Tiger Shark *** (1932, Edward G Robinson, Richard Arlen, Zita Johann, J Carrol Naish, Leila Bennett, Vince Barnett) – Classic Movie Review 9023

Tiger Shark (1932) is a love triangle story of the unhappy life and times of unhappy Portuguese tuna fisherman Mike Mascarenhas (Edward G Robinson), as Warner Bros merge elements from Moby Dick, Victorian romance and Thirties gritty melodrama. Indeed, who would not be unhappy with a silly moustache and a hook instead of a left hand?

Poor Mascarenhas has picked the wrong friend, has married the wrong woman and is in a difficult line of work. He loses his hand to a shark, loses his wife Quita Silva (Zita Johann) to his best buddy Pipes Boley (Richard Arlen), whom he has made the mistake of saving, then gets eaten by a shark in this fishy tale.

Director Howard Hawks’s 1932 adventure Tiger Shark is much better than it sounds. It is rousingly performed by a suitably fruity Edward G Robinson and compellingly directed by Hawks, who keeps his eye peeled on the fishing folk detail, filming atmospherically on the Monterey, California, coast (as well as in San Diego, California, and in Hawaii).

The screenplay by Wells Root is based on Houston Branch’s original story Tuna, although much of the dialogue was improvised by Hawks and Robinson.

Also in the cast are J Carrol Naish as Tony, Leila Bennett as Muggsey, Vince Barnett as Fishbone, William Ricciardi, Maurice Black, Sheila Bromley, Wong Chung, Toshia Mori, Henry Otho, Inez Palange, Pedro Regas, Joe Roig, Hector V Sarno, Harry Semels, Leo Sulky and Edwin Maxwell.

Tiger Shark is directed by Howard Hawks, runs 77 minutes, is made by First National Pictures, is released by Warner Bros, is written by Wells Root, based on Houston Branch’s original story Tuna, is shot in black and white by Tony Gaudio, is produced by Bryan Foy (supervisor) and Ray Griffiths, is scored by Bernhard Kaun and Leo F Forbstein (conductor Vitaphone Orchestra) and is designed by Jack Okey.

It was reworked as Bengal Tiger (1936) and Manpower (1941) with Robinson.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9023

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