La forêt en fête

An old logger expects his son (William Boyd) to follow in his footsteps but the son is more interested in pretty showgirl Honey (Ginger Rogers) than in taking his job seriously. William Boyd is a poor lead but he would go on to big success as Hopalong Cassidy, who was very popular with kids. There's a couple of annoying comic relief characters among the lumberjacks. They're played by Edgar Kennedy and Harry Sweet. This one's a creaker with some nice location shooting, logging footage, and a couple of nice action sequences but that's about it. Besides Ginger, of course. Pretty much any Ginger Rogers movie is worth a look for her alone.

Before gaining huge fame as the cowboy star Hopalong Cassidy, William Boyd was a movie star in his own right--starring in a bunch of films in the 20s and early 30s. Many of them were B-movies, like "Carnival Boat". By B, I mean that they were meant as the second, less film offered at a double-feature. This second film was always cheaply made, lasted only about an hour and usually went straight to the action-- and all this is true of this film.

Buck is the foreman with a logging company. However, his father is concerned that Buck isn't exactly a tough boss--and often lets the men slack off. He's even more upset when he tells Buck not to allow the men to frequent the visiting show boat, as it will only get them into trouble--yet later that same night, he finds Buck and his men there! Buck is there to see his girlfriend, Honey (Ginger Rogers) but Dad will have none of it--his son is a disappointment. Can Buck prove himself to Dad? And, if Buck wants to marry Honey, is there any way Dad would ever accept a singer from one of these dreaded boats? Hint--the answers to these probably won't come as major surprises.

Overall, this is an entertaining film that certainly has little in the way of pretense. It's at its best with some of the action scenes-- such as the deftly handled runaway train sequence. Worth your time but far from a must-see picture.

By the way, in addition to Boyd later getting a makeover in order to become a cowboy, Ginger Rogers is seen here in her pre-makeover days. She still sports brown hair and obviously hasn't undergone the voice coaching she must have had as her star continued to rise in Hollywood.

Directed by 'B' Movie stalwart Albert S. Rogell, CARNIVAL BOAT has a lot of action packed into it - a daring train escape, an explosion involving lumberjacks, several fist-fights, a burlesque stage show and a love-affair involving Buck Gannon (William Boyd) and Honey (Ginger Rogers).

The action zips by, interspersed with comic routines from Baldy (Edgar Kennedy) and Stubby (Harry Sweet). The plot is nothing much to speak of - suffice to say it involves a love-affair, patriarchal jealousy and a final reconciliation. But then not much else is expected of a 'B' flick designed to provide an aperitif to the main feature.

Of perhaps more interest, however, is the film's representation of gender. Set among a gang of lumberjacks, it suggests that the workers like to prove their masculinity through fighting and drinking; if they don't get the chance to indulge in such worldly pleasures, they get bored. Honey is basically there as an object of Buck's affection; a largely passive character, she spends quite some time as an onlooker while Buck engineers the predictable happy ending. Such stereotypes are characteristic of early Thirties Hollywood movies; but what sets CARNIVAL TRAIN apart is its emphasis on the fragility of masculinity; it really seems as if the lumberjacks have to prove themselves time and again that they are the strong silent types - even when there is no one around to admire them. This makes for an intriguing film, where the fight-sequences serve no real plot-purpose, but exist solely for the workers' self- esteem.

If it weren't for the way the logging camp scenes are photographed, including railway chases aboard the lumber train and stunts that have to be seen to be believed, CARNIVAL BOAT would pass the time quickly as a routine story of a little romance against a splendid outdoor setting.

WILLIAM BOYD plays the man who wants to become lumber boss and follow in the footsteps of his father. His romance with a showgirl (GINGER ROGERS) provides conflict for the father/son relationship when dad wants his son to ditch the girl and concentrate on becoming a foreman. Ginger's role is rather small, but she makes the most of a few touching scenes whereby she realizes she might be the wrong sweetheart for the lumberjack. FRED KOHLER makes an impressive "heavy" as the villain of the piece, a man not only willing to fight his rival but attempting to kill him.

EDGAR KENNEDY (doing his slow burn schtick) and HARRY SWEET provide the comedy relief, but it's all of the action stunts that steal the show and turn it into a better than average programmer from RKO. The dangerous stunts performed aboard moving trains full of lumber are especially well photographed, as are all of the scenes involving the cutting down of timber and setting free a log-jammed waterfall.

A much better film than I expected, giving WILLIAM BOYD a strong hero role that he makes the most of.

Carnival Boat (1932)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Jim Cannon (Hobart Bosworth) wants his lumberjack son Buck (William Boyd) to take over his job when he retires but the son just isn't really going for it. A problem happens between the two when the son falls in love with showgirl Honey (Ginger Rogers).

CARNIVAL BOAT was a low-budget movie from RKO that was probably playing under a much bigger film and was quickly forgotten about by the public. Even film buffs have forgotten it, which is understandable considering there's nothing "classic" about it but at the same time there are some pretty interesting things that make it worth viewing.

The best thing about the picture is the lumberjack setting with us getting to take a look at the type of equipment that was used back in the day by these loggers. There are some very fun scenes built around this including one with an out of control train. The highlight comes towards the end when a bunch of logs jam up a dam and we get a very fun action scene.

I thought the three leads were quite good in their roles with Bosworth stealing the picture as the cranky old man. Edgar Kennedy and Marie PRevost are also on hand in small supporting parts. At just 61 minutes there's certainly nothing ground-breaking here and the love story is quite predictable but it's still worth watching.