I Cover the Waterfront

1933
Approved
1h 12m

IMDb RATING

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Claudette Colbert, Ben Lyon, and Ernest Torrence in I Cover the Waterfront (1933)

An investigative reporter romances a suspected smuggler's daughter.An investigative reporter romances a suspected smuggler's daughter.An investigative reporter romances a suspected smuggler's daughter.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

802

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos25

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Top cast14

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Ben Lyon

H. Joseph 'Joe' Miller

Claudette Colbert

Julie Kirk

Ernest Torrence

Eli Kirk

Hobart Cavanaugh

One Punch McCoy

Maurice Black

Ortegus

Purnell Pratt

John Phelps

Harry Beresford

Old Chris

Wilfred Lucas

Randall

Claudia Coleman

Mother Morgan
(uncredited)

Lillian Harmer

Gossip with Telescope
(uncredited)

Al Hill

Sailor
(uncredited)

George Humbert

Tony Silva
(uncredited)

Rosita Marstini

Mrs. Silva
(uncredited)

Lee Phelps

Reporter
(uncredited)

Director
- James Cruze
Writers
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The composition "I Cover the Waterfront" became a popular jazz standard, in both vocal and instrumental versions, and was performed and recorded by many bands and vocalists from the 1930s on. Originally, the book the movie was based on inspired the tune; it was not written for the movie. However, the movie was re-scored just before its release to include the tune as an instrumental. Written by Johnny Green and Edward Heyman, the song went on to become a jazz standard recorded by many artists, including Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, The Ink Spots, and Ella Fitzgerald, among others.

Goofs
The news items about a woman giving birth in a water taxi, and the Empress of Britain docking that Joe reports over the telephone to the reporter at the news desk, had already appeared in print under his byline in the newspaper shown in the preceding sequence.

Quotes
Julie Kirk: I'm afraid of tomorrow, without you.

Crazy credits
The opening credits are shown as if displayed on a front page of a newspaper with headlines and photos.

Alternate versions
Cut to 58 minutes in some DVD releases.

Connections
Referenced in Miss London Ltd. (1943)

Soundtracks
I COVER THE WATERFRONT
(uncredited)
Music by Johnny Green
Played during main title and quoted in the score

User reviews27

Review

Featured review

7/10

Surprisingly good for its age

This movie surprised me again and again with its unexpected plot twists. Movies of this era are usually so predictable. It has a giant hideous shark and a scenes with this shark in the water that are genuinely terrifying. I did not expect effects from this era to stand up.

There is a lot of distressing racist dialogue deprecating Chinese people.

Claudette Colbert is like a fireplace. She radiates warmth, friendliness and enthusiasm. She has alarmingly thin eyebrows and overly thick face powder, but you get used to it. If she were in movies today, she could hold her own. She has that indefinable something.

There is also a pretty racy scene when a women in a bar picks up the sea captain. I was shocked at how direct it was about what was going on. This must have blown the socks off the audience back in 1933.