Why Rock the Boat?

John Howe's WHY ROCK THE BOAT? is a pleasing comedy that boasts a sharp eye for recreating 1940's era Montreal. Stuart Gillard, who is better known as a writer & director these days, stars as a young man aspiring to a career as a newspaper reporter. The first job at the paper is writing obituary columns, from which he gradually progresses upward. His main ambitions seem to be steering clear of the tyrannical editor (Henry Beckman) and pursuing a relationship with a lovely fellow reporter (Tiiu Leek) on a rival paper. The girl of his dreams is secretly meeting with other newspaper people in hopes of starting a union; Gillard sees involving himself in this as a golden opportunity to win his love over, whether he believes in it or not.

This may not be the easiest movie to see these days, but it is a good little film that is well-written & lovingly put together. Performances are generally good. Both Gillard and Leek are likable leads, but the best work comes from Beckman, Ken James as the carousing photographer who befriends Gillard, and Patricia Gage as the seductive wife of one of the newsmen.

Another time in Canadian film. One of the better efforts that were part of the infamous 1970s tax break movies.

At least this time it was a first rate production set in a major Canadian city instead of a non-identified American metropolis.

Most people alive today would not even remember the Montreal Star, let alone how good a publication it was. Even its funnies were better than the ink staining Gazette. My father actually kept the final edition of the Star around for TWO decades after it went under. He just couldn't part with it, it was that good.

Anyways, Why Rock The Boat captures a lot of Montreal's charm and features a terrific performance by Gilliard as the cub reporter learning the paper biz. Very short time later he would appear in the sit-com Excuse My French and then retire from acting to become a mostly television director. Many other wonderful performances here and a feeling of being a movie with sensibilities of both the 40s and 70s.