Paul Kelly is an able seaman, shipwrecked on San Francisco harbor by a record of unreliably. Furrier Aline MacMahon takes him in, puts him to work, and eventually marries him, but Kelly is a louse, although he struggles against it when they have a baby.
As far as I'm concerned, Aline MacMahon can do no wrong in a role. Paul Kelly, on the other hand, seems ill at ease here, and the pacing is deliberately halting. The great number of deleted scenes can be easily explained by looking at the release date: July 14, 1934; with the Hays office bearing down, and the themes of casual sex and adultery (as well as the shot of Kelly and Miss MacMahon in one bed) are as far as they could go, and they had to pay for the sins by having Kelly inexplicably return to Miss MacMahon at the end. Try looking at it and imagine the movie without the undoubtedly tacked-on ending.
As far as I'm concerned, Aline MacMahon can do no wrong in a role. Paul Kelly, on the other hand, seems ill at ease here, and the pacing is deliberately halting. The great number of deleted scenes can be easily explained by looking at the release date: July 14, 1934; with the Hays office bearing down, and the themes of casual sex and adultery (as well as the shot of Kelly and Miss MacMahon in one bed) are as far as they could go, and they had to pay for the sins by having Kelly inexplicably return to Miss MacMahon at the end. Try looking at it and imagine the movie without the undoubtedly tacked-on ending.