Fisherman's Wharf

My look at the films of Bernard Vorhaus concludes with 1939's Fisherman's Wharf, another Bobby Breen musical. Set on the San Francisco docks, it's a family film with lots of music, the kind of thing that is not made anymore.

Breen is Tony, the son of a widowed Italian fisherman (Leo Carillo). They have a great life, like something out of a Prego commercial, singing while fishing. They live modestly but comfortably, with a housekeeper and a best friend (Henry Armetta) who are in love but constantly fighting.

Into this Italian-American idyll comes Carillo's sister-in-law (Lee Patrick, Effie from The Maltese Falcon) and her snot-nose son, who has a massive chip on his shoulder. Patrick twists Carillo around her finger, inspiring him to break up his fishing collective, and making the housekeeper resign in a huff. She even starts to make goo-goo eyes at Carillo, which horrifies Breen.

Finally, the horrible son tells Breen that he is adopted, which prompts him to run away.

This is inoffensive but not particularly gripping, but these kind of films were not high art, but merely something to keep children still for an hour. Breen had a brief blip as a child star, but his popularity obviously waned as no one knows he is today. Perhaps the most interesting about it is the appearance of a trained seal, Skipper, who is the family pet.

Vorhaus' career would end during the blacklist of the McCarthy era.