Luxury Liner (1933 film)

Luxury Liner
Directed by Lothar Mendes
Produced by B.P. Schulberg
Written by Gina Kaus (novel)
Gene Markey
Kathryn Scola
Starring George Brent
Zita Johann
Vivienne Osborne
Alice White
Cinematography Victor Milner
Edited by Eda Warren
Production
company
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release dates
 February 3, 1933
Running time
 70 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Luxury Liner is a 1933 American Pre-Code drama film directed by Lothar Mendes and starring George Brent, Zita Johann and Vivienne Osborne. It was based on a 1932 novel by Gina Kaus, and made by Paramount Pictures. Mendes worked on a number of films for Paramount during the era. Shortly after making the film, he went to Britain where he directed his most celebrated film Jew Süss.[1]

Synopsis

The steamer ship Germania is setting sail from Bremen to New York. Dr. Veith is annoyed that he has been assigned to the trip, as he’d rather stay home with his family. His married friend Baron von Luden visits the doctor’s office and tries to flirt with Nurse Morgan, but she brushes him off. Veith says Miss Morgan is an odd woman who has no friends and never leaves the ship, even when it is in port.

Dr. Veith receives an urgent call from his old friend Dr Thomas Bernard (George Brent), who is desperate to board the sold-out ship because his wife Sybil (Vivienne Osborne) is onboard running away with her lover, the financier Alex Stevenson (Frank Morgan). Dr Bernard agrees to act as the ship’s doctor, allowing Dr. Veith to return to his family.

Milli Stern (Alice White), a winsome young blonde who is traveling 3rd class but eager to make her way up in the world, flirts with old Edward Thorndyke (C. Aubrey Smith). Thorndyke was once a wealthy textile manufacturer, but he was ruined by Stevenson and is now traveling 3rd class to start over in America. Milli asks Thorndyke to tell her what life is like for ladies on the first-class deck. Schultz, one of Thorndyke’s former employees, is now traveling the ship 2nd class, and Milli wangles an invitation to come up and take tea with him.

Rumors circulate that Stevenson is investing heavily in German-American Steamship shares, causing the other passengers to also rush to buy the stock. When the third-class passengers want to pool their meager funds to buy the stock as well, Thorndyke reluctantly agrees to handle the transaction.

Dr. Bernhard finds and confronts his wife on board, but she pushes him away and tries to find her lover Stevenson, who is already busy wooing opera singer Luise Marheim (Verree Teasdale).

Milli enjoys her time dancing on the second-class deck, although she fails to convince the tight-fisted Schultz to buy her presents. She meets jewelry dealer Exl (Theodore von Eltz), who promises to take her to the first-class deck. This disappoints the former prince turned elevator operator (Barry Norton) who has fallen for Milli and promised to show her New York. After a fine dinner and champagne on the first class deck, Exl takes Milli to his cabin and tries to force himself on her in return for a diamond bracelet. Milli flees to the arms of her elevator operator boyfriend and realizes that she prefers to be poor but honorable.

Dr. Bernard helps delivery a baby onboard and save the life of an elderly woman traveling to see her son in America, and he and Nurse Morgan begin to have feelings for each other.

Sybil finds Stevenson dining with the opera singer Luise. Stevenson tells Sybil their relationship is over and he will “write her a check” to be rid of her. When they meet in his stateroom, Sybil kills Stevenson with Dr. Bernard’s gun. Dr. Bernard arrives moments afterwards, and is assumed to be the killer.

Desolate, Sybil jumps overboard, but not before leaving a note in which she admits that she killed Stevenson.

With Stevenson dead, the value of German-American Steamship shares drops quickly. The third class passengers fear they are penniless – until Thorndyke reveals that he never actually invested their money in the market, and repays them in full.

Dr. Bernard and Nurse Morgan find themselves in each other's arms, and discuss a possible future together. Nurse Morgan confesses that she was once the mother of two children. Abandoned by her husband, she tried to kill herself and her children by gas poisoning, but only she survived. She feels she has been ‘condemned to live’ as her punishment for killing her children. The two agree to start a new life together as the ship pulls into New York.

Main cast

References

  1. ↑ Bock & Bergfelder p.319

Bibliography

External links

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