Gambling on the High Seas

Greg Morella runs a crooked gambling ship just outside of the state's control. Investigative reporter Jim Carver is digging around for the rigged games. With the law coming down, boat manager Larry Brill turns stool pigeon and is murdered in a mob hit. Next, the D.A. targets Brill's assistant Max Gates. Carver recruits Morella's secretary Laurie Ogden.

It's a fine little crime thriller. It's nothing spectacular. I would like to add a mystery component to the movie. It's fine. It has some small action. It tries to be fun although the lighthearted aspect is not as intriguing. Carver should be a darker character and he should sell the danger.

It's evident that 'Gambling on the High Seas' was filmed on the fly by Warner, as a double-feature movie for cinema theaters. They just took a successful movie from 5 years before ('Special Agent') and adapted it with really no pretensions.

The story is very good, for starters, about Jim, a crusader-reporter, engaged to end with the gang of Morella, spreading terror in their big town of New England.

The crooks are running a casino-cruiser in nearby international waters, so it's impossible for the authorities to catch them.

Beyond the premise, 'Gambling on the High Seas' is riddled with mistakes in the continuity of the events, in the names of the characters (one of the gangsters ended up played by two different actors), and in its many goofs.

Nonetheless, both technically and about the cast involved, the movie still flaunts all the expertise of Hollywood, and it's very entertaining.

Strange B crime picture from Warner Bros. starring Wayne Morris as a cocky reporter out to bring down Gilbert Roland, a gangster who runs a floating casino. The weird thing about this one is that Roland's character seems like a pretty OK guy, as far as murdering gangsters go. We only see him kill or even threaten people who threaten him first, and he is pretty nice to those who are nice to him. This includes our rat hero, who has a smug grin plastered on his face throughout the picture that made me root for him to fail at every turn. Basically the whole film is Roland being nice to Morris while Morris plots his demise behind his back. Some hero. Oh and Jane Wyman is around counting the minutes until her inevitable kidnapping and rescue. She's a rat, too, so the whole thing just feels weird, you know? We have a picture where the gangster is a pleasant enough fellow if you don't cross him and the hero is an unsavory rat gleefully plotting the downfall of a guy who, at least by what we're shown on screen, is not that bad. Strange but worth a look.

"Gambling on the High Seas" is a B movie remake of "Special Agent". "Special Agent" was an A picture. So what the difference between an A and a B? Back in the 1930s and 40s, movie theaters usually showed a double-feature--two full-length films. The shorter and usually much cheaper film was called the B-movie, the more prestigious, longer and bigger budgeted picture was an A. So, while the original clocks in at about 80 minutes, this remake is less than an hour in length. In addition, the actors are not quite the same level in quality and pay as the original...though for a B, "Gambling on the High Seas" is much better than average, with Wayne Morris and Jane Wyman starring in the flick.

Morella (Gilbert Roland) operates an off-shore gambling ship. Because of its location, it is exempt from US law...and folks can gamble at will. However, Morella is a hood...and in addition to having fixed tables, he and his men have been responsible for several murders. Nice-guy reporter Jim Carter (Morris) pretends to be playing both sides in order to cozy up to Morella, but he plans on doing his best to get Morella in prison. How he does this and who helps him, you'll just have to see for yourself.

The best things about this film is its brisk pace, dynamite action at the end of the movie, a decent plot and some very nice acting. My only complaint is that it's a remake...and the original was a bit better. Well worth seeing...and quite enjoyable.

Wayne Morris was an absolute sweetheart and is always fun to watch. Add brilliant (still blond) Jane Wyman and this is an entertaining little movie. Great chemistry between these two. Just wish Wayne Morris would have gone on to as big a career as Jane Wyman.