By Frank Miller
The Ship From Shanghai
Brief Synopsis
Raging storms and a crazed steward threaten the passengers on a South Pacific ship.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Charles Brabin
Director
Conrad Nagel
Howard Vazey
Kay Johnson
Dorothy Daley
Carmel Myers
Viola Thorpe
Holmes Herbert
Paul Thorpe
Zeffie Tilbury
Lady Daley
Film Details
Genre
Adventure
Action
Crime
Drama
Release Date
Jan
31,
1930
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel Ordeal; a Novel by Dale Collins (New York, 1924).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 7m
Film Length
6,225ft
(8 reels)
Synopsis
Howard Vazey, an American playboy, becomes reacquainted with Dorothy Daley, an English girl, in Shanghai; and joining up with yacht owners Viola and Paul Thorpe, they decide to cross the Pacific to the United States. Ted, a crazed steward, incites the crew to mutiny following a storm that damages the yacht; and assuming the position of captain, he imprisons the socialites. The crew desert the ship when there is a water shortage; Ted induces Dorothy to come to his cabin, where she persuades him that he is insane, causing him to leap overboard and be devoured by sharks.
Director
Charles Brabin
Director
Cast
Conrad Nagel
Howard Vazey
Kay Johnson
Dorothy Daley
Carmel Myers
Viola Thorpe
Holmes Herbert
Paul Thorpe
Zeffie Tilbury
Lady Daley
Louis Wolheim
Ted
Ivan Linow
Pete
Jack Mcdonald
Reid
Crew
Film Details
Genre
Adventure
Action
Crime
Drama
Release Date
Jan
31,
1930
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel Ordeal; a Novel by Dale Collins (New York, 1924).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 7m
Film Length
6,225ft
(8 reels)
Articles
The Ship From Shanghai
MGM advertised this tale of mutiny and madness as the first all-talking film shot entirely on the high seas. That claim is debatable -- the only location listed for the picture is the studio's Culver City back lot -- but that doesn't dim the excitement of its plot. Louis Wolheim, one of the early talkies' great character stars, plays a deranged ship's steward with a pathological hatred of the rich. That would not necessarily make him the best choice to join the crew on a yacht carrying members of the upper crust from Shanghai to San Francisco, but with the entire voyage arranged on a whim, his wealthy employers have to take what they can get. Before long, Wolheim has incited the crew to take over, leaving the one society girl with a soul, played by the beautiful Kay Johnson, to save the day. The Ship From Shanghai offers a fascinating look at the talent at MGM during the early days of talking pictures, as the studio was just beginning to assemble it's legendary contract list. Conrad Nagel and Carmel Meyers had both been silent stars at the studio, the former cast as millionaire playboys, the latter most famous as the exotically dressed seductress in Ben-Hur (1925). The film's director had a Ben-Hur connection, too. Charles Brabin was that film's original director before being fired after the disastrous location shoot in Rome. Together, they crafted a film more justly advertised as "A Tornado of Human Emotions!"
By Frank Miller
By Frank Miller
The Ship From Shanghai
MGM advertised this tale of mutiny and madness as the first all-talking film shot entirely on the high seas. That claim is debatable -- the only location listed for the picture is the studio's Culver City back lot -- but that doesn't dim the excitement of its plot. Louis Wolheim, one of the early talkies' great character stars, plays a deranged ship's steward with a pathological hatred of the rich. That would not necessarily make him the best choice to join the crew on a yacht carrying members of the upper crust from Shanghai to San Francisco, but with the entire voyage arranged on a whim, his wealthy employers have to take what they can get. Before long, Wolheim has incited the crew to take over, leaving the one society girl with a soul, played by the beautiful Kay Johnson, to save the day. The Ship From Shanghai offers a fascinating look at the talent at MGM during the early days of talking pictures, as the studio was just beginning to assemble it's legendary contract list. Conrad Nagel and Carmel Meyers had both been silent stars at the studio, the former cast as millionaire playboys, the latter most famous as the exotically dressed seductress in Ben-Hur (1925). The film's director had a Ben-Hur connection, too. Charles Brabin was that film's original director before being fired after the disastrous location shoot in Rome. Together, they crafted a film more justly advertised as "A Tornado of Human Emotions!"
By Frank Miller
