I had not realised until i read his biography on IMB that Brisson was a former boxer.This explains his performance which is so wooden one could imagine that he was a permanent fixture on the Ship featured in this film.Given that this was his last film clearly he must have outstayed his welcome at Paramount.This film is a long step down from his previous "Murder At The Vanities"Given that his best point was his voice it is slightly surprising that he does relatively little vocalising in this film.Further what he does sing is instantly forgettable.The rest of the cast do their best with the unpromising material.William Frawley gives his usual reliable supporting performance.Also seen is Hedda Hopper in what must have been one of her last roles before she took up the pen.All told though a pretty unmemorable film.
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malcolmgsw7 February 2008
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bbmtwist30 October 2016This Paramount B programmer turned out to be the last of Carl Brisson's 12 feature films. His is a very pleasant and engaging personality and one wonders why he ended his career early. Of the 12 films, only 5 are available on DVD and there is no information on the remaining 7. I have seen 4 of the 5 thus far and cannot fault his performances in any of them.
Since there is no synopsis of this film on IMDb, I am going to provide one, hence the warning about spoilers.
At first I thought I was going to see a musical version of THE HAIRY APE. Countess Boranoff (Mady Christians) gets the captain of a cruise ship to take her to the stoker area, where she takes a shine to the singing voice and personality of Chris Anderson (Brisson), a stoker. When a fellow stoker calls him Dimples, he knocks him out with a shovel.
Chris finds himself in jail with jail mate, Briney (William Frawley), co-owner of a ship night club. Partner is Eddie (Eddie Davis). Briney's on-again, off- again girlfriend is wise-cracking Molly (Inez Courtney). The dancer is Ruby (Arline Judge), who takes a shine to the new bouncer, Chris. Chris is soon a singer.
Soon the Countess arrives on the scene with a heavy-weight boxing champion in tow, who inadvertently calls Chris Dimples and gets knocked out for his trouble. Since Ruby is a gold- digger, Chris takes up the Countess' offer to pay him big time as a nightclub performer to make enough money for Ruby to accept him. Once he realizes he is a kept man, he rejects the Countess and returns to Ruby, who after much resistance, follows him to sea.
Songs: Blow The Man Down; Fatal Fascination; Won't Take No For An Answer; Change Your Mind; My Hometown. There are final reprises of Fatal Fascination and Blow The Man Down.
Brisson is charming and natural throughout the film. He resembles Charles Farrell for those who don't know him. I didn't find his performance wooden at all, as did another IMDb reviewer. He does have a charming Danish accent. Arline Judge resembles both Merle Oberon and Anne Baxter and is an accomplished actress, whom I had never seen before. Christians is wasted in the role of the Countess. Frawley and Courtney are a fun pair of brawling sweethearts and share a cute dance number. Hedda Hopper appears briefly as an elocution and deportment adviser. Eddie Davis is an unattractive, rather talentless singer, whose appearance in the film is its only low point.
Production values are low. One short sequence seems to use sets from DEAD END, even though that was produced two years later at Goldwyn.
All in all, an unpretentious, moralistic romantic drama with songs. Not great, but not bad either.
My print ran 64:22. -
Carl Brisson is a stoker, in jail for putting another man to sleep with a shovel. Jailmate William Frawley gives him a job as a bouncer at his cafe. When a slumming party of the 400 comes by, Brisson has to fill in as a singer, and is a hit; he's offered $2500 a week. He doesn't care. His ambition is to get his officer's papers and his own ship, but would-be girlfriend Arline Judge has her eye on the main chance.... until it turns out that his main chance is as a kept man for Mady Christians.
Brisson's last movie is a weak affair, and the big production number, "Fatal Fascination" is poorly sung by Brisson, and badly choreographed. Indeed, the best musical number has Frawley and girlfriend Inez Courtney doing a rehearsal of "I Won't Take No For An Answer." Also poorly offered is a comedy routine between Brisson and Hedda Hopper (as an etiquette teacher). With poor parts and overedited, it's an unfortunate swan song for its star.