Rumble on the Docks (1956) User Reviews (10)

There's a New James in Town

[wes-connors · 6/10 · 9 June 2014]

On the waterfront in Brooklyn, attractive high school senior James Darren (as Jimmy Smigelski) saves a young woman from being raped by two hoodlums. Kissed and roughed-up, Laurie Carroll (as Della) is drawn to Mr. Darren. He is leader of the "Diggers" and his rival gang is called the "Stompers". Both are chump change when compared to big-time racketeer Michael Granger (as Joe Brindo). He lures Darren, a poor Polish student recently thrown out of his house, with $100 payments and a pretty blonde woman. When Darren is expected to lie under oath in a court case against Mr. Granger's organization, friends and relatives endeavor to turn him around. The unoriginal "Rumble on the Docks" looks like an attempt to merge James Dean with Marlon Brando. In his first film, Darren is obviously appealing. Producer Sam Katzman and director Fred F. Sears appear to be aiming squarely at the 1950s teen audience. Notorious actor Robert Blake (as Chuck) plays Darren's gang pal, but the one who really impresses is sneaky Don Devlin (as Wimpy). Freddie Bell and His Bellboys are a musical highlight.

****** Rumble on the Docks (12/12/56) Fred F. Sears ~ James Darren, Laurie Carroll, Michael Granger, Don Devlin

Jimmy has some daddy issues.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 30 April 2021]

"Rumble on the Docks" is a film set in the poor part of New York CIty and involves a lot of immigrants' kids running amok. Many are members of street gangs. The Stompers are clearly evil...and during the course of the film they commit an attempted rape, many assaults and hold a little kid by his feet from the rooftop of a high rise. The rivals are the Diggers...and Jimmy (James Darren) is one of them...and the focus of the film. In addition to his hanging with these punks, he is having daddy issues and, to spite his father, he goes to work for a local mobster. What's to come of all this? See the film.

The acting, script and direction are actually quite good considering it's a low budge 1950s B-movie. It has many exciting moments and is worth seeing...especially for a chance to see Darren starring in his first film.

James Darren

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 19 June 2021]

Jimmy Smigelski (James Darren) is the leader of the Diggers, a teen gang running around the New York docks area in Brooklyn. Their big rival are the Stompers. Jimmy's father is a honorable business owner who is rallying the locals against the mobsters. Jimmy is befriended by racketeer Joe Brindo who starts pulling him into the criminal world.

James Darren is a good charismatic actor. He's no James Dean but he's plenty James enough. Otherwise, it's all a bit old style 50's teen gangs. It reminds me more of West Side Story than anything else. It does try to be serious but it doesn't have the sharpest edges. Like Jimmy, this movie is a little out of its league.

Off The Waterfront

[mollytinkers · 4/10 · 18 June 2021]

If there's such a thing as a parallel universe, this is the campy, boring, egregious version of Kazan's classic. It's all here: A gang named Stompers and a gang named Diggers. They're unrealistically entwined with non-union dockworkers versus the alternative.

There's the quintessential, immigrant parents of the male lead. There's the stereotypical, female love interest. There's even the pre-pubescent kid that gets the plot rolling in the first 15 minutes.

Robert Blake has a minor role. I'm so sorry Hell Town was canceled.

rumble on the docks

[mossgrymk · 3/10 · 26 June 2021]

Even by 50s juv delinquent pic standards the acting of James Darren and (especially) Laurie Carroll, to mention nothing of the lifeless screenplay by Lou Morheim and Jack DeWitt and the even more somnolent camera of Fred Sears, is unacceptable. Always nice to see Bobby B as the defender of Womanhood, though, huh? D plus.

Heck of a competition!

[hemisphere65-1 · 2/10 · 11 July 2021]

What's worse in this one?

The acting? Possibly... The directing? Maybe... The writing? Ding, ding, ding!

James Darren is the best of the bunch, but most of the "kids" are terrible performers. Notably bad is Laurie Carroll as the dimwit love interest.

Fred Sears was a B-Movie machine, including "Rock Around the Clock" and "Earth vs the Flying Saucers", so this was about par for the course.

Somehow it took two people to scrabble this garbage heap script together, Lou Morheim and Jack Dewitt (of "A Man Called Horse" fame). The story is preposterous enough, but some of the "I believe the children are our future" dialogue is vomit inducing!

Don't watch this movie!

A Good B Movie from Columbia Pictures

[laurmartin · 8/10 · 22 June 2011]

This film is finally available. I got it at Amazon.com as a manufactured on demand. The DVD says digitally remastered and since it is in the widescreen format I believe them. Anyway, it's James Darren's first film and he does admirably carrying the film. He plays Jimmy Smigelski, the leader of a gang, the Diggers. Robert Blake plays his pal Chuck. I liked most of the performances, however, Laurie Carroll as the love interest for Jimmy was weak. I can see why she is basically unknown today. It's too bad they couldn't have gotten someone like Susan Kohner for that role. Anyway, the film is well worth a look if only because of how they managed in the 1950s to do a film about tough street kids in which no one as much as says damn and still managed to be convincing.

Jitterbuggin' and street fightin'.

[michaelRokeefe · 5/10 · 29 May 2015]

A teen exploitation flick from Columbia Pictures. Not regrettably bad, but not exactly easy to be remembered. This juvenile delinquent tale takes place on a dance floor, waterfront and the docks. Teen dream Della(Laurie Carroll)and her little brother Poochie(Barry Froner)are roughed up by a street gang "the Stompers". Jimmy(James Darren)the leader of the rival gang called "the Diggers" comes to the rescue. Jimmy takes up Della's invitation to a dance. While they are jitterbugging to tunes like "Take The Last Train Out Of Town" by Freddie Bell and the Bellboys, the Stompers show up with a rumble on their mind.

Police sirens begin to wail and teenagers are splitting in all directions. Jimmy runs into a racketeer named Joe Brindo(Michael Granger), who offers him the chance to be taught all the ins and outs of the rackets. Later Jimmy will be called to testify against his mentor about corruption on the docks. The waterfront will no longer be big enough for the two of them. Jimmy becomes a marked man for a cement suit.

Helping to round out the cast: David Bond, Robert Blake, Jerry Janger, Edgar Barrier and Stephen H. Sears.

Entertaining (for a change) juvenile delinquent flick

[scsu1975 · 5/10 · 27 November 2022]

James Darren makes his film debut playing the typical mixed up kid from Brooklyn who eventually straightens himself out. Also, for a change, there are some actual rumbles, although only one of them is on the docks.

The film opens quickly with two members of the "Stompers" trying to assault a chick (Laurie Carroll), when two members of the "Diggers" (Darren and Robert Blake) save the day. Later, during a dance at the school gym, there is a full-scale rumble, ending with two cops running in the front door and everyone else running out the side entrances. Then there is a minor rumble on the docks, between an honest union leader (Joseph Vitale) and the hired muscle from the crooked union (Timothy Carey). Finally, there is a rumble between the Stompers and Diggers on a street. So if you like fights, you won't be disappointed.

In subplots, Darren is being smooth talked by the crooked union leader (Michael Granger, who, like Frank Gerstle, wears the worst fitting suits in the history of filmdom). This upsets Darren's father (Edgar Barrier), who runs a newspaper which is critical of Granger. Meanwhile, Carroll is trying to convert Darren from the dark side.

Carroll: "Oh, the waterfront's always so beautiful at night." Darren: "Yeah, you can't see the garbage floating in the water."

The film is never dull, and doesn't get too preachy either. There are even some shocking scenes, like when some of the Stompers suspend a kid over the side of a building.

Darren is fine in his first appearance, although his eyebrows look a little too furry. Carroll is bland. Robert Blake doesn't kill anybody, so I guess that's a plus. Granger channels Rod Steiger on a few occasions. Carey is his usual creepy self, and is fun to watch. Barrier looks more like Darren's grandfather, as he is disguised like Tim Conway's doddering old man. Celia Lovsky, as Darren's mother, looks more like his great-grandmother. I just cannot watch Lovsky without seeing pointed ears and hearing her tell Captain Kirk "dis fight is to da deadth." Freddie Bell and the Bellboys sing "Get the First Train out of Town" during the dance. After watching them perform, I probably would have started a rumble myself.