King of Alcatraz

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.

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.

And J Carroll Naish excellent in the villian role. I love this short adventure thriller taking mostly place aboard a boat when a gangster and his crew take over the ship. This is short, fast paced, especially in the second part. Rough, in the Warner style, except it is a Paramount production, with the usual actors such as Lloyd Nolan, J Carroll Naish, Tony Quinn; only Akim Tamiroff was missing, and also Buster Crabbe. If it had not been Robert Florey, it would have been Louis King as the director. During those late thirties, there was a good batch of those one hour thriller and crime dramas, starring the likes named just above. ILLEGAL TRAFFIC, KING OF THE GAMBLERS, ROAD GANG....

"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.

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.