Port of Missing Girls (1938) User Reviews

Perfect movie for 4 AM

[DeeJsBabe · 6/10 · 14 November 2005]

I became a Harry Carey fan because of this movie, having not really noticed him before. I think he was great in his simplicity, and since my first viewing of this on SPN (one of the original satellite stations)I have always paid attention to movies he was in.

I wish there were a way to give a movie like this a distinctive score, say a 5.3; something to denote perfection in its unique way, yet let the reader know that it's no Titanic. The scenery is cheap, save for maybe the opening number, which has Della singing in a nightclub. Milburn Stone is B all the way.

It takes you on a foggy boat ride to ports unknown and back, with a seedy nightclub along the way.

This movie has its intended comic moments, and some moments which are made comic over the passage of time.

I happen to like this kind of film, and go out of my way to pick up copies of everyone (like this) of interest. Most of these movies were made in a day (long gone) of Deco Nightclubs, Offices, and Hotels. It's a style long gone, and when someone in the modern era uses Deco it really stands out, like Jack Palance's office in Batman. In movies like the one I am reviewing, Deco was the order of the day. Even the cheapest movies had that wonderful style.

This movie is available on DVD from Amazon; copy is not that great, but that sort of adds to it. For seven bucks, pick it up and......

Sit back, sip some coffee and forget about CGI.

Harry Carey Carries this One

[CatherineYronwode · 7/10 · 14 October 2006]

Like H. B. Warner in "City of Missing Girls," (no plot relationship), the actor who carries this modest B-movie is an older man best known to modern viewers for his late-life supporting roles -- and part of the surprising charm of this flick is to see what a good actor the gentleman really was, when given a starring role. Harry Carey is absolutely wonderful as a sea captain with a tragic past who tries to help others find the happiness that has eluded him -- and in the end the viewer cares more about him than about the star-crossed young couple whose ups and downs we are supposed to be emoting over. "Port of Missing Girls" features a great little "exotic" nightclub scene, a credible false-accusation-of-murder plot, and some excellent low-budget art deco sets and costumes, but what really makes it shine is Harry Carey, a man who projects genuine warmth, secret sorrow, and manly toughness with an unaffected simplicity that i cannot compare to that of any other actor of his time period or the present era.

Adventures With Harry Carey

[boblipton · 6/10 · 23 January 2019]

Judith Allen has just ordered a cop out of her changing room when Matty Fain jumps out of a closet, points a gun at her and has her get her boss, Eddie Kane, there. When Kane shows up, Fain shoots him for squealing and kidnaps Allen. He's about to dispose of her when his driver orders him off. He dumps her with a warning. Pursued by the cops, she stows away on woman-hating Harry Carey's ship, bound for Shanghai.

It's a code-compliant bad-girl-in-the-South-Seas affair, reminiscent of movies like SEVEN SINNERS, and is an entertaining flick. While radioman Milburn Stone romances her, Carey drops her off at Jane Jones' bar, where they put on a show for slumming tourists to give them a thrill. Betty Compson has a funny turn as 'Chicago', wanted for something never specified. Miss Allen sings a couple of songs and Miss Jones sings a Sophie-Tucker style number. Meanwhile, Carey, who gives a light-hearted performance, gets involved with gun runners. Despite a weak set-up to the movie, the balance of the show combines melodrama and comedy expertly, with 'Snowflake' Toones helping to turn the tide in the big gun fight by clanging the chief badman's head with a noisy frying pan.

Writer-Director Karl Brown had entered the movies in the photo labs of Kinemacolour. Later, he became a cameraman for D.W. Griffith, then entered the ranks of auteurs with the well-received (and recently restored) STARK LOVE. His subsequent career never advanced out of the B ranks, but he wrote a nice reminiscence of his early days, ADVENTURES WITH D.W. GRIFFITH.

Actually, I'd rate this 6.5

[JohnHowardReid · 6/10 · 20 August 2013]

Karl Brown is highly regarded in some circles, but this movie seems unlikely to lead to a great amount of hat-tossing. Certainly, it's competent enough and even mildly inventive in one or two places. And by the humble standards of a Monogram "B", production values rate as most definitely a cut above the average. The story too seems interesting enough, while the action climax comes across with the requisite zing. Certainly our heroine looks quite attractive and even renders a couple of songs quite pleasantly. Harry Carey can usually be a great asset to any movie made after 1920 – and this movie proves no exception – while Milburn Stone's fans will be delighted to find him in his usual niche here as the ship's radio operator.

About average for a B-adventure film.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 19 May 2019]

When the story begins, Della Mason (Judith Allen) is abducted by some creep and as he drags her along, he stops to shoot someone. Sadly, while she was a victim, folks now think she was involved in the murder and so she runs and stows away aboard a ship. The Captain (Harry Carey) at first wants to turn her in to the authorities but he oddly changes her mind and helps her. He diverts the ship to an island filled with folk running from the law. But is she then destined to spend the rest of her life on the run?!

While it's never explicitely said, the place Della stays at appeared to be a brothel. The Madame in charge, by the way, was a terrible actress and could barely deliver her lines....but aside from her, the rest were competent and the film mildly enjoyable. A middle of the road B-adventure movie...one that is best when you are feeling blah and just want a time passer and nothing more.

Change your routine

[AAdaSC · 5/10 · 2 April 2023]

My goodness, the songs are terrible in this film. And they keep on coming. Aaargh! One of them, sung by Jane Jones (Minnie), a large madam heading up a brothel repeats that she is going to "change my routine". For goodness sake, just do it, and stop singing. Our heroine, Judith Allen (Della) is equally guilty of delivering poor entertainment in the form of countless boring songs. She has been transported to an island after being falsely accused of murder and put under the charge of Jones. She has landed in the port of missing girls where every girl has a story and a past she is running from. Unfortunately, we don't learn of anyone's past stories. One day, Judith's identity is discovered...

The only good acting in this film comes from the ship's captain Harry Carey (Storm) and seasoned prostitute Betty Compson (Chicago). Judith Allen is terrible in the lead role - crying, screaming, running about, singing another song (Aaargh!) - and her lead man is uninspiring. There is a story to be followed but the film just gets a bit boring. And that gun battle on the ship - ha ha. You will never see so many people shooting at pretty close range and NO-ONE getting hit. The chances of the good guys winning this battle are zero but guess what? What a load of nonsense. It is also a shame to see the black stereotype that is Fred Toones.

This B-movie is a lot better than you might suspect.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 24 July 2011]

"Port of Missing Girls" is a cheap little B-movie. However, this does not mean it's a bad film--it's actually pretty interesting. The film begins with a young lady (Judith Allen) getting caught up in the middle of a murder. She is innocent but the police think she wasn't--and she runs. She soon stows away on a freighter and the Captain (Harry Carey) is known for being a 'woman hater'. However, when she is discovered, the Captain feels sorry for her and instead of turning her in to the authorities he takes her to an island where sin and vice and people running from the law can hide. While they never say it, the place they leave her is clearly a brothel--though because the Captain is good friends with the madam, the lady is not expected to turn tricks to remain there. But she does want to help out and since she's a professional singer, she entertains the customer with her singing skills. Unfortunately, despite being in the middle of nowhere in Asia, one of the guests recognizes her and may spill the beans. What's going to happen next? This film, despite never using the words prostitute or hooker, clearly is talking about this. But to get past the strengthened Production Code, this is just assumed by audience members--and this doesn't harm the film in the least. It's still quite good and I agree with one of the reviewers that said this is mostly due to Carey's great performance. I also liked the twist near the end--it was pretty satisfying and helped to tie everything together well. A surprisingly good film.

By the way, one sad thing about this film is 'Snowflake'. Fred 'Snowflake' Toones made a career out of playing demeaning characters--hence his sub-human stage name. And, like usual, he plays a bumbling idiot. Fortunately, such one-dimensional and racist depictions are a thing of the past and it's too bad "Port of Missing Girls" uses this stupid plot device.

Also, although I liked the film, I laughed at the ending as about a bazillion bullets were fired yet almost no one seemed to get hit. This was pretty funny.

Ride along with Harry Carey and his crew, this time on a ship.

[glennstenb · 8/10 · 2 December 2018]

I have loved Harry Carey's stoic but comforting presence in B-westerns for decades, and he projects a similar kind of reassuring countenance in "Missing Girls." I came to view this film because of Mr. Carey being in it, as well as Milburn "Doc Adams" Stone being in it. Mr. Carey indeed is the clear center-piece of this film, but the whole cast seemed to enjoy being in the program. Sure, some of the cast may not be fully polished actors, but this film is perhaps one of the more enjoyable B-contemporary society pictures I have seen, and I've seen plenty. It has a diverse set of characters portrayed in a story that is involving and makes it easy to root for, and stick around for, a happy conclusion. The somewhat implausible wrap-up is efficient and fast-paced. If one is hankering to see a low-budget, late 1930s picture set on board an old cargo ship with a stop along the way in a mysterious far-east locale, then this one is a good one.

The Cast Deserves Better

[dougdoepke · 5 June 2012]

A girl escapes aboard ship to Hong Kong, while the San Francisco police look for her on a wrongful murder charge.

The most interesting part of this Monogram cheapo is whether Della (Allen) is being delivered into a Hong Kong bordello or a sorority school for girls. Note how the script plays around with the nature of Minnie's (Jones) establishment— for example, there's the girls just lounging around in dressing gowns, including the tough talking Chicago (Compson) and the blonde girl (Katrina) of unknown extraction, all presided over by a rotund war horse of a woman. Looks to me like a place where a sailor could go for a good time, no matter what they say. Of course, this is several years after the restrictive Production Code, so the script has to play cute.

One thing for sure—the cast principals are a lot better than the material. Carey and Stone are excellent. But to me,the girls in particular shine. I especially like the weight-challenged Jones who looks like a haystack but sings like a canary. Maybe you can figure out what the Chinese guy (Vincenot) is up to. I couldn't, but who cares. That shoot-out aboard ship is one of the worst I've seen—guys firing straight into one another, yet nobody gets hit. Maybe they were firing blanks. Add the cheap sets and some bad acting from Vincenot and Fain, and you've got a typically tacky Monogram product.