The Sin Ship

Trying to stay one step ahead of the law Smiley Marsden and Frisco Kitty pose as missionaries and catch a ride on a tramp steamer to get off the mainland. The surly and brutish captain attempts to put the moves on Kitty who rebuffs and humiliates him with convincing piety. The captain attempts to reform because of it but goes into rage when he finds out the pious pair are a couple of crooks.

Sin Ship has an interesting if somewhat sloppy look in that much of it is filmed in the outdoors and on real decks, something rare for early sound. Actor/director Louis Wolheim as the captain and Ian Keith as Smiley are erratic in some but effective in other scenes while Hugh Herbert provides some comedy relief but it is Mary Astor who shoulders most of the film with a multi dimensional performance that digs deeper emotionaly than the rest of the cast .

Sin Ship is rudderless most of the time but it does offer some unexpected surprises that keeps it from going under completely.

Even in a very early melodrama like this, Mary Astor is wonderful. What an illustrious and long career she had. This is not to say that she's anywhere near her best in "The Sin Ship." It seems to have been directed to showcase its star -- director and star being one and the same, and nothing much to speak of.

Mary boards a ship with her companion, ostensibly a prim minister. She is a proper lady, who rebuffs the captain's advances. A sailor on the ship is, of all people, Hugh Herbert. He doesn't play a goofy womanizer. He wears a sailor suit and plays things pretty straight.

The movie isn't bad, exactly. It's very dated, though. The main, if not the only, reason to see it is Mary Astor.

.Wolheim stars as Captain Sam McVey, a drunken, angry slob of a sea captain who agrees to provide transport on his ship to a supposedly moral and religious duo: Smiley Marsden (Ian Keith) and Frisco Kitty (Mary Astor). If the names haven't clued you in, the duo are actually crooks on the lam, but Kitty plays her pious ruse so well that Captain McVey decides to turn his own life around, quitting drinking and cleaning up his ship. What will happen when he learns the truth? Also featuring Hugh Herbert (who also scripted this), Russ Powell, and Alan Roscoe.

This was Wolheim's one and only directorial effort, and he stinks at it. The acting is either stiff or too florid, the camera set-ups dull and uninvolving, and the pace stagnant. Wolheim himself hated the process and swore never to repeat it, although he never had the chance, as he died before the film was released. TCM host Ben Mankiewicz was really amused by the character name Frisco Kitty.

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.

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