Meurtre dans la marine

Robert Taylor is an officer aboard a US Navy ship getting ready to test some new equipment. It's all rather hectic, with strangers aboard, his girlfriend Jean Parker trying to convince him to quit the Navy and come work for her father, a competitor of the firm manufacturing the equipment offering him $25,000 to ensure it fails, and oh yeah, a murder.

It's directed by Eddie Sedgwick from an idea of his, and there's plenty of comedy, with Nat Pendleton and Ted Healy competing for the love of Una Merkel, ambassador Mischa Auer onboard, and so forth. Taylor is stiff in the role, which is a reasonable acting choice, but not terribly interesting. Spig Wead is one of the people credited for the script; this was undoubtedly intended to make sure it has the appropriate navy air, butsome one should have told the art department, because the details on the uniforms are not right. Neither is the mystery aspect particularly good. For Metro it's definitely not an A production despite the large cast, but it was inexpensive enough to show a profit, which is always a plus for the powers-that-be.

Robert Taylor after a few loan outs and small parts got his career launched in this entertaining film about some murders done on a naval vessel. Someone will stop at nothing to see that the Navy does not carry out some tests of a new naval gun.

Frank W. Wead who was the subject of John Ford's Wings of Eagles wrote this story and while there's no threat to Agatha Christie posed by Wead, still it is a most entertaining story.

There are enough red herrings in this story to be a catch for a whole fishing trip. One of the better suspects was Mischa Auer, made up as an Oriental, to play the part of a visiting Asian dignitary. No names mentioned, but he looks very suspiciously like one of the Japanese diplomats photographed at places like the London Naval Disarmament Conference. I think Spig Wead was trying to tell us something there.

We've also got a reporter who can't file his story, an industrialist trying to bribe Taylor, his girlfriend who wants Taylor to leave the Navy, and a few more. When you reach the end it won't be who you might have thought.

Murder in the Fleet was a B picture, running only 70 minutes. Very soon Taylor would be an A list star. With those looks, how could he miss?

Captain John Winslow (Arthur Byron) is obsessed to have his cruiser, USS Carolina, be the best ship in the fleet. Their new secret fire control gear is being installed, but someone stole it and found at the Mexican border. Winslow assigns Lt. Tom Randolph (Robert Taylor) to be in charge of the installation. Sailor Spud Burke (Nat Pendleton) has his girlfriend Toots Timmons (Una Merkel). Tom has Betty Lansing (Jean Parker). There is a reporter snooping around. There are the Japanese and other suspicious characters. Someone gets shot.

This has some of the most lax security in the Navy especially with some secret equipment being installed. It is all chaotic and poor military work. I get the push to up the tension, but it has to be realistic. There are too many poorly behaving military men in this. The Navy is not looking good in this. This is probably one of the worst Navy ships ever put on film.

If you enjoy such WWII promotional movies as "Your Navy At Work Today" (hypothetical title), you will enjoy this movie. Otherwise, you probably won't.

There are only two things that raise it even slightly out of the muck: Nat Pendleton and the girl he is chasing, Una Merkel.

Nat Pendleton, of whom I am a fan and have enjoyed as the dumb cop in many other films, is funny here, but not given much to work with, even though his part is bigger than usual. Mostly he grumpily gives orders to the enlisted men. His "repartee" with Ted Healy is without exception annoying. In fact, the main idea of "comedy" in this movie seems to be sailors yelling at one another, something that happens again and again.

Una Merkel, who was wonderful in The Bank Dick (1940), is the other highlight, although she is quite different here from the sweet innocent she played in that film. Her rough, low-life character is not particularly likable (although it is very enjoyable to watch), and she has too little on-screen time to come anywhere near saving the film.

Robert Taylor, at the peak of his youthful handsomeness, doesn't do much except stand around looking macho and break up the sailors who are yelling at each other. His girlfriend, played by Jean Parker, is repulsive throughout. I couldn't imagine what he saw in her. Money, I guess.

Arthur Byron is also good as the captain, but it is barely more than a cameo role. He does manage to give the spoiled Jean Parker a good lecture, though.

Taylor doesn't solve the case. He literally stumbles on the perp, who, to my sorrow, turned out to be one of the only other likable characters in the film.

A few great wisecracks from John Hyams as a fed-up husband. He has the only line in the whole movie that made me laugh out loud.

All in all, not worth the time it takes to watch it.

Someone aboard the USS Carolina is attempting to sabotage an important, secret gunnery system's field test... by murdering those installing it. Plenty of suspects abound as there are many visitors aboard the ship while it is in port. Overall an entertaining mystery set aboard a US naval cruiser. Robert Taylor stars as Lt. Randolph, in command of the gunnery test, with Jean Parker as his rich, spoiled love interest. Nat Pendleton plays Randolph's CPO, who, with the aid of Una Merkel and Ted Healy (of stooges fame), provides the comic relief. Look for an uncredited Ward Bond as a sailor-murder victim and Keye Luke as aid to the visiting Manchukan Consul.