Waterfront Lady

"Waterfront Lady" is a low-budget public domain B-movie from small-time Mascot Pictures. However, unlike some Bs, this one does have a few established Hollywood actors in the film. Though none of them were big stars (such as J. Farrell MacDonald, Grant Withers, Jack LaRue and Ward Bond), it is nice to see their familiar faces. Ann Rutherford appears here in her first film and IMDb's trivia about this is interesting. The film's title would make you think that the film stars a woman, Frank Albertson is clearly the star. The film begins aboard a gambling ship. Just before it's raided, a stool pigeon and the boss are engaged in a tussle--and in the process the stoolie is killed. Being an all-around sucker, Albertson covers for the boss and is now a hunted man. He hides out along the waterfront and in the process he meets nice Ann Rutherford and falls for her--though she has no idea he's a wanted man and professional gambler. Despite this, he's a pretty likable guy and romance begins to blossom--until his identity is revealed and is forced to flea. Can this all be worked out for a happy ending? Well, what do you think?!

Overall, despite the film's very modest budget, it's a rather agreeable film--mostly due to some decent writing--though the final fight sequence is a bit dopey. Now understand...it is NOT a great film but a very watchable B-movie--especially if you like this sort of thing.