By this point in his career, Wallace Berry had settled into the role of MGM's star galoot; accompanied by a kid -- in this case Virginia Grey, a perennial MGM starlet who rarely got a chance to shine -- and opposed by a juvenile lead -- here, the great Chester Morris -- they all get a chance to produce a lot of serio-comic fireworks around the sub-chaser service during the World War One East Coast raids.
Tremendous credit must be offered to director George Seitz -- a specialist in comedy, now best remembered for the Andy Hardy series -- and director of photography John Seitz; sorry, they were not related. These two veterans knew how and when to apply the high-priced gloss that MGM boasted in this period, but also when to settle back and let their actors carry the scenes: Beery, just staring as his ship goes down; Morris grinning as a surly Beery retreats; and Grey looking as if she is going to reach up and clunk the leading men's heads together.
The Beery vehicles of this period were programmers, as close as MGM went to B pictures, carried on his aw-shucks charm. In this one, he has to work for his star credit when everyone is working their hardest. The result is among the best of his last decade.
Tremendous credit must be offered to director George Seitz -- a specialist in comedy, now best remembered for the Andy Hardy series -- and director of photography John Seitz; sorry, they were not related. These two veterans knew how and when to apply the high-priced gloss that MGM boasted in this period, but also when to settle back and let their actors carry the scenes: Beery, just staring as his ship goes down; Morris grinning as a surly Beery retreats; and Grey looking as if she is going to reach up and clunk the leading men's heads together.
The Beery vehicles of this period were programmers, as close as MGM went to B pictures, carried on his aw-shucks charm. In this one, he has to work for his star credit when everyone is working their hardest. The result is among the best of his last decade.