altercation, charges her for the damaged dress, and fires her, refusing to give her any of the back wages he owes her. Out on the foggy streets and penniless, another man accosts her thinking she is a prostitute, but is scared away by a cop. The cop thinks Mary is a prostitute too and is going to arrest her but she runs away. He makes chase on foot, and she hides on board one of the cargo ships nearby and gets away.
The good news is this ship is going to San Francisco, where she has a good job waiting if she can get there. More good news is that when Mary screams in the cargo hold as bales of hay are lunged at her by a conveyor belt, it is second mate Tommy (Leon Ames) who finds her, frees her from the hay, and is sympathetic to her story, agreeing to help her hide. He gives her shelter in his room.
The bad news is that Groder the groper's ship is the one Mary is hiding on. More bad news is that Tommy's door - for some unknown maritime architectural reason - has a round glass portal in it where anybody could look inside and see what is going on. But Groder has his problems too. A sailor on the ship (Lee Moran) keeps accosting him and demanding "his share of the loot" for the sale of some unknown contraband. Meanwhile there is a new steward on board (Roscoe Karns) who keeps creeping around the ship and showing up whenever Groder and the sailor are arguing.
Where is all of this leading? In spite of its potential, no place really all of that interesting. The film might just be a cure for insomnia if not for the stellar cast - Faye Wray, Leon Ames, and Roscoe Karns as they are getting started in talking film. Then there is Montague Love (that was his real name folks), a holdover from the silents but still a respectable actor in the talkies although he tends to chew the scenery here. Finally there is Lee Moran who was doing well over at RKO in supporting parts that remind me a great deal of Ned Sparks. Unfortunately for Lee Moran, Ned Sparks arrived on the scene.
I'd give the plot a 3/10 for being so slow in spots and not taking advantage of several opportunities for some mystery and action. I'd give the cast a 7/10 for making the best of a mediocre situation. That gives me my final rating of 5/10. Probably only for completists of the actors involved and students of film history.
Fay Wray is Mary, a taxi dancer at a port dive, where the proprietor, Tony (Paul Porcasi), is not particular as to how his girls are treated. They often get mauled by the customers, and one night in comes first mate Groder, who actually tears Mary's dress. She slaps him and goes back into the dressing room. Tony blames her for the altercation, charges her for the damaged dress, and fires her, refusing to give her any of the back wages he owes her. Out on the foggy streets and penniless, another man accosts her thinking she is a prostitute, but is scared away by a cop. The cop thinks Mary is a prostitute too and is going to arrest her but she runs away. He makes chase on foot, and she hides on board one of the cargo ships nearby and gets away.
The good news is this ship is going to San Francisco, where she has a good job waiting if she can get there. More good news is that when Mary screams in the cargo hold as bales of hay are lunged at her by a conveyor belt, it is second mate Tommy (Leon Ames) who finds her, frees her from the hay, and is sympathetic to her story, agreeing to help her hide. He gives her shelter in his room.
The bad news is that Groder the groper's ship is the one Mary is hiding on. More bad news is that Tommy's door - for some unknown maritime architectural reason - has a round glass portal in it where anybody could look inside and see what is going on. But Groder has his problems too. A sailor on the ship (Lee Moran) keeps accosting him and demanding "his share of the loot" for the sale of some unknown contraband. Meanwhile there is a new steward on board (Roscoe Karns) who keeps creeping around the ship and showing up whenever Groder and the sailor are arguing.
Where is all of this leading? In spite of its potential, no place really all of that interesting. The film might just be a cure for insomnia if not for the stellar cast - Faye Wray, Leon Ames, and Roscoe Karns as they are getting started in talking film. Then there is Montague Love (that was his real name folks), a holdover from the silents but still a respectable actor in the talkies although he tends to chew the scenery here. Finally there is Lee Moran who was doing well over at RKO in supporting parts that remind me a great deal of Ned Sparks. Unfortunately for Lee Moran, Ned Sparks arrived on the scene.
I'd give the plot a 3/10 for being so slow in spots and not taking advantage of several opportunities for some mystery and action. I'd give the cast a 7/10 for making the best of a mediocre situation. That gives me my final rating of 5/10. Probably only for completists of the actors involved and students of film history.
