Murder on the Waterfront
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
B. Reeves Eason
Warren Douglas
Joan Winfield
John Loder
Ruth Ford
Bill Crago
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Among the troupe of entertainers arriving at a naval base are the Great Rajah, a knife thrower, his wife Lana and stowaway Gloria Davis, who recently married sailor Joe Davis. Also on base is Daniel Lewis, the inventor of a valuable thermostat. During the show, Joe and Gloria sneak into a warehouse to be alone. There they discover Lewis' body with two knives in it. As Joe goes for help, he is knocked out by a man who then flees. Joe hides Gloria in Petty Officer Thomas' empty tent and returns to his post. When the authorities examine Lewis' body, they discover he was killed by a blow to the head and that the knife wounds are the result of torture. Later, they arrest the Rajah, who was trying to escape. Then, finding a button on the floor, they search for a sailor with a missing button, and Joe and Gloria are brought in for questioning. Soon, Capt. Dave Towne arrives to head the investigation. He recognizes the Rajah as Gordon Shane, who was convicted by evidence given by Lewis during a court-martial. The Rajah admits that he had reason to kill Lewis, but insists that Lewis was dead when he entered the warehouse. His guilt seems certain, however, when he is shown to be wearing a ring that matches the cut on Joe's chin. The Rajah is charged with the murder and given into the custody of First Officer Barnes. On the way to the holding cell, Barnes says sympathetically that he believes the Rajah's story and will allow him to escape. Then Gloria accuses Barnes of Lewis' murder, saying that she saw him enter his tent during the show and change his clothes. Barnes knocks Gloria unconscious, but the Rajah stops him at gunpoint. A shootout ensues, and the shots attract the others. Towne reveals that Barnes was trying to steal the thermostat for the Nazis and used the Rajah to set a trap for him. The mystery wrapped up, Joe is given thirty days leave to continue his honeymoon with Gloria.
Director
B. Reeves Eason
Cast
Warren Douglas
Joan Winfield
John Loder
Ruth Ford
Bill Crago
Bill Kennedy
William B. Davidson
Don Costello
James Flavin
Bill Edwards
Bill Hunter
Dewolf Hopper
Ross Ford
John Maxwell
Phil Van Zandt
Frank Mayo
Fred Kelsey
Ray Montgomery
Eddie Dew
Eleanor Counts
Steve Clemento
Mary Landa
Juanita Stark
Lynne Baggett
George Sherwood
Charles Marsh
Don Brodie
Crew
Al Dubin
Stanley Fleischer
James Gibbon
Les Guthrie
Stanley Jones
Robert E. Kent
Matty King
John Lucas
Harry Neumann
Leah Rhodes
Casey Roberts
Jack L. Warner
Harry Warren
Perc Westmore
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The film's working titles were The Navy Gets Rough and Without Warning. Ralph Spenser Zink's play also served as the source of the 1938 Warner Bros. film Invisible Menace, directed by John Farrow and starring Boris Karloff (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1931-40; F3.2150).
