Deep Waters

Ruth Moore's best-selling novel SPOONHANDLE was renamed DEEP WATERS for this 1948 film. Straightforward story about an orphaned boy and the lives of several people he changes.

Jean Peters plays a young, idealistic social worker in coastal Maine. She is afraid of the sea and its power, especially its dangers for the lobstermen and the heartache of those left behind when the sea claims them. Dana Andrews plays a lobsterman who loves Peters but also loves his job. Dean Stockwell is a troubled boy whose father was a fisherman. Peters tries to keep the boy away from the sea but it's in his blood. She places the orphan with a crotchety old lady (Anne Revere) who is tough but fair on the boy. The boy runs away and gets into trouble.

Something must change, but these Mainers are all stubborn. Finally, one last incident changes all their lives forever.

Andrews is excellent as the lobsterman, and Peters is quite believable as the over-protective social worker. Stockwell turns in a great performance as does Revere as the rock-solid old lady. Cesar Romero plays Andrews' fishing partner. Ed Begley plays an influential friend. Raymond Greenleaf is the wise old judge, and Mae Marsh is the grieving widow. In small parts, Harry Tyler and Will Geer are recognizable.

The exteriors were filmed on Vinalhaven and in Rockland and Belfast. The ocean scenes are terrific as is the big storm which won an Oscar nomination for special effects. The location shooting just screamed out for color.

DEEP WATERS was the kind of film that slipped by without much notice, a simple tale about an orphan boy (DEAN STOCKWELL) who longs for adventure on the high seas and has to be restrained by an old maid (ANNE REVERE) and a couple of townspeople who are carrying on an affair while arguing about the boy's future (JEAN PETERS and DANA ANDREWS).

Jean was an interesting actress at Fox who never quite reached her potential as a star--and given material like this, it's a wonder she achieved the success she did in a number of other films. The story is pedestrian, saved by the good child performance of young Stockwell and benefits from some location photography in Maine mixed with studio shot scenes.

She plays a young woman in charge of Stockwell who is engaged in arguments with Andrews over his being a lobster-man who won't seek a safer job on land and is even more incensed when he takes Stockwell along with him aboard his vessel. CESAR ROMERO shows up as a Portugese fisherman and manages to give the film's only spirited performance.

Unfortunately, they're all stock characters adrift in a story that doesn't really hold water, no matter how deep it is. Based on a novel by Ruth Moore called SPOONHANDLE and directed by Henry King, it really doesn't amount to much, even with its storm at sea sequence.

With the exception of the Hollywood sound stage segments, exteriors for this movie were shot on location in Vinalhaven, ME.

Some of the locals were also used as extras in the background.

My father "temped" for 20th Century Fox during the production. He drove a equipment truck to the different set locations on the island.

The equipment had to come by barge as the local ferry was way too small to handle all the equipment needed by the studio.

I don't believe this movie has been out of the vault for many years. It used to play on late night TV back in the 60's. As I remember it, there's really no reason to bring it back.

Pert Jean Peters is in charge of an orphan boy (played by Dean Stockwell). Dana Andrews is a fisherman in a small town in Maine. He is highly attracted to Peters (who can blame him). However, when the orphan boy shows a distinct passion for the sea, Peters and Andrews find themselves at odds. Cesar Romero and Anne Revere co-star in this un-pretentious flick about romance, adventure and a boy's love for the sea. It's worth seeing at least once, but Fox does not offer it in VHS. Try looking for it in one of the movie classic cable channels. The Maine locations are quite impressive and the acting is fine.

This is a very nice family film...the sort of project you just don't see any more...and that's a real shame. The story is set in a small fishing village in Maine and has a lovely cast of characters. It surprised me to see Dana Andrews and Cesar Romero as lobstermen...but it worked. Additionally, Jean Peters and Dean Stockwell round out the excellent cast.

When the story begins, social worker Ann (Peters) and lobsterman Hod (Andrews) just broke their engagement. It seems that she hates having a husband in such a dangerous line of work and Hod just doesn't want any other sort of life.

Soon Ann brings a troubled boy into town to be placed in a foster home. It seems that Donny is an orphan and has been passed from foster home to foster home and Ann hopes that the kind but no- nonsense Mary (Ann Revere) can make the kid feel at home. But what really makes the boy want to stay put is the relationship he soon forges with Hod...as the kid comes from a long line of lobstermen and enjoys spending time on the water. But Ann, as a responsible social worker, intervenes when Hod takes the boy for a day out on the water. She insists that this is too dangerous for the boy...and the kid is heartbroken. So what's next for everyone in this little town?

This film had a lot going for it. The acting was lovely and seeing Andrews in Maine was actually very nice--though he sure sounded very Middle America and so did many of the other actors. As for Romero, while a very cultured Mexican-American, here he ably plays a Portuguese sailor with a very strong accent. The one actor who did approximate the accent well was Ed Begley...but he was only a bit player in the picture. The exterior shots were all done in Maine and the location shoot was great. What also was great was the excellent storm sequence--with a rather realistic and seamless rear projection subbing for the real thing! And, to top it off, the direction and story were excellent. A bit of a sleeper that you rarely see on TV...but worth looking for sometime.

By the way, I was bawling away at the end...so you might wanna have some Kleenex handy. Sentimental? Of course...but never cloying or fake.