The Sin Ship

Louis Wolheim was an incredibly magnetic actor. While his looks were about as far from a handsome leading man as you can get, he managed to carve out a nice niche for himself in films. Every time I've seen him in a film, he managed to brighten up the tale with his earthy good acting, incredibly ugly mug as well as vulnerability. He was one of the most memorable actors, if not THE most memorable actor, in "All Quiet on the Western Front". And, in smaller-scale productions like "Danger Lights" and "The Sin Ship", he managed to elevate mediocre stories to a much higher level. Someone must have noticed his talents, as with "The Sin Ship", the studios finally let him star in a film AND direct it as well. The only problem is, Wolheim was dead before the film debuted! He was dead from stomach cancer just shy of his 51st birthday...and since this was his last film, it made it just a little bit sad to watch.

Now I know that this film is very on believability. You just have to accept the film for what it is and if you do you will no doubt be rewarded. The film begins with the hard-living Wolheim and his buddy (Hugh Herbert--in a role that was VERY different from his usual screen persona) after they arrived back at port after a voyage. It seem that the Captain (Wolheim) is in the mood for 'dames and booze' but something distracts him on the way. A preacher and his pretty wife (Mary Astor) have missed their boat and were looking for passage on some other ship. Oddly, though, with Wolheim it was like love at first sight--he was totally captivated by Astor's beauty and sweet good looks. So, when the pair eventually check with Wolheim about using his boat, the gruff Captain was more than willing to accommodate them. In fact, he even agreed to cut their shore leave short and take them for free since it was 'God's work'.

On the voyage, Wolheim eventually shows his hand--coming on to Astor like a Moose in heat! However, she berates him--calling him an animal and shaming him. At this point, a profound change takes place. Wolheim realizes she's right--he IS like an animal and he wants better for himself. So, he quickly cleans himself off, demands that his men treat the passengers with the utmost civility and he turns over a new leaf. Surely this woman is NOT some dame but a lady! What Wolheim doesn't know is that Astor and her 'husband' are actually crooks on the run. They are about as far from the saintly couple they appear to be as possible--especially the no-account preacher. Yet, the more Wolheim treats Astor like a lady, the more guilty she feels for her lies. In other words, she starts to want to be the woman Wolheim thinks she is. It's all very sweet, actually, to see both characters change. But there is still the problem of the evil preacher and the fact that they are wanted by authorities in Seattle. How can all this be sorted out and work out by the end of the film? Well, while the ending is perhaps too perfect, it is very satisfying and sweet. Thanks, of course, to a dynamic performance by the late and exceptionally talented Wolheim. Who knows what further work he might have done...

Sin Ship, The (1931)

** (out of 4)

A rather bland attempt at something racy, this drama features Louis Wolheim as Captain Sam McVey, a piggish, drunk and rather mean man who agrees to take aboard a preacher (Ian Keith) and his wife (Mary Astor). Turns out these two are actually criminals but the abused Astor tries to convert the Captain to a better life but will he stay on track when he finds out the truth? This early RKO production has a few good moments but in the end it's pretty weak from start to finish. The biggest problem here is the screenplay, which seems to have been put together on the run as things are constantly being thrown at us but usually nothing happens with them. There are a few supporting characters that turn up, do something to keep the film moving and then just disappear. The film runs a brief 65-minutes so I was curious if some stuff got trimmed as the movie really jumps around quite a bit and never really seems to come together at the end. One good item is that, unlike many early sound movies, takes place on real docks, a real boat deck and various other "real" locations and not just cheap sets. Keeping many of the locations real makes for a more realistic film and it even added a nice atmosphere to go along with the rough characters. The performances are a mixed bag as well with Astor stealing the film in her role of the criminal with a heart of gold. I found her very believable in both parts as she's perfect as the abused woman and she also makes us feel that she really cares for Wolheim, even if it's hard to believe a woman of her beauty would. Wolheim is good as well and perfectly comes across as the mean guy and we believe when he starts to soften up. Keith, on the other hand, is a real mixed bag because when he's playing the preacher he really comes off bad. He seems to be acting out like the gay stereotype character that we saw throughout this early part of the decade and it's silly and very annoying. When it comes time to switch and be the bad guy he's a lot more entertaining. With that said, only fans of the cast members who want to see everything they've done should check this one out. There's just not enough here to make it entertaining and the ending will leave you rolling your eyes.

The "Sin Ship" is crippled by production values and by technology of the period, as well as what audiences would accept or reject during that time. But the idea is a good one, kind of like "Taming of the Shrew" in reverse. A sea captain of the "rough-n-tumble" vintage, falls for a fair haired cutie based on sight alone. He comes to regret having judged this book by its cover in more ways than one. First...she is another guy's girl...and that guy happens to be a preacher. The old sea salt tries to go "cave-man" on the damsel, and gets the most sanctimonious dressing down he has ever received. It actually changes his perspective, and brings him down a notch or two. We begin to see that this hard-boiled-egg has a conscience, and enough self-respect to be ashamed of himself for having acted in such an abominable manner. He finds he has a case of love on his hands...maybe for the first time in his life...and he decides to shape up. But...little does he know that the Preacher is NO preacher...and the Lady is NO lady. The dumb cluck finds out the hard way, and beats up on himself for being such a sap...being preached to by a female who possesses even fewer morals than does he...and she's the woman of a wanted and hunted criminal. But, as we all know, love does strange things to the brain. Despite all this, the jerk realizes he is truly in love, despite all of the other BS that has started to become pervasive. He even starts to lose the respect of his crew, whose respect he has commanded by being a tough, no non-sense old buzzard. When the Buffalo chips finally hit the fan, there is a bit of a surprise ending which is played off well...and the survivors walk off into the sunset to live--we hope--happily ever after. It's entertaining, but it would be a hard watch for today's audiences. But it would have had some potential if it had been a little better acted and/or written. Not a new story by any imaginative stretch, and since it is a "pre-code" flick, they could have taken it a little further...but they did not. For Mary Astor, who plays the blond siren, it is practice for her later triumph in "The Maltese Falcon". Unfortunately for Louis Wolheim, this would be his "last hurrah"...such as it was. He would be dead by the time the film was released in 1931. It was a great cinematic loss...few character actors have been able to handle tough guy roles the way Wolheim did...knowing when to get tough and when to lay off. Plus...to look at him, you would never guess that he was something of a scholar in real life. He was fluent in at least five languages, had been well educated in Ivy League fashion and, prior to his acting career, had been a professor of mathematics and engineering at Cornell U. That's pretty amazing. ( A counterpart to Wolheim was Nat Pendleton, who played tough, dumb guys, but who had been educated at Columbia U, who spoke seven or eight languages fluently, and who won Silver at the Olympics in the 1920s for wrestling.) I have probably over-rated this film by giving it a seven...but I am looking past the old, noisy celluloid and thinking of the unrealized potential. Anyway, if you can stand it, it is slightly entertaining and engaging and worth at least one viewing.

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

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.