IMDb > I Cover the Waterfront (1933)

I Cover the Waterfront (1933) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
6.3/10   158 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 19% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Max Miller (book)
Wells Root (writer) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for I Cover the Waterfront on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 May 1933 (USA) more
Genre:
Plot:
An investigative reporter romances a suspected smuggler's daughter. full summary | add synopsis
User Comments:
Pretty Good Atmospheric Drama more (10 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Ben Lyon ... H. Joseph 'Joe' Miller

Claudette Colbert ... Julie Kirk
Ernest Torrence ... Eli Kirk (Julie's father)
Hobart Cavanaugh ... One Punch McCoy
Maurice Black ... Ortegus (Kirk's First Mate)
Purnell Pratt ... John Phelps ('Standard editor, Miller's boss)
Harry Beresford ... Old Chris (salvage man)
Wilfred Lucas ... Randall (Coast Guard officer)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
75 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Fun Stuff

Goofs:
Continuity: At the beginning of the movie, when Joe is talking to McCoy, he (Joe) has the third button on his shirt unfastened. He walks out of the shot and continues his conversation. In the next shot, his third button is buttoned, but he then begins to unbutton the shirt as he undresses for bed. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Joe Miller: [on the phone] Hello, Thelma, this is Miller. No, I don't want the desk. I want to talk to Phelps.
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Movie Connections:
Version of Secret of Deep Harbor (1961) more
Soundtrack:
I COVER THE WATERFRONT more

FAQ

Is this available on DVD?
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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful.
Pretty Good Atmospheric Drama, 10 July 2001
Author: Snow Leopard from Ohio

Although some aspects of the film don't quite work, "I Cover the Waterfront" is a pretty good atmospheric drama with some good moments. The setting works very well for a story of suspense and crime, and the good story mostly makes up for the less impressive elements of the movie.

Joe Miller (Ben Lyon) is reporter assigned to find interesting stories along the waterfront. His obsession is to prove that ship captain Eli Kirk is involved in a smuggling operation with an occasional murder thrown in. When Miller has a chance meeting with Kirk's charming daughter Julie (Claudette Colbert), he seizes the opportunity to get information about her father. He quickly becomes enamored of Julie, and find himself with conflicting loyalties. Some of the story that follows is predictable, but there are some moments of tension and some good scenes.

The waterfront setting is done nicely, and it makes a good background to the events in the plot. It also includes an exciting and realistic shark-fishing scene. On the other hand, there are some features that are less effective or even a bit dated: for example, the very callous attitudes of all of the characters towards Chinese immigrants, and Miller's irritating sidekick, who is supposed to provide comic relief by his habitual drunkenness, but who is really just an annoyance that contributes nothing whatsoever to the plot.

Overall, this is an interesting film despite a few flaws, and it is worth watching for anyone who likes films of the era.

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