recommended

A Disappointing Continuation

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

WATERFRONT LADY was listed as a crime film on Amazon Prime but having watched it I would better describe it as a romantic musical in which the characters constantly burst into song or dance routines, thus slowing the pacing down to a crawl. It's a pity that the end result is so uninteresting because there are elements of interest here in the tale of a man wrongly accused of murder and forced to go on the run from the police while at the same time attempting to clear his name.What follows is a sluggishly-paced tale populated by uninteresting characters and actors who I've never heard of before and have no interest in seeing again. I found the romantic scenes quite cringe-worthy. There's a youthful supporting part for Ward Bond but that's about it. Otherwise modern sources render this a cheap and fuzzy looking picture in which the early potential evaporates in favour of relentless tedium.

Tied up with the wrong people gets handsome Frank Albertson accused of a murder he did not commit, and being a sucker, he hides out in a fishing port as the police grab the clues of his whereabouts. Falling in love with fisherman's daughter Ann Rutherford, he hides out and almost makes it. But when jealous floozy Barbara Pepper learns of his whereabouts and looses her own meal ticket, she makes the call that could ruin his life.In spite of the title, this focuses on gambling gentleman Albertson who always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. On the verge of second string fame as Andy Hardy's girlfriend, Rutherford shows potential in this poverty row drama. J. Farrell MacDonald, Charles C. Wilson and Mary Gordon (as one of a gaggle of gossipy bags) are also fine in this likable and fast moving melodrama. This is one I'd like to see restored and cleaned up.

"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.

Waterfront Lady, even though you would think that with the 'Lady' in the title, and the lead actress (Anne Rutherford) is the first person mentioned in the credits, that this movie is all about the girl.. but amusingly this is REALLY about the guy character, named Ronny (played by Frank Albertson.) He plays a gambling boat boss who bails out just when the cops bust the joint AND a murder happens on board. He goes into hiding and takes the role of a sea swash named type of a guy named Bill, with the sailor's cap and everything. Luckily, everybody on the barge thinks he's a friend of one of the people who lives there, who is conveniently away. Soon, the Lady falls in love with him, much to the chagrin of her OTHER suitor. So mr good-bad guy has to deal with that AND the person who comes back to wonder who this guy is. This is somewhat interesting to the fact that Albertson here is playing an anti-hero here. It's hard to like him, actually. Even though he's sort of trying to act reformed, he always tries to contact his underworld cronies to get them to help him get out of this jam. So, even though there is a happy ending (which is predictable) you still feel he's scum, and that the girl is going to be miserable in the end.