Expected more

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

WHAT A SURPRISE this one was to us. We found it in the off hours at Turner Classic Movies and due to the marvelous invention of the DVR, we were able to view it at our leisure. IT IS TRULY A fine example of how good a "B" movie can be. Without any pretensions of the serious message film or "Art" if you please, this is the sort of "potboiler" that makes movie going the pleasure that it is. In short, it is fun.WE FIND THE starring roles Margot Grahame (a Brit import) and Gordon Jones (from Iowa,USA). This was most pleasing to us to see "Mike the Cop" (from the ABBOT & COSTELLO Television series) in a starring role. This was at the very early stages of actor's career, when anything could happen. His looks, athletic ability and muscukar physique served him well in this regard.BUT AS IS the case with so many, be it in show business or wherever, he didn't quite make the cut to stardom. Instead, the former USC Trojan footballer (starting Guard as "Bull" Jones) and pal of another football player there named "Duke" Morrison (John Wayne) found his niche as supporting player and character actor. Having gradually "filled out", his build helped to establish him in many a role, both villainous and sympathetic. IN REGARD TO this short feature's merits and why we sing its praises, it has the whole package for a movie of its station in life. At 57 minutes, it only occupied an hour of the double bill on Saturdays. This left plenty of time for the cartoon, the live action comedy short, the serial chapter and the trailers (aka "Previews of Coming Attractions"). Its bright and cheerful attitude groomed its audience for more to come on the screen.ONE OTHER ASPECT of this title NIGHT WAITRESS is the manner in which the production team so skillfully puts together the supporting cast. It has been said that you'll never see a bad scene that has Billy Gilbert or Marc Lawrence in it. Well here we have both. Added to the mix, one Don "Red" Barry, Willie Best, Walter Miller (former lead in serial king) and Paul Stanton. PERHAPS THE MOST interesting tidbit of trivia is the casting of Antonio Rodolfo Oaxaca Quinn in an uncredited role as a gangster. This was undoubtedly a great start and boosted his career, getting it off to great start. His tie on the screen is far greater than one would think; bringing us to conclude that Mr. Quinn made such an equally spectacular impression on those bigwigs at RKO.BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY the greatest single attribute and accomplishment of this little picture was in its ability to entertain us and ultimately leave us happy. Then we could move on to the "main event" (Featured "A" Picture).

It sure is interesting seeing how times have changed. Throughout the first portion of the film, Martin (Gordon Jones) shamefully sexually harasses a waitress at a warf-side dive. Again and again and again, he asks her out and completely refuses to take NO for an answer...and HE ultimately turns out to be the hero in the story!! Yikes!!Helen (Margot Grahame) is a waitress in a restaurant catering to the local sea men. Despite having a rough crowd, she keeps her distance, as she's on probation and wants to be a good girl. Later, there is a gangland killing in the restaurant and the police immediately single her out because of her past. So, she does what any heroine in a movie does---she goes on the run and Martin helps her sort things out...and finds out that some hidden gold is involved. This is a great illustration of the saying "Don't try this at home!", as I think running from the law and solving the mystery is NOT the best way of handling things!!This movie has B-movie written all over it. It comes in at a hasty 57 minutes (typical of a B) and has a plot that is very familiar to the style of movie. Apart from the sexual harassment, the film is a competent and reasonably enjoyable picture from RKO...a studio that made a lot of Bs.

A couple of innocent people, Gordon Jones and Margot Grahame get caught up in an effort to move some stolen gold out of the country in Night Waitress. Jones is a schooner captain who is hired to move the stuff, cargo unknown to him. Grahame is a waitress working at Billy Gilbert's waterfront dive establishment who just gets caught up in it. She also gets caught up in Jones. Had she not been on probation the cops would never even been interested.This B picture from RKO boasts the presence of one movie legend, Anthony Quinn as one of the gangsters involved in the heist. Quite an ingenious place to hide the gold, almost in plain sight.Nothing particularly special about this one, but it's fast moving and exciting entertainment.

... But the movie is pure Lew Landers.Margot Graham is exotic as the title character. Her acting, at least here, isn't very interesting. But she has a tough yet intelligent look.Graham is a woman on parole. She is working as -- yes: a waitress. And in a waterfront dive.The rest is stock criminals. We have a stock romance. We have a boat and an Asian helper. None of the actors in these roles made much impression on me.It isn't really bad. (And some Landers films reality ARE bad.) It's just routine. We've seen essentially the same movie many, many times. But Graham makes this one stand out.