Le Bateau-tripot

...To actually catch Cary Grant acting! It only happens a couple of times and really does make you realize how amazing a performer the man was.

Benita Hume, longtime wife and sometime co-star of Ronald Colman, plays a moll with a golden heart. The roles are cookie cutter even for this early date, and we've already seen Cagney and Harlow burn down the screen in 1931's "The Public Enemy," but it's great seeing Grant working outside of his own preference of romantic comedy. He should have done more of it; his career would be looked at differently if he had racked up some awards for drama.... people who think the academy awards have declined recently should investigate Cary Grant, because his career shows how absurd the academy usually is.

Two directors; both a complete waste of time. One hopes they didn't get paid but instead the money went to Grant and Hume. Glenda Farrell is wasted here, in a role that is far beneath her.

Still, it's a fun movie and definitely worth a look.

It's difficult to tell the difference between a Paramount film of the early 1930s and Warner Brothers as they were fast-paced, had good dialogue, even if the plot was routine, and featured a host of fine actors, right down to the bit parts. GAMBLING SHIP fits the bill, a neat little B-film starring a young Cary Grant in a good guy/bad guy role, and with a streak of gray running through his hair! He plays a retiring underworld boss who decides to walk away, only to meet lovely Benita Hume, who has a similar tale to tell. They wind up on a gambling ship, docked off shore from Los Angeles, where he faces some "old friends" running a crooked business. Grant's old friends are an interesting bunch, namely Roscoe Karns as a bumbling con-man/gangster (who has the best lines), Jack LaRue as a more menacing figure, naturally, and the ever dependable Glenda Farrell, who smokes a sexy cigarette! The story is typical low budget fare, but its the cast that kicks it into high gear, and, much like a Warner Brothers film, there's a wild shoot-out near the end, all played during a mean storm that nearly sinks the ship! Nice touch. For music fans, especially, the popular Richard Rodgers song "Lover", which could have been written for the film, is featured as Cary and Bonita fall in love. And that's a wrap. An oldie but a goodie, and now on dvd.

The last time Cary Grant and Jack La Rue shared the screen in "The Woman Accused" they were ardent enemies. I see not much has changed.

In "Gambling Ship" Cary Grant plays Ace Corbin, a Chicago gangster ready to go straight, and just like Edward G. Robinson in "The Little Giant" he is also going west for his new start. On the train to Long Beach Ace met a lovely lady who went by the name of Eleanor Kenniston (Benita Hume). She was such a striking lady and seemingly from such class that Ace chose to give her the name of Bruce Graham when he introduced himself in order to hide his past. If he gave her the name Ace Corbin she may make the connection that he was a gangster thereby ending his chances at true love. Again, something that Edward G. Robinson's character did in "The Little Giant."

By the time the two reached California they were in love. And, again, to help prove my point about loving the idea of a person and not the person him/herself, the two were in love with facades. Ace Corbin wasn't Bruce Graham and Eleanor wasn't Eleanor Kenniston. She was Eleanor La Velle, a gangster's girl. She was the girlfriend of Joe Burke (Arthur Vinton), the bankrupt owner of Casino Del Mar, a gambling ship. You know that they had to find out each other's identities sooner or later, but how and what would be the reactions.

"Gambling Ship" had some intrigue and a little bit of excitement. Whenever you're dealing with gangsters there's always an element of danger. I thought it livened up what would've been a dull romance.

Free on YouTube.

A relatively routine crime drama that manages to infuse a rather thin plot with an average degree of tension and pathos. The film does perhaps take a bit too long to cover a far too familiar storyline, but it is reasonably well directed, and is made further palatable it's adept cast - all of whom turn in highly respectable performances that manage to engage the viewer in the plights of the various characters. Cary Grant and Benita Hume are endearing as the protagonists attempting to escape their pasts, Jack La Rue and Arthur Vinton are convincing mobsters, and decent comic relief is provided by Roscoe Karns and Charles Williams (the slightly grating Glenda Farrell is the only major cast member who misses the boat while providing one of her usual tough gal characterizations that feels out-of-place in these proceedings). The film is not particularly memorable once it reaches it's expected conclusion, but it's well-cast ensemble makes it reasonably enjoyable while it's playing.

"Gambling Ship" is a rather obscure early Cary Grant film. Because it's so early, the studios didn't quite know what to do with Grant, as he hadn't developed an on-screen persona yet. That's why they have him playing a part he never would have done just a bit later...playing a mobster of all characters!

When the film begins, Ace (Grant) has just narrowly been acquitted for some crime. This close call is a wake-up call for him and he decides to retire from the mob. On the way out of town, he meets a lovely lady (Bonita Hume) on the train and you can imagine them both falling in love and settling down together. NOT SO FAST!! She also has a secret...as she's just left her life of crime as well! Neither knows the other's secret! How does all this play out and what does this have to do with an off-shore gambling ship?

In addition to seeing Grant as a mobster, the film was unusual because it also features Roscoe Karns as a gangster as well...sort of like an enforcer type! Karns specialized in playing mousy sorts of guys...the opposite of this character!

So is it any good? Well, it's not bad. Overall, it's an enjoyable little film but not exactly a must-see for most viewers...more a film that is best for Cary Grant fans who want to see his early work and see him in a VERY different role.