An auspicious debut for energetic Robert Preston, this economical little B picture rises above the mundane largely because of its brisk pace and excellent performances...Preston and Lloyd Nolan (younger than I've ever seen him) are maritime radio operators relegated for a tour aboard a tramp steamer as a disciplinary action because of their penchant for wrecking cafes and bars while ashore, engaging in their violent camaradie and alpha male competition. In short, the two men are still just overgrown boys. However, when an escaped racketeer murderer and his gang pass themselves off as legitimate passengers and soon take over the ship, they both have to grow up fast or die, along with others that get in the way. The second half of the film builds a good deal of tension as the two men put their lives at risk in desperate attempts to thwart the murderous gangster, so aptly portrayed by J. Carrol Naish.
6 Reviews
The first ten minutes are pretty bad...but it does get a lot better.
planktonrules21 March 2022
Lloyd Nolan and Robert Preston play wireless operators on merchant ships. The first 10 or so minutes of hte film reminded me of a Popeye cartoon, with the pair fighting over a woman...and it was pretty stupid and I really wanted to turn off the film because it was so bad. However, fortunately, it got much better and the film could have earned a 7 had it not been for this dopey portion of the movie.
Following this silly portion, the pair are BOTH assigned to the same fateful ship At first, things seem okay but it turns out an escaped con from Alcatraz (the toughest federal prison of its era...reserved only for the worst offenders) and his many minions all take passage on this freighter. Mid-trip, the crooks take over the vessel and the rest of the film concerns the crew trying to thwart their evil plans.
The film is very exciting...and that's why it was able to still be entertaining despite a very poor start. Well worth seeing and one of the better B-movies.
Following this silly portion, the pair are BOTH assigned to the same fateful ship At first, things seem okay but it turns out an escaped con from Alcatraz (the toughest federal prison of its era...reserved only for the worst offenders) and his many minions all take passage on this freighter. Mid-trip, the crooks take over the vessel and the rest of the film concerns the crew trying to thwart their evil plans.
The film is very exciting...and that's why it was able to still be entertaining despite a very poor start. Well worth seeing and one of the better B-movies.
Superb "B" gangster story. Robert Preston's breakout film. Lloyd Nolan and Gail Patrick - as usual - superb!
mmipyle29 May 2021
"King of Alcatraz" (1938) is a super gangster film few have ever heard of. It is also, upon any reflection of over a few seconds after having seen it, as over-the-top as possible. It's done so quickly and so well that, while the action's happening, it's a picture to which the viewer's glued. Starring Lloyd Nolan, Robert Preston (in his film debut), Gail Patrick, Harry Carey, Sr., J. Carrol Naish, Anthony Quinn, Dennis Morgan (in cast credits as Richard Stanley), Virginia Dabney, and many others, this Paramount Pictures quickie (68 minutes) is directed by Robert Florey. Don't expect a prison movie; Naish, as Public Enemy #1, has escaped from Alcatraz in transport to a hospital in San Francisco, and is now on a cruise trawler where Nolan and Preston have been assigned as punishment for unbecoming conduct. They find Patrick on board as nurse. She's a "former" flame of Nolan's, and she's loved by Preston, too. The two are always falling for the same girl; hence their unbecoming behavior of tearing up places when they brawl with each other - though they brawl like brothers who genuinely underneath it all love each other in a brotherly way.
Naish gets on board the boat disguised as a grandmotherly old lady in the care of Virginia Dabney. His henchmen are the other "cruise members". Anthony Quinn and several other typical henchmen of the movies are Naish's "boys". They force themselves on the crew, including Captain Harry Carey, Sr. Eventually, the baddies shoot both Nolan and Preston, and it takes Patrick's care via instructions from another boat via telegraph to keep the two alive and well. It's tense and exciting and extremely well filmed and acted and directed. It's also, as I said, with some reflection - nonsense. But it's go-o-o-o-d nonsense!
Lots of fun. I've never even heard of this one before, but it'll be worth a second watch in a couple of years when I'm bored some night and need something before bed other than a needless snack.
Naish gets on board the boat disguised as a grandmotherly old lady in the care of Virginia Dabney. His henchmen are the other "cruise members". Anthony Quinn and several other typical henchmen of the movies are Naish's "boys". They force themselves on the crew, including Captain Harry Carey, Sr. Eventually, the baddies shoot both Nolan and Preston, and it takes Patrick's care via instructions from another boat via telegraph to keep the two alive and well. It's tense and exciting and extremely well filmed and acted and directed. It's also, as I said, with some reflection - nonsense. But it's go-o-o-o-d nonsense!
Lots of fun. I've never even heard of this one before, but it'll be worth a second watch in a couple of years when I'm bored some night and need something before bed other than a needless snack.
Great film, strange plot
kmoh-116 August 2008
Warning: Spoilers
This is a tight and interesting film, very short but great performances all round, particularly from J Carroll Naish, the two womanising and brawling heroes who obviously love each other really, and many of the minor parts. Interestingly, there are lots of decent performances uncredited.
However, at the risk of being ungenerous, it is worth pointing out that the heroics of Lloyd Nolan and Robert Preston have literally nothing to do with the main action of the picture, the foiling of the eponymous gangster's plot.
The two wireless men are of course extremely brave, both being shot. But their struggle to escape is fruitless. They tip off the nurse, Gail Patrick, about the location of distress flares, but she is intercepted. They try to bluff the gangsters by refusing to send messages, which results in one of their fellow crew being killed. Lloyd Nolan gets an SOS message off using a sparking battery, but no-one believes it. Nolan's character actually achieves nothing at all; Preston at least manages to relay instructions for Nolan's operation via wireless, but it is Gail Patrick who performs the operation.
Finally, it is the engineer's quick thinking that results in the release of all the crewmen, and the captain's retaking of the ship, in a round-up of the action that (a) is extremely cursory, and (b) does not involve our two heroes at all.
So had the two of them been thrown overboard at the beginning of the picture, there would have been no difference in the outcome, except that Nolan, Preston and Patrick would not have settled down into their bizarre threesome at the end!
However, at the risk of being ungenerous, it is worth pointing out that the heroics of Lloyd Nolan and Robert Preston have literally nothing to do with the main action of the picture, the foiling of the eponymous gangster's plot.
The two wireless men are of course extremely brave, both being shot. But their struggle to escape is fruitless. They tip off the nurse, Gail Patrick, about the location of distress flares, but she is intercepted. They try to bluff the gangsters by refusing to send messages, which results in one of their fellow crew being killed. Lloyd Nolan gets an SOS message off using a sparking battery, but no-one believes it. Nolan's character actually achieves nothing at all; Preston at least manages to relay instructions for Nolan's operation via wireless, but it is Gail Patrick who performs the operation.
Finally, it is the engineer's quick thinking that results in the release of all the crewmen, and the captain's retaking of the ship, in a round-up of the action that (a) is extremely cursory, and (b) does not involve our two heroes at all.
So had the two of them been thrown overboard at the beginning of the picture, there would have been no difference in the outcome, except that Nolan, Preston and Patrick would not have settled down into their bizarre threesome at the end!
Kings of Morse Code
AAdaSC30 April 2023
Two radio operators on different cruise ships, Lloyd Nolan (Ray) and Robert Preston (Robertson), fight over the same girl whenever they arrive in port. This behaviour is noted and as a consequence, they are given new orders which puts them both together on a scaled down freighter cruise with a handful of passengers headed for the Panama Canal. Unbeknown to them, an escaped prisoner from Alcatraz - J Carroll Naish (Murkil) - boards this ship disguised as an old lady and he has friends on board as well as a plan. Unfortunately, he has overlooked one point - the usefulness of a radio operator as it is an important job that you need a skilled engineer for.
The film's title is misleading as it has nothing to do with Alcatraz or being a king of Alcatraz. There are a few outrageously stupid sequences, eg, the beginning with all the rivalry and fighting over a girl who doesn't seem to show any respect to either of them, the terrible old lady disguise of the bad guy, the operation carried out via wireless communication, and the unreal ending with Nolan, Preston and nurse Gail Patrick (Dale).
However, the film has an interesting setting, ie, on board a ship, an interesting story which keeps you watching and the acting is ok. It also focuses on the role of the radio operator and educates as we are also introduced to the old-school spark method of ship communication. The story unfolds at a good pace and J Carroll Naish gets a memorable scene with someone he thinks has double-crossed him.
I think it would be very useful to put Morse Code on the educational curriculum. I remember seeing a Morse Code book when I was about 9 or 10 years old and we started learning bits and bobs. God knows where the book came from but why not teach it as another language option? It might encourage more people to join the Navy, and after all, this planet is more water than land.
The film's title is misleading as it has nothing to do with Alcatraz or being a king of Alcatraz. There are a few outrageously stupid sequences, eg, the beginning with all the rivalry and fighting over a girl who doesn't seem to show any respect to either of them, the terrible old lady disguise of the bad guy, the operation carried out via wireless communication, and the unreal ending with Nolan, Preston and nurse Gail Patrick (Dale).
However, the film has an interesting setting, ie, on board a ship, an interesting story which keeps you watching and the acting is ok. It also focuses on the role of the radio operator and educates as we are also introduced to the old-school spark method of ship communication. The story unfolds at a good pace and J Carroll Naish gets a memorable scene with someone he thinks has double-crossed him.
I think it would be very useful to put Morse Code on the educational curriculum. I remember seeing a Morse Code book when I was about 9 or 10 years old and we started learning bits and bobs. God knows where the book came from but why not teach it as another language option? It might encourage more people to join the Navy, and after all, this planet is more water than land.
You may see the bridge, but there's no view of Alcatraz!
mark.waltz21 May 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Don't go into this crime drama from Paramount thinking that this is a prison movie taking place at the famous prison off the coast of San Francisco. The only reference to Alcatraz is the escaped criminal played by J. Carroll Naish who disguises himself as an old lady and boards a passenger ship, forced to deal with the tough team of Lloyd Nolan and Robert Preston, playing long time buddies fighting over nurse Gail Patrick who must put their differences aside to fight a different type of enemy. Veteran actor Harry Carey is the captain of the ship who has his hands full with Nolan and Preston but does come to count on them with the situation at hand.
I was hoping that this would be as good as the previous entry in the series of bee crime dramas from Paramount, "King of Gamblers", but it's basically a retread of the type of film that Warner Brothers had been putting out on a daily basis pretty much since the beginning of sound. Those films are easy to find on Turner Classic Movies so these rare films from other studios not given as much play are a treat when they are good.
There is great banter between Nolan and Preston, and it's a buddy film mixed with typical crime melodrama that has some interesting moments but is just all too familiar to be considered a good film. A young Dennis Morgan has a small part as one of the crew members, while a young starlet named Virginia Dabney plays the floozy moll escorting Naish's granny like drag character around. Naish has one particularly good violent moment involving an old gang member who betrayed him, but it is pretty predictable how this will conclude.
I was hoping that this would be as good as the previous entry in the series of bee crime dramas from Paramount, "King of Gamblers", but it's basically a retread of the type of film that Warner Brothers had been putting out on a daily basis pretty much since the beginning of sound. Those films are easy to find on Turner Classic Movies so these rare films from other studios not given as much play are a treat when they are good.
There is great banter between Nolan and Preston, and it's a buddy film mixed with typical crime melodrama that has some interesting moments but is just all too familiar to be considered a good film. A young Dennis Morgan has a small part as one of the crew members, while a young starlet named Virginia Dabney plays the floozy moll escorting Naish's granny like drag character around. Naish has one particularly good violent moment involving an old gang member who betrayed him, but it is pretty predictable how this will conclude.
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