Wayne Morris

(On Cable TV, August 2022) Short, simple and rather entertaining B-movie Gambling on the High Seas depends on a bit of legal fiction that makes no sense but continues to fuel the imagination: the idea that it just takes a few nautical miles to transform a ship into a lawless free-for-all in which gambling services can be provided safely (yet conveniently close) to the mainland. (Adding another layer of interest, the tables are all crooked because why not pile on the illegality while you’re at it?)  Wayne Morris and Jane Wyman hold the leading roles—he as a reporter trying to crack the story, and she as the secretary who has all of the information. At 55 minutes, the film barely has time to set up its story, let alone run with it—and there’s a distinct lack of thrills despite a mildly effective mole-in-the-police plot turn. Still, Wyman is cute, Morris is an engaging eager-beaver and the whole thing runs so quickly that it’s over before you have a chance to settle in. Completely unassuming, Gambling on the High Seas has the charm of what it was meant to do—a quick second feature to complete another film by the same studio for moviegoers who were going to get a complete evening’s package out of going to the movies.