This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Fast-paced film filled with snappy dialog and star performances by Spencer Tracy as a not-too-swift cop and Joan Bennett as a hash-house waitress with plenty on the ball. Story centers on their unlikely romance and the colorful people around them, mostly her nitwit sister (Marion Burns) who's involved with a mobster.While Tracy pursue Bennett, the sister marries a sap (George Chandler) to escape a mobster boyfriend (George Walsh) who has escaped from jail. He and his gang try to pressure her into helping rob the bank she works in. The sister lives with her husband's paralyzed father (Henry B. Walthall) who plays in important part in the story.Tracy's beat is the waterfront, where he is plagued by a comically ever-drunk fisherman (Will Stanton) and a dopey partner (Adrian Morris). There's a funny scene where Tracy intervenes on a fight where Stanton is accused of smacking customers (Billy Bevan, Bert Hanlon) with a large fish. As the argument escalates with the men sniping over what kind of fish it is, Tracy is the one who ends up with the fish in his face.Co-stars include J. Farrell MacDonald as Bennett's father, Noel Madison as "Baby Face" the thug, Roger Imhof as the guy with the dog, Phil Tead as the radio salesman, Frank Moran as the spitter, Jesse De Vorska as the tall thug, and Russ Powell as the burper.Not to be missed.

Considering that the film was directed by Raoul Walsh and starred Spencer Tracy and Joan Bennett, you would prob assume that the film would be better than this one. However, Tracy was not yet a star and Walsh was a ways off from being a top director, so in this film they obviously were given a second-rate script. Fortunately, despite the film's many deficiencies, they were able to make the most of a relatively dull film.Much of the movie seems virtually plot-less--with an exciting story only occurring near the end. Up until then, it seems to just meander--showing a dopey young cop (Tracy) making good again and again as well as courting a pretty young lady (Bennett). Despite the aimless direction, Tracy plays a likable dope who, after a while, really grows on you. And, fortunately, the last 10 minutes or so is interesting enough to at least let the film end on a high note.By the way, there IS a bright moment in the film where, out of the blue, Tracy's character talks about a movie he just saw..."Strange Innertube"! This is actually referring to the Gable/Shearer film "Strange Interlude"--an odd little film made by rival studio, MGM, in which the characters act AND you can hear what they are thinking. In this cute parody of the MGM film, suddenly you can hear what Tracy and Bennett are thinking as they being making out--it's very cute and certainly the high point in an otherwise odd and slow film.Worth watching, certainly, but far from the best work of all concerned. It's mostly a curiosity that I can only strongly recommend to Tracy fans who want to be able to say they've seen all of his work.

I saw this the first time the other day on the fox movie channel.It'a an early Spenser Tracy classic.He plays an honest cop who work on a pier.He meets Joan Bennet who works at a café as a cash register. Her sister is getting married to a sailor. The wedding is being planned but she still in love with her old boa who a crook He tries to persuade her to help him in the crime.during the wedding party every one get drunk with illegal booze.Joans father throws the radio out of the window after his daughter husband has listen to a song about a gigolo. some body complains and Spenser shows up to stop the noise but lets the party go on any way. She and him get even more smitten There's a drunk joke in the picture for humor but its not funny the actor who plays Spensers assistant .I though it the actor who would play jack Benny's announcer, Don something, It looks like him. but it's not. Well Spenser gets promoted as detective. Joans sisters ex boa is now in prison.But he breaks out. and gets her sister to hide him at her house . But her paralyzed husband father on a wheel chair.played by Henry B. Walthal. Knows what going on and communicates with his eyes through Morse code. As Joan and Spenser are leaving his dog at her sister house. she takes the notes and the next day studies it and finds out whats going on. she flies out of the café the go to her sister house to get the crook to leave before Spenser finds out and throws her sister in jail for helping criminal. but tract finds out and get the criminal but makes up to the police chief that he was chasing him and not Joan's sister. this is a fair classic and the few ones made in the early thirties that fox movie channel shows occasionally since most of their movie they show are late dates.

Given the stars and the director, one would think this is an early classic. Instead, it's a bomb. Joan Bennett is beautiful and Tracy can act. That's it. The film is embarrassing. The script is terrible, being both witless, and humorless. It features one of Hollywood's longest and least funny drunk acts. Poor Tracy just has to stand there and watch. This belongs in the Golden Turkey book.