Corsair
Cast & Crew
Chester Morris
Alison Loyd
Fred Kohler
Ned Sparks
Emmett Corrigan
William Austin
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
John Hawkes, a college football star, is rejected by Alison Corning, the daughter of Wall Street baron Stephen Corning, because he is not ruthless enough in his pursuit of money. When Alison requests it, Mr. Corning hires John to work in his office, but he is fired when he refuses to sell back stock to a widow dependent on it for her income. Stung by Alison's taunts, John and his wealthy classmate, Chub Hopping, man the yacht "Corsair" with college friends and go into business, hijacking the cargoes of bootlegger Big John, whose disloyal employee Slim Herman and his girl friend Sophie, have tipped off the "Corsair" crew. John sells the stolen liquor for exorbitant prices to other yachts beyond the twelve mile limit, including the yacht belonging to Corning. After he loses a number of shipments to John, Big John sets a trap for him by loading explosives into a cargo of champagne. Sophie is then fed false information, which she passes on to John, who offers to sell the entire cargo to Corning. Sophie learns of the planned explosion and is killed when she tries to warn Slim. Slim is killed in the ensuing explosion, but the rest of the crew escapes. John keeps his rendezvous with Corning, revealing that he knows Corning has been in business with Big John. He tells him that he has been stealing Corning's own bootlegged liquor and selling it back to him. Unless Corning pays double his original price, John threatens to turn him in to the prohibition authorities. His point made, John tears up Corning's check. Impressed, Corning offers him a job in Venezuela, and Alison, delighted by John's ruthlessness, breaks her engagement with Richard Bentinck and declares her love for John.
Cast
Chester Morris
Alison Loyd
Fred Kohler
Ned Sparks
Emmett Corrigan
William Austin
Frank Mchugh
Frank Rice
Mayo Methot
Gay Seabrook
Addie Mcphail
Al Hill
Patrick Hartigan
Sidney D'albrook
Crew
Richard Day
Roger Heman
Ray June
Hal C. Kern
Rollo Lloyd
Josephine Lovett
Frank Maher
Alfred Newman
Robert H. Planck
Robert Ross
Sophie Wachner
Robert D. W. Webb
Roland West
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Walton Atwater Green's novel was serialized in Liberty (publication dates undetermined). Thelma Todd used the pseudonym Alison Loyd for the first time in this film. Although she had played a minor serious role in Sono Art's Swanee River earlier in 1931 (see below), the Variety review notes that Todd used the stage name Alison Loyd in this picture in order to distinquish this, a serious role, from her prior film roles as a comedienne. As this film was unsuccessful, it ended her dramatic career. According to Hollywood Reporter, some scenes were filmed on location at Catalina. This was Roland West's last film.
