One understands why Nicholas Ray turned this picture down. Yet, the final product could have been worse: the Communist Party could have been portrayed as something less attractive than a waterfront mob. Remember that audiences are and were used to identifying with glamorous gangland and this mob is not lacking in muscle, molls, and even a certain coolness (they have social parties and are intellectual). And the finale scene nearly matches some of best film noirs. To boot, the great Robert Ryan, whose character can no more divorce himself from the Party as from the Mob, somehow lends, by his association alone, even more draw to these American Reds. Apart from all this, the movie's worth a look if only for Ryan and Lorraine Day (some faces).
34 Reviews
A Visually Strong, Anti-Communist Noir
seymourblack-122 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
In the years that followed the end of World War 11, the emergence of the Soviet Union as an atomic power and the spread of global Communism were together seen as a threat to the United States and created a climate of fear that led to the House Committee on Un-American Activities carrying out their 1947 investigation into Communist infiltration of the motion-picture industry. This period, which was characterised by witch-hunts and the blacklisting of people working in the industry, damaged and in some cases, ended many careers. So, the levels of panic and anxiety that prevailed in Hollywood at that time were perfectly understandable.
One of the results of this was the appearance of a number of anti-Communist films and "The Woman On Pier 13" (originally titled "I Married A Communist"), was one of the most prominent and well-known. These movies weren't strong on subtlety and as obvious propaganda pieces, weren't generally that well appreciated by the public.
Newly-married Brad Collins (Robert Ryan), is a Vice President at the Cornwall Shipping Company in San Francisco and as an ex-dock worker, is regarded as the ideal person to act as a mediator in the Company's dispute with the dock workers' union. Brad, who's well-respected by both management and the union, is also however, a man with some secrets because, in the past, he'd been a member of the Communist Party, had been known as Frank Johnson and had also had an affair with fellow Communist, Christine Norman (Janis Carter).
Brad's past suddenly catches up with him when local Party boss, Vanning (Thomas Gomez), uses some incriminating evidence to blackmail him into paying 40% of his salary into Party funds and sabotaging the negotiations he's involved in, so that all shipping activity will be paralyzed for a period of 60 days. Christine, who wants revenge on Brad for dumping her for his new wife, Nan (Laraine Day), seduces Nan's impressionable brother Don (John Ager) and does a good job of converting him to her political views so that, in the union meetings that follow, Don (who's employed as a stevedore on the docks) is very vocal in promoting the arguments he's been programmed to make.
Union leader Jim Travers (Richard Rober), who's also Nan's ex-boyfriend, is shocked by the subsequent change in Brad's conduct in their negotiations and Nan becomes increasingly concerned about Don's relationship with Christine. When Christine falls in love with Don and Vanning disapproves, a whole series of violent events follow.
What makes this movie more entertaining than it would otherwise be, is the depiction of Vanning as a one-dimensional bad guy who operates exactly like a crime boss and is responsible for three murders, as well as, blackmail and extortion. Nicholas Musuraca's cinematography is also exceptionally good.
The movie's film noir credentials are also strong as its central character, having made a wrong turn in his past, was also the victim of a femme fatale, had more than one identity and can't escape his fate. The quality of the acting is also generally good with Robert Ryan, Thomas Gomez and William Talman (in his screen debut) all making a strong impression.
One of the results of this was the appearance of a number of anti-Communist films and "The Woman On Pier 13" (originally titled "I Married A Communist"), was one of the most prominent and well-known. These movies weren't strong on subtlety and as obvious propaganda pieces, weren't generally that well appreciated by the public.
Newly-married Brad Collins (Robert Ryan), is a Vice President at the Cornwall Shipping Company in San Francisco and as an ex-dock worker, is regarded as the ideal person to act as a mediator in the Company's dispute with the dock workers' union. Brad, who's well-respected by both management and the union, is also however, a man with some secrets because, in the past, he'd been a member of the Communist Party, had been known as Frank Johnson and had also had an affair with fellow Communist, Christine Norman (Janis Carter).
Brad's past suddenly catches up with him when local Party boss, Vanning (Thomas Gomez), uses some incriminating evidence to blackmail him into paying 40% of his salary into Party funds and sabotaging the negotiations he's involved in, so that all shipping activity will be paralyzed for a period of 60 days. Christine, who wants revenge on Brad for dumping her for his new wife, Nan (Laraine Day), seduces Nan's impressionable brother Don (John Ager) and does a good job of converting him to her political views so that, in the union meetings that follow, Don (who's employed as a stevedore on the docks) is very vocal in promoting the arguments he's been programmed to make.
Union leader Jim Travers (Richard Rober), who's also Nan's ex-boyfriend, is shocked by the subsequent change in Brad's conduct in their negotiations and Nan becomes increasingly concerned about Don's relationship with Christine. When Christine falls in love with Don and Vanning disapproves, a whole series of violent events follow.
What makes this movie more entertaining than it would otherwise be, is the depiction of Vanning as a one-dimensional bad guy who operates exactly like a crime boss and is responsible for three murders, as well as, blackmail and extortion. Nicholas Musuraca's cinematography is also exceptionally good.
The movie's film noir credentials are also strong as its central character, having made a wrong turn in his past, was also the victim of a femme fatale, had more than one identity and can't escape his fate. The quality of the acting is also generally good with Robert Ryan, Thomas Gomez and William Talman (in his screen debut) all making a strong impression.
"The Woman on Pier 13" is very watchable film noir
chuck-reilly23 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
This film was made at the height of the Communist scare (1949) so its theme is thickly padded with plenty of political hysteria which may be a bit foreign to modern-day viewers. That said, it's still highly effective in its depiction of the "Commies" being thoroughly evil and it pulls no punches. John Agar plays a union leader who unknowingly is under the influence of a good-looking blonde (Janis Carter) who just happens to be a communist "plant." Robert Ryan, however, is the star of the film as a man torn between both worlds who inevitably does the "right thing." Along the way, there's plenty of despicable communists to jeer at including Thomas Gomez as a ruthless ringleader and union infiltrator. For fans of early network TV, William Talman (District Attorney Burger from the old "Perry Mason" series) plays a commie henchman who gets what's coming to him. He's so rotten that you'll want to throttle him yourself. On the good side, Laraine Day plays Ryan's loving and understanding wife who's trapped in the convoluted plot.
Whatever one's political leanings, there's more than enough propaganda here to nearly sink this movie, but the performances of the talented cast keep it afloat. Ryan made a career out of playing hard-boiled types and he earned his money for this one. Agar never became the big star many predicted but he's effective in this role and quite sympathetic, even if his character is a bit too naive. Today, he's best remembered for being Shirley Temple's first husband. On the definite "plus side" for "The Woman on Pier 13" is Laraine Day. She looks better than ever and that should be enough to sustain anyone's interest in this film.
Whatever one's political leanings, there's more than enough propaganda here to nearly sink this movie, but the performances of the talented cast keep it afloat. Ryan made a career out of playing hard-boiled types and he earned his money for this one. Agar never became the big star many predicted but he's effective in this role and quite sympathetic, even if his character is a bit too naive. Today, he's best remembered for being Shirley Temple's first husband. On the definite "plus side" for "The Woman on Pier 13" is Laraine Day. She looks better than ever and that should be enough to sustain anyone's interest in this film.
A gripping film Noir, from the height of the cold war.
Visualverbs12 November 2003
By today's standards it seems quite dated, but back in 1950, the possibility of this happening seemed very real. The performances of the stars (Robert Ryan and Laraine Day) are solid and the supporting cast is great (especially Janis Carter and William Talman, who is wearing the craziest suit jacket I've every seen!!). The style is very film noir...close ups of faces showing over the top expression, jerky body movements, and odd, minimalist lighting techniques. Remember too, that it's 1950 and acting styles today seem far less "dramatic".
The subject matter seems paranoid, but for those of us old enough to remember the Cold War, the fear of what the "commies" were up to was VERY, VERY real. I remember "duck and cover" and "...we will bury you!". Some of us might still associate communism with the labor unions (which is the salient point of the plot). As silly as this movie will seem to younger people, try to remember from a historical perspective that it was only five years from the end of World War II, and herein were the first clashes of the two "great ideologies". At the time it was either freedom or subjugation (democracy or communism). Subtle, this movie is not...
There are better examples of film noir, but this a very good example. It's not the worst way to blow 70 plus minutes of your day and just for the historical (not hysterical) panorama, it is worth a look.
It has just recently been showing on Turner Classic Movies as "Woman on Pier 13"...that title is much better. Under either title, give it a chance and enjoy an example of a time and film style gone by.
The subject matter seems paranoid, but for those of us old enough to remember the Cold War, the fear of what the "commies" were up to was VERY, VERY real. I remember "duck and cover" and "...we will bury you!". Some of us might still associate communism with the labor unions (which is the salient point of the plot). As silly as this movie will seem to younger people, try to remember from a historical perspective that it was only five years from the end of World War II, and herein were the first clashes of the two "great ideologies". At the time it was either freedom or subjugation (democracy or communism). Subtle, this movie is not...
There are better examples of film noir, but this a very good example. It's not the worst way to blow 70 plus minutes of your day and just for the historical (not hysterical) panorama, it is worth a look.
It has just recently been showing on Turner Classic Movies as "Woman on Pier 13"...that title is much better. Under either title, give it a chance and enjoy an example of a time and film style gone by.
Excellent Movie
juanandrichard1 November 2013
Considering what was happening on the world stage at the time this movie was made (i.e., The Berlin Airlift), it was becoming unfortunately clear that the Soviet Union was not an ally anymore and RKO probably thought this a timely subject. The cast is first rate and I found the narrative interesting. A couple of corrections from other postings: Lorraine Day was not lent out by MGM. Her contract ended in 1945 and she signed with RKO (on a non-exclusive basis)which was fortunate as it allowed her to illustrate her abilities as an actress in a much wider range of movie: "The Locket," "Tycoon," "My Dear Secretary," and this movie. The second correction is that this was not a "B" movie. It seems that a few reviewers confuse what they consider "B" content with how a movie is advertised/presented in its theater engagements; this was not a second feature. I also believe that RKO was every bit as proficient, stylish and accomplished in the movies they chose to make as was MGM. As for Robert Ryan, what can one say about this great actor that has not been said before.
Amusingly dated Communist thriller
Leofwine_draca10 November 2015
THE WOMAN ON PIER 13 is probably the most anti-Communist film that came out of Hollywood. It seems to have been made purely by Howard Hughes in order to score political points, and the original title (I MARRIED A COMMUNIST) is telling in itself. That it nevertheless turns out to be an atmospheric little film noir all by itself is a testament to the director, who lifts laughable source material out of the gutter.
The film's setting is familiar from ON THE WATERFRONT, except this time the threat doesn't come from gangsters but rather secret Communists who use murder and extortion to achieve their aims. Robert Ryan is typically dependable as the conflicted hero, but it's the heavies who work really well here: a debuting William Talman, a larger-than-life Thomas Gomez. The real star, though, is director Robert Stevenson (of Orson Welles's JANE EYRE), who brings the murky waterways to life and makes the film look as good as it can get.
The film's setting is familiar from ON THE WATERFRONT, except this time the threat doesn't come from gangsters but rather secret Communists who use murder and extortion to achieve their aims. Robert Ryan is typically dependable as the conflicted hero, but it's the heavies who work really well here: a debuting William Talman, a larger-than-life Thomas Gomez. The real star, though, is director Robert Stevenson (of Orson Welles's JANE EYRE), who brings the murky waterways to life and makes the film look as good as it can get.
Usual '40s and '50s Communist hysteria
blanche-223 October 2011
Robert Ryan and Laraine Day star in "The Woman on Pier 13," along with Thomas Gomez, John Agar, Janis Carter, and William Talman. Ryan plays Brad Collins, who falls for lovely Nan practically the moment he meets her. They marry quickly, without knowing much about one another.
One of the things Nan doesn't know is that Brad used to be Frank Johnson, a member of the Communist party. His ex-girlfriend (Carter) is still one, and she is working to recruit Nan's brother (Agar). Meanwhile, Brad is blackmailed into stalling union negotiations on the waterfront.
This is an okay film, with Robert Ryan looking great and doing his usual fine acting job. It's interesting that while he looked taller than the other actors, he really didn't tower over them. He was 6'4" and actually had special furniture in his home to accommodate it. Here he is robust and not playing a meanie as he usually did. MGM never knew what to do with Day, so she was lent out constantly. I think she was underrated.
This film really draws you in. The acting is very good, and the cinematography is great.
Communism, of course, was a hot subject back in the late '40s and '50s. On paper, it sounds like it might work, which is what drew so many young people to it during the Depression years.
During the blacklisting years, the fear of Communism got out of control, and people who had attended one meeting in 1935 found themselves blacklisted. Lee Grant went to the funeral of someone who was thought to be a Communist, and she didn't work for 19 years.
Consequently there are many anti-Communist films. This is one, with a solid cast and some good production values.
One of the things Nan doesn't know is that Brad used to be Frank Johnson, a member of the Communist party. His ex-girlfriend (Carter) is still one, and she is working to recruit Nan's brother (Agar). Meanwhile, Brad is blackmailed into stalling union negotiations on the waterfront.
This is an okay film, with Robert Ryan looking great and doing his usual fine acting job. It's interesting that while he looked taller than the other actors, he really didn't tower over them. He was 6'4" and actually had special furniture in his home to accommodate it. Here he is robust and not playing a meanie as he usually did. MGM never knew what to do with Day, so she was lent out constantly. I think she was underrated.
This film really draws you in. The acting is very good, and the cinematography is great.
Communism, of course, was a hot subject back in the late '40s and '50s. On paper, it sounds like it might work, which is what drew so many young people to it during the Depression years.
During the blacklisting years, the fear of Communism got out of control, and people who had attended one meeting in 1935 found themselves blacklisted. Lee Grant went to the funeral of someone who was thought to be a Communist, and she didn't work for 19 years.
Consequently there are many anti-Communist films. This is one, with a solid cast and some good production values.
I lost everything the day that you walked in on me with that party card!
sol121824 October 2007
Warning: Spoilers
**SPOILERS** An attempted takeover of the San Francisco docks by the local commies has former Communisty Party card carrying member Brad Collins, Robert Ryan, in the cross-hairs of both his former commie comrades and the police. Collins who was formerly known as Frank Johnson is being blackmailed in him being exposed not only as a former commie but a murderer in the killing of a union shop steward back on the east coast some time ago.
After disowning the Communist Party Brad has made it big on the SF docks working his way up from a longshoreman to the vice president of a major west coast shipping company. loved and respected by both labor and management Brad is picked to negotiate a new contract for the dock workers only to have his sordid and sleazy past catch up with him. Contacted by his former commie boss Vanning, Thomas Gomez, Brad is blackmailed to stall negotiations and thus instigate a dock strike that is to last at least two months.
That sleazy commie rat Vanning, and his fellow hoodlums, are planning to take over the union and are using Brad as their battering ram, or Trojan Horse, to do it. Brad at first has no choice but to go along with Vannings plans but when his former girlfriend fanatical Communist, under orders of Vanning, Christine Norman (Janis Carter) gets romantically involved with Brad's weak-minded brother-in-law Dan Lowery, John Agar, is when he finally comes to his senses.
Turning Dan into a Crypto-Communist and labor provocateur Christine has the young man, who Brad gave a job as a longshoreman, spew the Communist "Power to the Workers" line to his fellow union members without knowing that he's actually doing it. Dan thinks that he's fighting for his fellow workers rights but in fact is leading them, like lemmings, down the path of financial disaster in having them lose both their jobs and benefits when his behind the scenes controllers, Vanning & Co, take over the union.
As Brad's wife of one month Nan, Laraine Day, starts to get suspicious of just what he's doing in wrecking the labor negotiations it also becomes clear that her younger brother Dan, after he told her, is madly in love with Christine. Somehow Christine's snide and obnoxious, throwing out hints about her love affair with Brad, actions in both Nan and Brads presence has convinced Nan that she's up to no good and want's Dan to have nothing at all to do with her. It's later when Nan finds out that her husband is being blackmailed by Christian and her boss Vanning that she finally realizes that Dan's life as well as future as a married man is in danger, deadly danger.
The film has Brad knowing that his life is ruined, with a murder rap hanging over his head, makes a clean brake with his past as a commie labor leader. Having nothing to lose and everything to gain Brad goes after Vanning and his boys after they kidnapped Nan and murdered his by then enlightened, to what Christine and Vanning were using him for, brother-in-law Dan. Christine herself had by then also realized the wrongs of her ways, in being a die-in-the-wool commie, and not wanting her victim Dan Lowry, whom she fell in love with, pay for them. Christine is soon put on ice, in the city morgue, by a angry and vindictive Vanning who has her thrown out of her high-rise apartment window and then made her murder to look like a suicide.
It's now up to Brad to make everything right to correct the many wrongs that he did in creating the mess that he now finds himself in which sets everything up for the final showdown at the local Cummnist headquarters an empty warehouse on the San Francisco docks.
Despite the usual anti-Communist hysterics that you would expect to find in a movie like "Woman on Pier 13" or "I Married a Communist" the film didn't put former card carrying Communist Brad Collin/ Frank Johnson in a bad light at all. We were shown that Brad was suckered into joining the Communist Party, like thousands of other young men and women like himself during the Great Depression, with the promise of both a job and security for him and his family.
It was also brought out in the movie that Brad was not forced to rat out his fellow Communist members who like himself were nothing but mindless stooges, like Dan Lowry, who had no idea what the Communist Party was planning for the USA and when they realized it dropped their membership cards and left the party. At least the film realized that people can make mistakes , by unknowingly joining subversive organizations, and at the same time not be forced to suffer for them, even after renouncing what they did, for the rest of their lives. This is something that most if not all anti-Communist movies coming out of Hollywood in the 1940's and 1950's sadly overlooked.
After disowning the Communist Party Brad has made it big on the SF docks working his way up from a longshoreman to the vice president of a major west coast shipping company. loved and respected by both labor and management Brad is picked to negotiate a new contract for the dock workers only to have his sordid and sleazy past catch up with him. Contacted by his former commie boss Vanning, Thomas Gomez, Brad is blackmailed to stall negotiations and thus instigate a dock strike that is to last at least two months.
That sleazy commie rat Vanning, and his fellow hoodlums, are planning to take over the union and are using Brad as their battering ram, or Trojan Horse, to do it. Brad at first has no choice but to go along with Vannings plans but when his former girlfriend fanatical Communist, under orders of Vanning, Christine Norman (Janis Carter) gets romantically involved with Brad's weak-minded brother-in-law Dan Lowery, John Agar, is when he finally comes to his senses.
Turning Dan into a Crypto-Communist and labor provocateur Christine has the young man, who Brad gave a job as a longshoreman, spew the Communist "Power to the Workers" line to his fellow union members without knowing that he's actually doing it. Dan thinks that he's fighting for his fellow workers rights but in fact is leading them, like lemmings, down the path of financial disaster in having them lose both their jobs and benefits when his behind the scenes controllers, Vanning & Co, take over the union.
As Brad's wife of one month Nan, Laraine Day, starts to get suspicious of just what he's doing in wrecking the labor negotiations it also becomes clear that her younger brother Dan, after he told her, is madly in love with Christine. Somehow Christine's snide and obnoxious, throwing out hints about her love affair with Brad, actions in both Nan and Brads presence has convinced Nan that she's up to no good and want's Dan to have nothing at all to do with her. It's later when Nan finds out that her husband is being blackmailed by Christian and her boss Vanning that she finally realizes that Dan's life as well as future as a married man is in danger, deadly danger.
The film has Brad knowing that his life is ruined, with a murder rap hanging over his head, makes a clean brake with his past as a commie labor leader. Having nothing to lose and everything to gain Brad goes after Vanning and his boys after they kidnapped Nan and murdered his by then enlightened, to what Christine and Vanning were using him for, brother-in-law Dan. Christine herself had by then also realized the wrongs of her ways, in being a die-in-the-wool commie, and not wanting her victim Dan Lowry, whom she fell in love with, pay for them. Christine is soon put on ice, in the city morgue, by a angry and vindictive Vanning who has her thrown out of her high-rise apartment window and then made her murder to look like a suicide.
It's now up to Brad to make everything right to correct the many wrongs that he did in creating the mess that he now finds himself in which sets everything up for the final showdown at the local Cummnist headquarters an empty warehouse on the San Francisco docks.
Despite the usual anti-Communist hysterics that you would expect to find in a movie like "Woman on Pier 13" or "I Married a Communist" the film didn't put former card carrying Communist Brad Collin/ Frank Johnson in a bad light at all. We were shown that Brad was suckered into joining the Communist Party, like thousands of other young men and women like himself during the Great Depression, with the promise of both a job and security for him and his family.
It was also brought out in the movie that Brad was not forced to rat out his fellow Communist members who like himself were nothing but mindless stooges, like Dan Lowry, who had no idea what the Communist Party was planning for the USA and when they realized it dropped their membership cards and left the party. At least the film realized that people can make mistakes , by unknowingly joining subversive organizations, and at the same time not be forced to suffer for them, even after renouncing what they did, for the rest of their lives. This is something that most if not all anti-Communist movies coming out of Hollywood in the 1940's and 1950's sadly overlooked.
Calling all Commies, Sweep Em' Up, Lock Em' Up...
mark.waltz26 March 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Typical anti-red propaganda, made at the height of Hollywood's scary blacklisting chapter in its history. It's all because a promising businessman (Robert Ryan), once a registered communist under a different name, has been located by an old girlfriend (Janis Carter) and exposed to the big man (Thomas Gomez), even though he wants no part of them. Carter is now involved with the brother (John Agar) of Ryan's fiancée (Laraine Day) and is trying to convert him, even though he's a staunch democrat even if he is a bit liberal.
This is actually pretty enjoyable even if the motivations in making it are extremely obvious. The commies are actually identifiable as human beings, not cartoonish like other anti-Communist films (in particular "The Red Menace" and "Big Jim McLain") where the message comes at you like a 3-D movie monster. There's some really horrific violence, pretty taut for a film made during the studio era, a sign that the production code was slowly loosing steam.
This is actually pretty enjoyable even if the motivations in making it are extremely obvious. The commies are actually identifiable as human beings, not cartoonish like other anti-Communist films (in particular "The Red Menace" and "Big Jim McLain") where the message comes at you like a 3-D movie monster. There's some really horrific violence, pretty taut for a film made during the studio era, a sign that the production code was slowly loosing steam.
You can't quit. They wont let you!
hitchcockthelegend13 January 2017
The Woman on Pier 13 (AKA: I Married a Communist) is directed by Robert Stevenson and collectively written by Charles Grayson, Robert Hardy Andrews, George W. George and George F. Slavin. It stars Robert Ryan, Laraine Day, John Agar, Thomas Gomez, Janis Carter, Richard Rober and William Talman. Music is by Leigh Harline and cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca.
Brad Collins (Ryan) was a one time member of the communist party. Now married and thriving in business, his world is turned upside down when the CPUSA come to seek him out for influential favours.
It wasn't easy for director Stevenson, what with RKO mogul Howard Hughes interfering as he forced home his anti-communist slant, so much so the whole pic comes off as an almost there type of piece. Casting aside that it's all a bit daft these days, with its red hysteria leanings (though it serves as a most interesting social document of the era), there's a number of tight scenes and enough moody atmospherics to keep this out of basement hell.
Characterisations are rich in noir traditions, a protag whose past is back to bite him, a slinky femme fatale, a dutiful wife in the dark, and villains of substance. Be it Gomez's weasel Commie boss stomping around like a malevolent tyrant or Talman's fairground working hit- man for hire, the latter with a dress code as mirthful as it is strangely unnerving, the baddies offer up some sort of balance in a screenplay that's not sure where it ideally stands. The violence hits hard, with shocking deaths, and in good dark noir style the finale holds court for the right reasons.
Add in a cast who don't let anyone down and the great Musuraca showing his photographic skills (though not as much as we would like), then it's a more than decent viewing experience. But the proviso is that you do have to let the propaganda go above your head to get to those decent rewards. 6/10
Brad Collins (Ryan) was a one time member of the communist party. Now married and thriving in business, his world is turned upside down when the CPUSA come to seek him out for influential favours.
It wasn't easy for director Stevenson, what with RKO mogul Howard Hughes interfering as he forced home his anti-communist slant, so much so the whole pic comes off as an almost there type of piece. Casting aside that it's all a bit daft these days, with its red hysteria leanings (though it serves as a most interesting social document of the era), there's a number of tight scenes and enough moody atmospherics to keep this out of basement hell.
Characterisations are rich in noir traditions, a protag whose past is back to bite him, a slinky femme fatale, a dutiful wife in the dark, and villains of substance. Be it Gomez's weasel Commie boss stomping around like a malevolent tyrant or Talman's fairground working hit- man for hire, the latter with a dress code as mirthful as it is strangely unnerving, the baddies offer up some sort of balance in a screenplay that's not sure where it ideally stands. The violence hits hard, with shocking deaths, and in good dark noir style the finale holds court for the right reasons.
Add in a cast who don't let anyone down and the great Musuraca showing his photographic skills (though not as much as we would like), then it's a more than decent viewing experience. But the proviso is that you do have to let the propaganda go above your head to get to those decent rewards. 6/10
Truly awful propaganda piece.
David-2407 September 1999
The Communists are out to get everyone and brainwash them, in this brainless piece of nonsense. They don't represent the working man - they just want to take over his mind (why is never explained). They are all sadists also, who enjoy torturing and killing people. And the female Commies - they're going to try to seduce your poor vulnerable men!
Rich Robert Ryan used to be a Commie, and now they've come to reclaim him. It seems it's harder to stop being a Communist than it is to stop being Catholic.
Unfortunately this film isn't funny enough to become a camp classic - it's just plain boring, and seeing as how we know the dreadful reality of the House Unamerican Activities Committee that lay behind this type of thinking, it is hard to laugh at all.
Rich Robert Ryan used to be a Commie, and now they've come to reclaim him. It seems it's harder to stop being a Communist than it is to stop being Catholic.
Unfortunately this film isn't funny enough to become a camp classic - it's just plain boring, and seeing as how we know the dreadful reality of the House Unamerican Activities Committee that lay behind this type of thinking, it is hard to laugh at all.
A Very Effective Exercise In Suspense
ferbs5426 April 2017
I have just watched my second Robert Ryan movie of the week, and it was another goodie. The movie in question was 1950's "I Married a Communist," which was later given the more meaningless title "The Woman on Pier 13." In the film, Ryan stars as a successful San Francisco shipping executive who has just been married to Laraine Day. As a youth, he had briefly belonged to the Communist Party, and now, the thugs and goons from the party have returned to blackmail him and coerce him to do their bidding. They send a very attractive blonde member to corrupt his brother-in-law (John Agar, in one of his earliest roles), and things get very nasty before the film's taut 73 minutes are done. Thomas Gomez and William Talman add effortless slimy support as the Commie cell leader and hit-man, respectively, and director Robert Stevenson keeps things moving crisply. (Hard to believe that Stevenson later went on to direct such kiddie fare as "The Absent-Minded Professor," "Son of Flubber," "Mary Poppins," "That Darn Cat" and "The Love Bug," given the nature of this film!) The picture is beautifully, noirishly shot and features some surprisingly effective bursts of violence. My stomach was in knots with this one, I must tell you; it is a very effective exercise in suspense. Yes, the Commies ARE represented as ridiculously slimy hoods, but one must remember the time period in which this thing was created, by ardent Commie hater Howard Hughes. In all, a pretty underrated entertainment, and much recommended!
Yes, =L O T S= of propaganda but a haven for Film Noir lovers...
Dire_Straits4 May 2005
Caution: there is a sickening amount of propaganda in this film.
Another caution: this a below-average time filler.
However, if you love film noir like I do, then this film is a must-see.
There is some good lighting in the exterior shots and no matter how average a film is (this is about a 6 on a 1-10 scale); if Robert Ryan and Laraine Day are in it, it's going to scream "noir". And Ryan does a good job here, but has a bad script to work with. The subject of the film is way out of date; yet, it's still an intriguing time machine.
As I recall, this film is very short (maybe 62-67 minutes long?) and thus, isn't listed in most film guides. I had no idea what I was getting into when I watched it the first time. Don't miss it if you like film noir/crime types.
Another caution: this a below-average time filler.
However, if you love film noir like I do, then this film is a must-see.
There is some good lighting in the exterior shots and no matter how average a film is (this is about a 6 on a 1-10 scale); if Robert Ryan and Laraine Day are in it, it's going to scream "noir". And Ryan does a good job here, but has a bad script to work with. The subject of the film is way out of date; yet, it's still an intriguing time machine.
As I recall, this film is very short (maybe 62-67 minutes long?) and thus, isn't listed in most film guides. I had no idea what I was getting into when I watched it the first time. Don't miss it if you like film noir/crime types.
Workers Arise, You Have Nothing To Lose But Your Brains.
rmax3048234 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
If you want a good movie about Commie rats in a plot to muck up the workers at the waterfront, be sure to see "Big Jim McLain" and skip this one because it's thoroughly pedestrian. The actors do a professional job but they're hobbled by their roles. Robert Ryan has turned in some exceptional performances in, say, "Dangerous Ground" or "Crossfire, but he can't do a THING here, as a former member of the Communist Party blackmailed into sabotaging talks between the union and the ship owners in San Francisco.
He reluctantly keeps the arrangement sub rosa and it's driving his wife, Laraine Day, crazy because, well, "What's come OVER you?" Poor John Agar, never given to bravura acts, is seduced into holding Commie attitudes at the dock and for his sins the Commie chief, Thomas Gomez, has him run over flat on the pavement. These are the kinds of people who kill you if it advances their cause, so if you actually threaten they're cause, you're dead meat.
The plot is okay but it's as if they'd dusted off some anti-Nazi screenplay from the back shelf and changed the Nazis into Commies. Robert Stevenson is the director and he must have been reading a manual on making a movie. When two characters are about to have a dramatic exchange, one of them walks towards the camera, stops, assumes a look of concern, and the other character walks up behind him and speaks to the other's back. The tactic involves all the skill of winding an old-fashioned alarm clock.
Everything else about the production -- lighting, set dressing, photography, wardrobe -- lacks the slightest touch of poetry. There are some second-unit shots of San Francisco, including one of the long-gone International Settlement, which was fun in its day. But really, you're better off watching John Wayne give speeches and beat the crappola out of the subversive Commie rats in "Big Jim McClain." It's laughable, whereas this simply generates a sense of boredom and impatience.
He reluctantly keeps the arrangement sub rosa and it's driving his wife, Laraine Day, crazy because, well, "What's come OVER you?" Poor John Agar, never given to bravura acts, is seduced into holding Commie attitudes at the dock and for his sins the Commie chief, Thomas Gomez, has him run over flat on the pavement. These are the kinds of people who kill you if it advances their cause, so if you actually threaten they're cause, you're dead meat.
The plot is okay but it's as if they'd dusted off some anti-Nazi screenplay from the back shelf and changed the Nazis into Commies. Robert Stevenson is the director and he must have been reading a manual on making a movie. When two characters are about to have a dramatic exchange, one of them walks towards the camera, stops, assumes a look of concern, and the other character walks up behind him and speaks to the other's back. The tactic involves all the skill of winding an old-fashioned alarm clock.
Everything else about the production -- lighting, set dressing, photography, wardrobe -- lacks the slightest touch of poetry. There are some second-unit shots of San Francisco, including one of the long-gone International Settlement, which was fun in its day. But really, you're better off watching John Wayne give speeches and beat the crappola out of the subversive Commie rats in "Big Jim McClain." It's laughable, whereas this simply generates a sense of boredom and impatience.
Great for Robert Ryan fans !
imogen.chiv20 June 2003
A film for Robert Ryan fans, for this shows how handsome he was. Fit and virile, and before smoking began to take its toll. He was 40 yrs old by the time he made this film. He got the chance to be something of a hero for a change. He does some pretty good acting, for him, and romantics everywhere will love the way he desperately tries to save his wife in dramatic scenes. This movie pushes home the paranoia of anti-communist views as it was in the 50's. People scoff at the fear of communism in todays climate, but things were different then. People have forgotten how men died because of communist spies. British soldiers and some Americans and Polish too, died at the hands of communist spies such as Guy Burgess, Kim Philby and Anthony Blunt. They mainly operated from Whitehall, London, and spilled secrets to Russian Communists in the 40's during the war. They leaked details of planned operations that got back to the Russians. When they started being discovered by the British and American Intelligence they fled to live in Russia and they died in the 70's. However, this film expresses a fear and nothing more than that of dark forces at work among men. Essentially a "B" movie but certainly adequate and worth a look for Robert Ryan alone, and probably as a history lesson for movie makers.
McCarthyism Rules This Film
Bucs196012 October 2005
RKO studio was making some terrific noir films during the late 40's and used that same formula in this 1950 thriller. The problem with the film arises because of the Red scare propagated by Senator Joseph McCarthy who saw "commies" behind every tree. The Red scare theme dates the story to the point that it is almost embarrassing........but it is still worth seeing.
Robert Ryan, who was such a powerful actor, stars as a successful man who once was a Communist, lured by his then-mistress, played by Janis Carter. He has now moved on with his life, married to Laraine Day and has learned to love the "American way". Trouble rears its ugly head as labor union troubles bring his old cronies out of the woodwork and the fun begins.
This film played on the fears of 1950's audiences and it is hard to relate to those feelings now; however, the craftsmanship of the film is quite good and the players are up to their usual standards. Of course, the exception is John Agar,who as always is bad, bad, bad. So for a look at another time when people built bomb shelters and suspected their neighbors of being "fellow travelers", take a gander at this film. It's a time capsule unto itself.
Robert Ryan, who was such a powerful actor, stars as a successful man who once was a Communist, lured by his then-mistress, played by Janis Carter. He has now moved on with his life, married to Laraine Day and has learned to love the "American way". Trouble rears its ugly head as labor union troubles bring his old cronies out of the woodwork and the fun begins.
This film played on the fears of 1950's audiences and it is hard to relate to those feelings now; however, the craftsmanship of the film is quite good and the players are up to their usual standards. Of course, the exception is John Agar,who as always is bad, bad, bad. So for a look at another time when people built bomb shelters and suspected their neighbors of being "fellow travelers", take a gander at this film. It's a time capsule unto itself.
highly entertaining despite the cheesy title
planktonrules9 February 2006
When you see a title that begins with the phrase "I Married,...", you might be tempted to think that this will be a cheesy exploitation movie, but this movie and I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE are two movies with titles like this that are well worth watching. Robert Ryan plays a communist spy set on the destruction of America. His lovely new bride at first suspects nothing. However, as the movie continues, more and more clues appear until it is obvious Ryan isn't the man she thought he was. So, when this occurs, Ryan is ordered to murder her--setting up an excellent conclusion.
This movie came out during the "Red Scare" of the late 1940s-50s. Considering that the Cold War just began, it's an excellent and very interesting piece of pro-West propaganda and a good job of it, as well.
This movie came out during the "Red Scare" of the late 1940s-50s. Considering that the Cold War just began, it's an excellent and very interesting piece of pro-West propaganda and a good job of it, as well.
"Glad you came to my party?"
richardchatten26 May 2022
The joker in the pack of Robert Ryan and director Robert Stevenson, it's remembered today as the most egregious example of commie-baiting initiated at RKO while Howard Hughes owned the studio (although the only surviving memo shows he was more interested in livening up the sexual content than the politics).
Thomas Gomez practically purrs as the master controller and Janis Carter as the commie dragon lady demonstrates ably she had what it took to be a noir femme.
Thomas Gomez practically purrs as the master controller and Janis Carter as the commie dragon lady demonstrates ably she had what it took to be a noir femme.
Ridiculous premise nevertheless creates a very well done movie
Polaris_DiB22 September 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I Married a Communist Oooohhh, Hollywood movies from the 50s (well, late 40s)... This was produced by Howard Hughes to test filmmaker loyalty to capitalism, and several famous directors refused to do it. The interesting thing about it is that it's really a great movie, especially from the time. It's a story about a man who has moved on from his sordid, gang-related past to move up in the world and become a vice president of wide respect and admiration to a major shipping corporation, marry a woman he loves (though suddenly), and generally be considered an all-around good guy until the gang reenters his life and with blackmail, threats, and distortion, force him into subverting everything that he has done and made well by. Except that "the gang" is communists talking eternally about the vastly all-powerful seeing eye of Saur--I mean, The Party. Honestly, except for the fact that the image of communists as murderous industrial saboteurs operating out of factories and refusing to show emotion while killing anyone who does is completely ridiculous, if you imagine them as any other boogeyman secret society like the all-popular conspiracy theorist target The Skulls or anything else you can come up with, this is still a very gripping and thrilling movie. Specific the the free market and the American way! theme, though, is some wonderful lines such as, "You capitalists, always trying to be martyrs!" (and succeeding!) and the constant statement that this is what politics is all about--because, you know, it's that important, if you get led astray by those commies they'll beat the life out of you and make you pay for it.
It's somehow an incredibly campy and ridiculous concept that doesn't survive past the Cold War and an engaging industrial thriller of immaculate structure and suspense building at the same time. The characters especially are great, all of them are believable as long as you stretch your imagination to accommodate the head honcho of the dirty commie underworld, who is every image of villainy condensed into one. The wife also is a surprisingly intelligent and capable character herself, rare in movies of the genre, especially in that era, where smart and self-accomplished women were basically the femme fatales.
Honestly, despite the fact that this movie is very well made noir through and through, I can see why it's never been released on DVD, or why it eventually gained the alternate title "The Woman on Pier 13." The movie is good, but the concept is somewhat embarrassing, made all the more so by how seriously it is presented.
--PolarisDiB
It's somehow an incredibly campy and ridiculous concept that doesn't survive past the Cold War and an engaging industrial thriller of immaculate structure and suspense building at the same time. The characters especially are great, all of them are believable as long as you stretch your imagination to accommodate the head honcho of the dirty commie underworld, who is every image of villainy condensed into one. The wife also is a surprisingly intelligent and capable character herself, rare in movies of the genre, especially in that era, where smart and self-accomplished women were basically the femme fatales.
Honestly, despite the fact that this movie is very well made noir through and through, I can see why it's never been released on DVD, or why it eventually gained the alternate title "The Woman on Pier 13." The movie is good, but the concept is somewhat embarrassing, made all the more so by how seriously it is presented.
--PolarisDiB
A blacklist proof film
bkoganbing30 October 2017
The Woman On Pier 13 is what I call one of those blacklist proof films which I'm convinced is why Robert Ryan starred in it. To convince the mastodons on the House Un-American Activities Committee that you are indeed a patriot no matter how many liberal causes you espouse you do a film like this one. Added to that it was made at RKO at that time owned by Howard Hughes. No bigger patriot around than America's number one recluse.
This film has Robert Ryan a fast rising union organizer in San Francisco a happily married man to Laraine Day and idol of his brother-in-law John Agar. But he's got a deep dark secret, under his birth name he was a Communist and from what we see Communists are like street gangs, once in never out. Now top party leader Thomas Gomez wants him to make sure the dockworkers strike and tie up Pacific Coast ports. Remember this is made during the Korean War and we don't want our fighting men in Korea to get their supplies.
When Ryan falls down on the job it all hits the fan and several cast members die.
Since this is a Howard Hughes production you know that there has to be some sex tossed in. Sex kitten Janis Carter who's one shapely Commie sets her cap for Agar. And the females are not left out. William Talman in his feature film debut is a gigolo on call by the party. He's targeting Laraine Day, but Day is on to him and she's looking for him to lead her to Gomez after Ryan goes AWOL.
I did love Talman's costume. With that checkered sports jacket and rakish bow tie I guess he represented to Hughes what the well dressed gigolo wears while working. Good thing this wasn't in color or we'd have all gone blind.
HUAC must have loved this film, but it really doesn't wear well with age.
This film has Robert Ryan a fast rising union organizer in San Francisco a happily married man to Laraine Day and idol of his brother-in-law John Agar. But he's got a deep dark secret, under his birth name he was a Communist and from what we see Communists are like street gangs, once in never out. Now top party leader Thomas Gomez wants him to make sure the dockworkers strike and tie up Pacific Coast ports. Remember this is made during the Korean War and we don't want our fighting men in Korea to get their supplies.
When Ryan falls down on the job it all hits the fan and several cast members die.
Since this is a Howard Hughes production you know that there has to be some sex tossed in. Sex kitten Janis Carter who's one shapely Commie sets her cap for Agar. And the females are not left out. William Talman in his feature film debut is a gigolo on call by the party. He's targeting Laraine Day, but Day is on to him and she's looking for him to lead her to Gomez after Ryan goes AWOL.
I did love Talman's costume. With that checkered sports jacket and rakish bow tie I guess he represented to Hughes what the well dressed gigolo wears while working. Good thing this wasn't in color or we'd have all gone blind.
HUAC must have loved this film, but it really doesn't wear well with age.
Film Noir or sheer fantasy? Take your pick!
JohnHowardReid2 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Robert Ryan (entrapped hero), Laraine Day (unsuspecting wife), Janis Carter (title femme fatale), John Agar (youth), Thomas Gomez (ruthless Communist), Richard Rober (Jim), William Talman (Red sadist), Paul J. Burns (another super-evil Red henchman), Paul Guilfoyle (victim), Fred Graham (Grip), Harry Cheshire (avuncular boss), Iris Adrian (waitress).
Director; ROBERT STEVENSON. Screenplay: Charles Grayson, Robert Hardy Andrews. Story: George W. George, George F. Slavin. Film editor: Roland Gross. Photography: Nicholas Musuraca. Art directors: Albert S. D'Agostino and Walter E. Keller. Producer: Jack J. Gross.
Copyright 28 September 1949 by RKO. U.S. release: 8 Oct. 73 minutes.
COMMENT: Is this movie a fantasy disguised as film noir or a film noir disguised as a fantasy? Take your pick. Me? I don't see any reason why a fantasy cannot also claim the mantle of film noir if it has a suitable atmosphere and appropriate themes. Look at "La Belle et La Bete" ("The Woman and the Beast") for instance.
So to my mind, this one qualifies as both outrageous fantasy and gripping film noir.
Mind you, Howard Hughes saw the film as a "melodrama" exposing members of the Communist Party as mobsters using blackmail and murder to start a West Coast shipping strike.
I once had a still in which Robert Ryan (a reluctant Beast) and Laraine Day (ever a graceful Beauty) do not seem too worried about the various plot developments.
Director; ROBERT STEVENSON. Screenplay: Charles Grayson, Robert Hardy Andrews. Story: George W. George, George F. Slavin. Film editor: Roland Gross. Photography: Nicholas Musuraca. Art directors: Albert S. D'Agostino and Walter E. Keller. Producer: Jack J. Gross.
Copyright 28 September 1949 by RKO. U.S. release: 8 Oct. 73 minutes.
COMMENT: Is this movie a fantasy disguised as film noir or a film noir disguised as a fantasy? Take your pick. Me? I don't see any reason why a fantasy cannot also claim the mantle of film noir if it has a suitable atmosphere and appropriate themes. Look at "La Belle et La Bete" ("The Woman and the Beast") for instance.
So to my mind, this one qualifies as both outrageous fantasy and gripping film noir.
Mind you, Howard Hughes saw the film as a "melodrama" exposing members of the Communist Party as mobsters using blackmail and murder to start a West Coast shipping strike.
I once had a still in which Robert Ryan (a reluctant Beast) and Laraine Day (ever a graceful Beauty) do not seem too worried about the various plot developments.
Communist Films not a big draw in 1950's
lynn-1016 September 2001
The Woman on Pier 13 is what this movie was really called, the I Married a Communist (1949) title did not set well with all of the black list investigations in the early 1950's. This film was not released until 1950. It kept one interested and I feel it was mainly because of character actor Thomas Gomez (1905-1971). He always was an interesting character in his other films like the Sherlock Homes series with Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce. You noticed I don't mention the other actors in this film, it's because Thomas Gomez as Vinning was the STAR.
Suddenly relevant again, a story of a Russian spy who is 'an ordinary guy'
robert-temple-122 August 2010
Just when we thought such nonsense was all over, no less than ten Russian 'sleeper' spies in America have been exposed and exchanged in a spy swap with the Ruskies. One of them was even a glamour gal, just to keep the Hollywood touch to the story. So dusty old films like this one are now surprisingly and perhaps acutely relevant again. This is a powerful and highly tense drama with the towering Robert Ryan playing a man who was, and still is (because you can never quit) a card-carrying Communist Party member in the USA who has tried to go straight. But Thomas Gomez, the ruthless and terrifying leader of the Russian spy ring in San Francisco isn't having it. He is going to make Ryan follow orders or else. Into this mix comes one of Hollywood's most sizzling femme fatale actresses of the 1940s, Janis Carter. She was truly something-plus. And in this film she brings all the temptation and the allure, as Ryan's wife played by Laraine Day is rather a tepid good gal who does not raise anybody's temperature or heart rate. Janis and Ryan has been an item earlier on in the good old days when they were both Commies together, but while Ryan has lost his interest in spying for the Party, she remains a dedicated Party agent. It all gets very very intense. The film has some superb snappy dialogue and is extremely well directed by the highly talented Robert Stevenson (1905-1986, of English birth), famous for TOM BROWN'S SCHOOLDAYS (1940), JANE EYRE (1943) with Orson Welles, DISHONORED LADY (1947, see my review) and MY FORBIDDEN PAST (1951, also featuring Janis Carter), not to mention one of my favourite films, OWD BOB (1938, see my rave review) the fascinating early aviation epic NON-STOP NEW YORK (1937, see my review), and KING SOLOMON'S MINES (1937). Willian Talman does a scary job of playing a smoothie amoral hit-man who will bump anybody off for the spy ring for a thousand bucks and dresses nattily on the proceeds. The film is full of intrigue, blackmail, double-cross, threats, murder, and the relentless pressure of the Party which will not allow anyone out of its clutches and will do anything to get what it wants. Can Ryan escape the trap in which he is caught? Will his respectable and rich wife find out? Will his old chums in the trade unions realize that he made the dock strike go ahead because he was blackmailed into it? Can anyone escape unscathed from this web of conspiracy and betrayal? This film fit right into the McCarthy Era and, alas, it seems that it is not as dead an issue as we had all assumed.
"As far as you and I are concerned, life began last Monday."
classicsoncall12 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
It's not often you get effective film noir combined with red scare, Communist propaganda, but this film delivers both in droves. It has shipping company executive Brad Collins (Ribert Ryan) in the unenviable position of having been a Communist Party member in his youth, now being blackmailed to help the commies achieve their goal of calling a union strike and tying up shipments, causing chaos throughout the industry. Recently married to pretty Nan Collins (Laraine Day) following a whirlwind romance, Collins finds a former flame entering his life to further move along the commie plot. Seeing as how party member Christine Norman (Janis Carter) has her work cut out, she also enlists Nan's younger brother in the devious scheme by engaging him in a romance in order to secure his participation. The tension is palpable, especially when Commie bigwig Vanning (Thomas Gomez) shakes down Collins for forty percent of his salary, demonstrating what happens to defectors should they defy him. Just ask the unfortunate guy Ralston (Paul Guilfoyle), who wound up in the harbor without the ability to use his arms and legs. That last remark was rhetorical, you can't really ask him now, can you?
All the while, one suspects that Collins will eventually do the right thing, and he does, but it comes with a price. This is one film in which you root for the film's principal player, but by foiling the Commies, he winds up breathing his last. But not before recommending his new bride reconnect with her former suitor (Richard Rober), which under the circumstances, seemed like a hokey way to end the story.
All the while, one suspects that Collins will eventually do the right thing, and he does, but it comes with a price. This is one film in which you root for the film's principal player, but by foiling the Commies, he winds up breathing his last. But not before recommending his new bride reconnect with her former suitor (Richard Rober), which under the circumstances, seemed like a hokey way to end the story.
woman on pier 13
mossgrymk4 March 2022
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