Night Waitress

... But the movie is pure Lew Landers.

Margot Graham is exotic as the title character. Her acting, at least here, isn't very interesting. But she has a tough yet intelligent look.

Graham is a woman on parole. She is working as -- yes: a waitress. And in a waterfront dive.

The rest is stock criminals. We have a stock romance. We have a boat and an Asian helper. None of the actors in these roles made much impression on me.

It isn't really bad. (And some Landers films reality ARE bad.) It's just routine. We've seen essentially the same movie many, many times. But Graham makes this one stand out.

Well done B-movie about a gal on probation who works as a waitress at the dockside "Torre's Fish Palace", run by Papa Torre (Billy Gilbert, unfortunately seen oh so briefly in this film) who makes sure his wait staff aren't over-perfumed or wearing too much makeup. Just trying to keep out of trouble, our waitress unfortunately is of the attractive blonde variety, and every jerk man in the restaurant keeps trying to hit on her. Soon she, for some reason (I guess it's the guy's big, dopey grin that got her), is mixed up with this really aggressive, but handsome lug who is a racketeer on the watch each night to meet some mug named Rigo, and waits in his regular booth at midnight for the guy to show. Meanwhile, a gang of detectives/gangsters are out to meet up with this Rigo as well.

A fast-paced little crime drama, this film is not too bad for a low budget movie. This is another one of those movies (and there sure are a lot of them) where the woman thinks a guy is a creep at first (or as she calls him "a gorilla") but he is just SO assertive, pressing her into going out with him, grabbing her aggressively to kiss her, etc., that she actually starts to like the guy. And, well, he does seem to have his charms, which are not visible in the earlier parts of the film - but I wonder at her easy change of mind. The acting by the two leads (Margot Grahame and Gordon Jones) is quite well done and there is a good deal of chemistry between them as well - and watch for a young Anthony Quinn in this as one of the "detectives". Worth seeing.

Margot Grahame has just been put on probation. She goes back to work at Billy Gilbert's waterfront fish restaurant. She wants to work and avoid trouble. Sailor Gordon Jones wants to date her. When gangsters kill a criminal in the restaurant, she's the only witness. The gang starts looking for her.

It's a nice, atmospheric B movie that doesn't bother with gloss. Director Lee Landers, just breaking out of B westerns the year this was made, shoots quickly and efficiently, with San Pedro standing in for San Francisco in the shipside shots.

Margot Grahame was Britain's highest-paid screen actress in this period. Dubbed 'the Aluminum Blonde', she was a skilled performer, trying to break into the much more prosperous American industry.

With a fine cast of then-minor players - the IMDb claims this is Anthony Quinn's first feature; it's really his fifth - it's a good example of what could be done on a small budget.

WHAT A SURPRISE this one was to us. We found it in the off hours at Turner Classic Movies and due to the marvelous invention of the DVR, we were able to view it at our leisure.

IT IS TRULY A fine example of how good a "B" movie can be. Without any pretensions of the serious message film or "Art" if you please, this is the sort of "potboiler" that makes movie going the pleasure that it is. In short, it is fun.

WE FIND THE starring roles Margot Grahame (a Brit import) and Gordon Jones (from Iowa,USA). This was most pleasing to us to see "Mike the Cop" (from the ABBOT & COSTELLO Television series) in a starring role. This was at the very early stages of actor's career, when anything could happen. His looks, athletic ability and muscukar physique served him well in this regard.

BUT AS IS the case with so many, be it in show business or wherever, he didn't quite make the cut to stardom. Instead, the former USC Trojan footballer (starting Guard as "Bull" Jones) and pal of another football player there named "Duke" Morrison (John Wayne) found his niche as supporting player and character actor. Having gradually "filled out", his build helped to establish him in many a role, both villainous and sympathetic.

IN REGARD TO this short feature's merits and why we sing its praises, it has the whole package for a movie of its station in life. At 57 minutes, it only occupied an hour of the double bill on Saturdays. This left plenty of time for the cartoon, the live action comedy short, the serial chapter and the trailers (aka "Previews of Coming Attractions"). Its bright and cheerful attitude groomed its audience for more to come on the screen.

ONE OTHER ASPECT of this title NIGHT WAITRESS is the manner in which the production team so skillfully puts together the supporting cast. It has been said that you'll never see a bad scene that has Billy Gilbert or Marc Lawrence in it. Well here we have both. Added to the mix, one Don "Red" Barry, Willie Best, Walter Miller (former lead in serial king) and Paul Stanton.

PERHAPS THE MOST interesting tidbit of trivia is the casting of Antonio Rodolfo Oaxaca Quinn in an uncredited role as a gangster. This was undoubtedly a great start and boosted his career, getting it off to great start. His tie on the screen is far greater than one would think; bringing us to conclude that Mr. Quinn made such an equally spectacular impression on those bigwigs at RKO.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY the greatest single attribute and accomplishment of this little picture was in its ability to entertain us and ultimately leave us happy. Then we could move on to the "main event" (Featured "A" Picture).

A not bad little programmer directed with flair by Lew Landers about a night waitress, Helen Roberts (Margot Grahame), on probation who is trying to get her life together working in a waterfront dive run by none other than Billy Gilbert, who is virtually wasted in a routine bit part. Seems Helen's new boyfriend, Martin Rhodes (Gordon Jones of "The Green Hornet" fame), is somehow mixed up with gangsters who are after a hidden cargo he has. The result is murder and hot pursuit by both mobsters and police of Helen and Martin. The approximately hour-long second feature moves at a fast pace, filled with excitement and adventure.

Keep your eyes open for Anthony Quinn as one of the hoods, Don "Red" Barry as a victim, and Frank Faylen as a policeman, each just beginning his screen career. Gifted comic Willie Best is also seen briefly as a passerby with only one line. The cinematography by Russell Metty captures all the griminess, desolation, and seediness of the San Francisco waterfront. It's fun to hear the seamen sing "The Monkeys Have No Tails in Zamboanga," later popularized by US soldiers in the Pacific in World War II. Many John Wayne fans will recall it being sung by Lee Marvin in John Ford's "Donovan's Reef."