zardoz-13 "Kid Nightingale" director George Amy doesn't squander a second in his crime reporter melodrama "Gambling on the High Seas" with Wayne Morris as the tireless journalist and Jane Wyman as his girlfriend. Gilbert Roland is cast as the suave but ruthless crime boss with his signature pencil mustache who operates a gambling ship beyond the three-mile limit. The authorities cannot touch Morella unless they can prove that his gambling equipment is rigged because that would constitute piracy. Morella is a pretty shrewd criminal. He exposes rats in his own employment who have cooked the books and tried to steal from him. More interestingly, he deals with gambler that might create grief for him. One example is a stockbroker who Morella's minions suspect has been losing heavily with funds taken from his employers. Morella orders his men to let the broker win back what he lost and then rob him once he goes back ashore. Morella feared that the stockbroker might try to create bad publicity for him and draw in the police. The local District Attorney (Frank Ferguson) and U.S. District Attorney (John Litel)repeatedly arrest him but they cannot get him for any crimes. One of Morella's men gives the local D.A. a signed confession, but a rat in the D.A.'s office steals the confession and gives it to Morella. Every time that either tries to bring in a witness against Greg Morella (Gilbert Roland of "Any Gun Can Play"), the mobster has his hit men silence them. Eventually, newspaperman Jim Carver (Wayne Morris of "Brother Rat") shoots photographs of Morella's rigged gambling tables and Morella's secretary Laurie Ogden (Jane Wyman) takes them to the authorities. Morella appears in court, and the D.A. is about to summon Laurie as a witness who can authenticate the photos when Morella's out-of-town muscle kidnaps. Carver visits Laurie on Morella's ship, and Morella plans to dispose of them, but the authorities muster three patrol boats with armed agents and they waylay Morella's boat. Clocking at a brisk 55 minutes, "Gambling on the High Seas" is obviously a B-picture, but Amy handles this Warner Brothers film with competence. The Robert E. Kent & Martin Mooney screenplay and story is pretty sharp, and the characters are robust. At one point, Morella says that he doesn't trust anybody, but his lowers his guard for wisecracking reporter Carver and it costs him.

gridoon2018 "Gambling On The High Seas" is a painless programmer that's so short (barely 55 minutes) it was probably always destined to be part of a double feature. Jane Wyman, who is second-billed, has a secondary part and barely even appears in the first half; the lead (Wayne Morris) is also the blandest person in the film, and his character poses two different credibility problems: it's hard to believe that the police and the district attorney would send a newspaper reporter to do so much of their dirty work, just as it's hard to believe that a smart gambling racketeer (a well-cast Gilbert Roland) would trust a newspaper reporter with so many of his guilty secrets no matter how "neutral" the reporter seems to be. The film is mostly talk, but it does climax with a fair boat chase. ** out of 4.

blanche-2 Wayne Morris stars with Jane Wyman and Gilbert Roland in "Gambling on the High Seas," a 1940 second feature from Warner Brothers.Morris plays a reporter,Jim Carter and Roland is Morella, a crook who runs a gambling ship with rigged tables. The authorities haven't been able to get enough evidence to convict him. Carter approaches Morella's secretary, Laurie, who knows plenty. Carter wants proof of the fixed games and also evidence that Morella had his partner, Max Gates, murdered.Wayne Morris had all kinds of problems with Warner Brothers, and even lost out on the Burt Lancaster role in "The Killers" because Warners wouldn't lend him out. It's a shame - he was cute, had a nice, light presence, and was very boyish. He became well known for westerns until his untimely death. Wyman is blond, young, and beautiful, and does a good job as Laurie. Gilbert Roland is incredibly handsome as the cruel Morella and is also very good.Nice cast, very short film, decent story.

csteidler Jim Carver, ace reporter, announces his intention to go out and bring down the notorious gambler Morella. His boss tells him: "If you can, Jim, it'll be the greatest story the Journal ever had. But it'll be dangerous!"Subtle dialog is not among this picture's strengths, but a decent energy level and an interesting cast keep it entertaining.Gilbert Roland is quite smooth as Morella, the professional criminal who has set up an offshore gambling ship just outside the three-mile police enforcement limit. Everybody knows that Morella is a crook—and is behind at least one murder—but nobody can prove it.Wayne Morris is big and smiley as reporter Jim; although likable enough, Morris is so cheerful and spouts that good corny dialog with such eagerness that sometimes it's hard not to laugh. For example, when his girlfriend is kidnapped: "I got Laurie into this mess, and if I ever expect her to become Mrs. Jim Carver, I gotta get her out of it."Jane Wyman is Laurie, the spunky girlfriend who works right on board the gambling ship as Morella's secretary. Wyman hardly appears in the first half of the picture; it's no coincidence that the movie's second half, with Wyman as a major character, is faster moving and just generally much snappier.Plot and dialog so-so, cast giving it their best shot anyway….It's no classic but that Warner Bros. punch still makes for an entertaining enough 55 minutes. My favorite exchange— Morris: "You don't pay enough attention to me." Wyman: "What do you want for nothing?"