The Sin Ship

Louis Wolheim was an incredibly magnetic actor. While his looks were about as far from a handsome leading man as you can get, he managed to carve out a nice niche for himself in films. Every time I've seen him in a film, he managed to brighten up the tale with his earthy good acting, incredibly ugly mug as well as vulnerability. He was one of the most memorable actors, if not THE most memorable actor, in "All Quiet on the Western Front". And, in smaller-scale productions like "Danger Lights" and "The Sin Ship", he managed to elevate mediocre stories to a much higher level. Someone must have noticed his talents, as with "The Sin Ship", the studios finally let him star in a film AND direct it as well. The only problem is, Wolheim was dead before the film debuted! He was dead from stomach cancer just shy of his 51st birthday...and since this was his last film, it made it just a little bit sad to watch.

Now I know that this film is very on believability. You just have to accept the film for what it is and if you do you will no doubt be rewarded. The film begins with the hard-living Wolheim and his buddy (Hugh Herbert--in a role that was VERY different from his usual screen persona) after they arrived back at port after a voyage. It seem that the Captain (Wolheim) is in the mood for 'dames and booze' but something distracts him on the way. A preacher and his pretty wife (Mary Astor) have missed their boat and were looking for passage on some other ship. Oddly, though, with Wolheim it was like love at first sight--he was totally captivated by Astor's beauty and sweet good looks. So, when the pair eventually check with Wolheim about using his boat, the gruff Captain was more than willing to accommodate them. In fact, he even agreed to cut their shore leave short and take them for free since it was 'God's work'.

On the voyage, Wolheim eventually shows his hand--coming on to Astor like a Moose in heat! However, she berates him--calling him an animal and shaming him. At this point, a profound change takes place. Wolheim realizes she's right--he IS like an animal and he wants better for himself. So, he quickly cleans himself off, demands that his men treat the passengers with the utmost civility and he turns over a new leaf. Surely this woman is NOT some dame but a lady! What Wolheim doesn't know is that Astor and her 'husband' are actually crooks on the run. They are about as far from the saintly couple they appear to be as possible--especially the no-account preacher. Yet, the more Wolheim treats Astor like a lady, the more guilty she feels for her lies. In other words, she starts to want to be the woman Wolheim thinks she is. It's all very sweet, actually, to see both characters change. But there is still the problem of the evil preacher and the fact that they are wanted by authorities in Seattle. How can all this be sorted out and work out by the end of the film? Well, while the ending is perhaps too perfect, it is very satisfying and sweet. Thanks, of course, to a dynamic performance by the late and exceptionally talented Wolheim. Who knows what further work he might have done...

Creaky, Stodgy Early Talkie with Mary Astor and Louis Wolheim the Attractions in this Stiff Love Story that has as its Romantic Interest a Couple as Unlikely as King Kong and Fay Wray. The Actors fair pretty well but the Story is just too Contrived and the Lack of Action, or Movement for that Matter, is Excruciating.

The Dialog, and there is a lot of it, is not that Remarkable and the Film just Plods along to a very Dull Conclusion. Wolheim, a most Striking Character Actor, sits in the Director's Chair on this one. There isn't much to Recommend here except for the Two Leads but even They are not Enough to pull this off into anything more than a Mediocre and Dated Time Waster.

Sin Ship, The (1931)

** (out of 4)

A rather bland attempt at something racy, this drama features Louis Wolheim as Captain Sam McVey, a piggish, drunk and rather mean man who agrees to take aboard a preacher (Ian Keith) and his wife (Mary Astor). Turns out these two are actually criminals but the abused Astor tries to convert the Captain to a better life but will he stay on track when he finds out the truth? This early RKO production has a few good moments but in the end it's pretty weak from start to finish. The biggest problem here is the screenplay, which seems to have been put together on the run as things are constantly being thrown at us but usually nothing happens with them. There are a few supporting characters that turn up, do something to keep the film moving and then just disappear. The film runs a brief 65-minutes so I was curious if some stuff got trimmed as the movie really jumps around quite a bit and never really seems to come together at the end. One good item is that, unlike many early sound movies, takes place on real docks, a real boat deck and various other "real" locations and not just cheap sets. Keeping many of the locations real makes for a more realistic film and it even added a nice atmosphere to go along with the rough characters. The performances are a mixed bag as well with Astor stealing the film in her role of the criminal with a heart of gold. I found her very believable in both parts as she's perfect as the abused woman and she also makes us feel that she really cares for Wolheim, even if it's hard to believe a woman of her beauty would. Wolheim is good as well and perfectly comes across as the mean guy and we believe when he starts to soften up. Keith, on the other hand, is a real mixed bag because when he's playing the preacher he really comes off bad. He seems to be acting out like the gay stereotype character that we saw throughout this early part of the decade and it's silly and very annoying. When it comes time to switch and be the bad guy he's a lot more entertaining. With that said, only fans of the cast members who want to see everything they've done should check this one out. There's just not enough here to make it entertaining and the ending will leave you rolling your eyes.

I often wonder why a film that could have been very good turned out to be b-a-a-a-d. Is it the acting, directing or script? With this film, my premise is the direction....and, that holds for many films. The actors in 'Sin Ship' were adequate, especially Astor. When the captain lays a 'weak' punch on his first mate and later, a crew member, it is not poor special effects....it lies with the direction. The script is fine for an early 'talkie.' Could it be that directors had difficulty transitioning from silents to talkies? I don't see why. They were professionals, weren't they?

The TCM film was interesting for a dull, dreary early May day. It was not all that long a film so I had the opportunity to wash my Cadillac and garage it before the rains came and then prepare dinner while watching bits of other Astor films. Was Mary really that sensual, or is it sexual?

.Wolheim stars as Captain Sam McVey, a drunken, angry slob of a sea captain who agrees to provide transport on his ship to a supposedly moral and religious duo: Smiley Marsden (Ian Keith) and Frisco Kitty (Mary Astor). If the names haven't clued you in, the duo are actually crooks on the lam, but Kitty plays her pious ruse so well that Captain McVey decides to turn his own life around, quitting drinking and cleaning up his ship. What will happen when he learns the truth? Also featuring Hugh Herbert (who also scripted this), Russ Powell, and Alan Roscoe.

This was Wolheim's one and only directorial effort, and he stinks at it. The acting is either stiff or too florid, the camera set-ups dull and uninvolving, and the pace stagnant. Wolheim himself hated the process and swore never to repeat it, although he never had the chance, as he died before the film was released. TCM host Ben Mankiewicz was really amused by the character name Frisco Kitty.