The Sin Ship

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.

THE SIN SHIP starring Mary Astor, is a quirky pre-code, early talkie star vehicle. Its great moment occurs within the first few minutes, when the jaded sea captain puts the move on his innocent passenger (Astor). After that, it's a mixed bag: technologically dated, blessed with a better-than-competent acting job by Astor, and doubly blessed with some tremendous over-acting by the other main characters. The film is still evocative after 70+ years but suffers from a sloppy ending, obviously tacked on to provide the desired emotional tone. If you want good plotting, this isn't your movie, but if you want an introduction to Mary Astor during her early talkie years this odd film is very suitable.

Trying to stay one step ahead of the law Smiley Marsden and Frisco Kitty pose as missionaries and catch a ride on a tramp steamer to get off the mainland. The surly and brutish captain attempts to put the moves on Kitty who rebuffs and humiliates him with convincing piety. The captain attempts to reform because of it but goes into rage when he finds out the pious pair are a couple of crooks.

Sin Ship has an interesting if somewhat sloppy look in that much of it is filmed in the outdoors and on real decks, something rare for early sound. Actor/director Louis Wolheim as the captain and Ian Keith as Smiley are erratic in some but effective in other scenes while Hugh Herbert provides some comedy relief but it is Mary Astor who shoulders most of the film with a multi dimensional performance that digs deeper emotionaly than the rest of the cast .

Sin Ship is rudderless most of the time but it does offer some unexpected surprises that keeps it from going under completely.

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?

Docked in San Francisco, craggy-faced captain Louis Wolheim (as Sam McVey) tells first mate Hugh Herbert (as Charlie) he's a fool for thinking about marriage. "I don't fall in love," Mr. Wolheim proclaims. But, when he sees pretty Mary Astor (as "Frisco" Kitty) standing in the breeze, Wolheim falls in love at first sight. When minister Ian Keith (as "Smiley" Marsden) requests passage on Wolheim's boat, for himself and Ms. Astor, the love-struck skipper quickly agrees. Wolheim gets drunk and tries to pull "the hairy ape" on Astor, but she rebuffs him. Wolheim doesn't realize Astor and Mr. Keith are running from the law…

His meeting with Astor causes Wolheim to straighten out his life. As he begins to change, Astor reevaluates her own life. This was Wolheim's initial, and last, effort as a director. Unfortunately, he died just after making "The Sin Ship". There is nothing extraordinary about the movie. It delivers the promise of a "Radio Picture" by including a lot of talking. But, there are many more long pauses than were heard (or not heard) on a radio drama back then. Usually appearing in top productions, Wolheim was a very dependable, capable, and popular supporting actor - his stock was then too high to be adversely affected by this.

**** The Sin Ship (4/18/31) Louis Wolheim ~ Louis Wolheim, Mary Astor, Ian Keith, Hugh Herbert