Night Waitress (1936) User Reviews

The Monkeys Have No Tails in Zamboanga

[krorie · 6/10 · 22 June 2006]

A not bad little programmer directed with flair by Lew Landers about a night waitress, Helen Roberts (Margot Grahame), on probation who is trying to get her life together working in a waterfront dive run by none other than Billy Gilbert, who is virtually wasted in a routine bit part. Seems Helen's new boyfriend, Martin Rhodes (Gordon Jones of "The Green Hornet" fame), is somehow mixed up with gangsters who are after a hidden cargo he has. The result is murder and hot pursuit by both mobsters and police of Helen and Martin. The approximately hour-long second feature moves at a fast pace, filled with excitement and adventure.

Keep your eyes open for Anthony Quinn as one of the hoods, Don "Red" Barry as a victim, and Frank Faylen as a policeman, each just beginning his screen career. Gifted comic Willie Best is also seen briefly as a passerby with only one line. The cinematography by Russell Metty captures all the griminess, desolation, and seediness of the San Francisco waterfront. It's fun to hear the seamen sing "The Monkeys Have No Tails in Zamboanga," later popularized by US soldiers in the Pacific in World War II. Many John Wayne fans will recall it being sung by Lee Marvin in John Ford's "Donovan's Reef."

Enjoyable, both in the fore and the back

[CMUltra · 5/10 · 22 June 2006]

The story itself is fine, concerning a waitress on probation and a seemingly shady guy. She suspects him as a gangster but he has a charm nonetheless.

From there the plot is fast paced (the running time is only 57 minutes)and fairly predictable. The acting is average overall, though the leads (Grahame and Jones) are a cut above.

Honestly though, for movie buffs, the background is just as interesting. Anthony Quinn runs around as a gangster. Some of the sets look familiar as well.

Worth a watch!

Probation Girl Meets New Man/New Troubles

[movingpicturegal · 6/10 · 4 July 2006]

Well done B-movie about a gal on probation who works as a waitress at the dockside "Torre's Fish Palace", run by Papa Torre (Billy Gilbert, unfortunately seen oh so briefly in this film) who makes sure his wait staff aren't over-perfumed or wearing too much makeup. Just trying to keep out of trouble, our waitress unfortunately is of the attractive blonde variety, and every jerk man in the restaurant keeps trying to hit on her. Soon she, for some reason (I guess it's the guy's big, dopey grin that got her), is mixed up with this really aggressive, but handsome lug who is a racketeer on the watch each night to meet some mug named Rigo, and waits in his regular booth at midnight for the guy to show. Meanwhile, a gang of detectives/gangsters are out to meet up with this Rigo as well.

A fast-paced little crime drama, this film is not too bad for a low budget movie. This is another one of those movies (and there sure are a lot of them) where the woman thinks a guy is a creep at first (or as she calls him "a gorilla") but he is just SO assertive, pressing her into going out with him, grabbing her aggressively to kiss her, etc., that she actually starts to like the guy. And, well, he does seem to have his charms, which are not visible in the earlier parts of the film - but I wonder at her easy change of mind. The acting by the two leads (Margot Grahame and Gordon Jones) is quite well done and there is a good deal of chemistry between them as well - and watch for a young Anthony Quinn in this as one of the "detectives". Worth seeing.

Interesting "B" flick

[Sleepy-17 · 2 December 1999]

Minor effort with Edward Hopper-like waterfront setting. Margot Grahame and Gordon Jones (did I get the names right?) are interesting leads. Routine crime story has nice touches, its heroine is lower-class and depicted without condescension (quite a rarity for Hollywood). Low budget, interesting art direction, short and sharp action scenes, above average for its type. Anthony Quinn (unbilled) has a few scenes as a gangster.

Something Fishy!!!

[kidboots · 7/10 · 4 May 2013]

Passable crime movie from RKO featuring two actors who didn't quite make the grade. At least in her home country Margot Grahame was known as Britain's answer to Jean Harlow and dubbed the "Aluminium Blonde" as well as being their highest paid star but Hollywood didn't really want to know, even after her sterling performance in "The Informer". Besides her looks had more in common with Lucille Ball or Barbara Pepper. And Gordon Jones, even though he worked solidly from 1932 until 1963 (the year he died), was destined to have a very familiar face even if you couldn't remember his name.

Helen Roberts (Grahame) is back at her waitressing job after a brush with the law and with the full support of Papa Torres (Billy Gilbert) who just wants to see her make good. How anyone could have cast Grahame as a probation girl is amazing - her posh tones seemed more at home in Buckingham Palace than Tony's Fish Palace!!! When not brushing off unwanted suitors she also has to put up with the whispered innuendos about her past which makes her particularly hardened to breezy sea Captain Marty Rhodes (Jones) who wants to get to know her better. He seems to be mixed up with some pretty shady characters who feel he can lead them to a gold shipment but, like Helen, he is really just an innocent bystander who doesn't know what the mysterious shipment he has been hired to deliver, is!!!

The most interesting thing about this movie is the number of familiar faces in smaller roles, forget about the two leads. Don "Red" Barry of later "Red Ryder" fame is Rigo who is organising the gold cargo, Marc Lawrence (here billed as Laurence) is Dorne, a thug (what else!!), another thug is played by Anthony Quinn who happened to get a couple of good close-ups. There was also Willie Best as a bystander and the always good Frank Faylen, he of the thousand bit parts and Dobie Gillis's always exasperated father, playing a policeman in the crowd.

Classic, Even Text Book Example Of What A Good "B" Should Look Like

[redryan64 · 6/10 · 19 July 2018]

WHAT A SURPRISE this one was to us. We found it in the off hours at Turner Classic Movies and due to the marvelous invention of the DVR, we were able to view it at our leisure.

IT IS TRULY A fine example of how good a "B" movie can be. Without any pretensions of the serious message film or "Art" if you please, this is the sort of "potboiler" that makes movie going the pleasure that it is. In short, it is fun.

WE FIND THE starring roles Margot Grahame (a Brit import) and Gordon Jones (from Iowa,USA). This was most pleasing to us to see "Mike the Cop" (from the ABBOT & COSTELLO Television series) in a starring role. This was at the very early stages of actor's career, when anything could happen. His looks, athletic ability and muscukar physique served him well in this regard.

BUT AS IS the case with so many, be it in show business or wherever, he didn't quite make the cut to stardom. Instead, the former USC Trojan footballer (starting Guard as "Bull" Jones) and pal of another football player there named "Duke" Morrison (John Wayne) found his niche as supporting player and character actor. Having gradually "filled out", his build helped to establish him in many a role, both villainous and sympathetic.

IN REGARD TO this short feature's merits and why we sing its praises, it has the whole package for a movie of its station in life. At 57 minutes, it only occupied an hour of the double bill on Saturdays. This left plenty of time for the cartoon, the live action comedy short, the serial chapter and the trailers (aka "Previews of Coming Attractions"). Its bright and cheerful attitude groomed its audience for more to come on the screen.

ONE OTHER ASPECT of this title NIGHT WAITRESS is the manner in which the production team so skillfully puts together the supporting cast. It has been said that you'll never see a bad scene that has Billy Gilbert or Marc Lawrence in it. Well here we have both. Added to the mix, one Don "Red" Barry, Willie Best, Walter Miller (former lead in serial king) and Paul Stanton.

PERHAPS THE MOST interesting tidbit of trivia is the casting of Antonio Rodolfo Oaxaca Quinn in an uncredited role as a gangster. This was undoubtedly a great start and boosted his career, getting it off to great start. His tie on the screen is far greater than one would think; bringing us to conclude that Mr. Quinn made such an equally spectacular impression on those bigwigs at RKO.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY the greatest single attribute and accomplishment of this little picture was in its ability to entertain us and ultimately leave us happy. Then we could move on to the "main event" (Featured "A" Picture).

Stolen gold

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 27 June 2017]

A couple of innocent people, Gordon Jones and Margot Grahame get caught up in an effort to move some stolen gold out of the country in Night Waitress. Jones is a schooner captain who is hired to move the stuff, cargo unknown to him. Grahame is a waitress working at Billy Gilbert's waterfront dive establishment who just gets caught up in it. She also gets caught up in Jones. Had she not been on probation the cops would never even been interested.

This B picture from RKO boasts the presence of one movie legend, Anthony Quinn as one of the gangsters involved in the heist. Quite an ingenious place to hide the gold, almost in plain sight.

Nothing particularly special about this one, but it's fast moving and exciting entertainment.

Lively Little B

[boblipton · 6/10 · 25 January 2020]

Margot Grahame has just been put on probation. She goes back to work at Billy Gilbert's waterfront fish restaurant. She wants to work and avoid trouble. Sailor Gordon Jones wants to date her. When gangsters kill a criminal in the restaurant, she's the only witness. The gang starts looking for her.

It's a nice, atmospheric B movie that doesn't bother with gloss. Director Lee Landers, just breaking out of B westerns the year this was made, shoots quickly and efficiently, with San Pedro standing in for San Francisco in the shipside shots.

Margot Grahame was Britain's highest-paid screen actress in this period. Dubbed 'the Aluminum Blonde', she was a skilled performer, trying to break into the much more prosperous American industry.

With a fine cast of then-minor players - the IMDb claims this is Anthony Quinn's first feature; it's really his fifth - it's a good example of what could be done on a small budget.

The title suggests Edward Hopper ...

[Handlinghandel · 5/10 · 4 July 2006]

... But the movie is pure Lew Landers.

Margot Graham is exotic as the title character. Her acting, at least here, isn't very interesting. But she has a tough yet intelligent look.

Graham is a woman on parole. She is working as -- yes: a waitress. And in a waterfront dive.

The rest is stock criminals. We have a stock romance. We have a boat and an Asian helper. None of the actors in these roles made much impression on me.

It isn't really bad. (And some Landers films reality ARE bad.) It's just routine. We've seen essentially the same movie many, many times. But Graham makes this one stand out.

Great atmosphere in a dingy night spot, but questions abound in the ridiculous plot

[AlsExGal · 4/10 · 17 April 2017]

The film opens on a line of "night waitresses" at Torre's Fish Palace as Torre (Billy Gilbert) does a last minute inspection. Then they march out to work. It is immediately obvious that this restaurant is a dive not a palace. Helen Roberts (Margot Grahame) is the titular night waitress, and from hushed conversation from patrons the audience discovers that Helen is out on probation because of something her roommate did. She claimed innocence, and the court obviously split the difference between imprisonment and exoneration by giving her probation, which means one wrong move and she is back in jail.

One customer after another gives her a pick up line, but one is particularly persistent- the guy in booth five, Martin Rhodes (Gordon Jones). He is actually there waiting to make a phone call at precisely 10PM. The call is about an old partner of his who has stashed a fortune and the man on the phone wants to tell Martin how to get it. The guy on the other end of the phone is the younger brother of the actual thief who was tortured to death by some gangsters trying to find the fortune, but the thief never talked. So now the gangsters are following the younger brother.

This is where the film breaks down as far as making much sense. We learn that Martin ran liquor on his boat during prohibition, and now runs guns. Getting a job has apparently never occurred to him. But when he finds out what the secret cargo actually is he suddenly becomes a moralist? Martin is a guy completely without charm and loaded with swarm and yet Helen, who knows this guy is up to his neck in illegal activities lets herself fall for him knowing she could go to prison just for being around him? The police take Helen "downtown" to try and sweat a confession out of her (for what?) because she is a "probationer" after a patron at the Fish Palace is shot, ignoring everybody else who was there just based on their say so when she obviously is not armed? Martin ties up a bad guy on his boat and just leaves him alone and unguarded while he eats breakfast next door? I could go on, but you get the picture. The film has good atmosphere and competent acting, but the plot is just goofy. Probably worthwhile if only to see Billy Gilbert in an unusual role and Anthony Quinn in a bit part as a gangster.

Try to look past the rampant sexual harassment! It might be pretty difficult now that I think about it!!

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 3 November 2017]

It sure is interesting seeing how times have changed. Throughout the first portion of the film, Martin (Gordon Jones) shamefully sexually harasses a waitress at a warf-side dive. Again and again and again, he asks her out and completely refuses to take NO for an answer...and HE ultimately turns out to be the hero in the story!! Yikes!!

Helen (Margot Grahame) is a waitress in a restaurant catering to the local sea men. Despite having a rough crowd, she keeps her distance, as she's on probation and wants to be a good girl. Later, there is a gangland killing in the restaurant and the police immediately single her out because of her past. So, she does what any heroine in a movie does---she goes on the run and Martin helps her sort things out...and finds out that some hidden gold is involved. This is a great illustration of the saying "Don't try this at home!", as I think running from the law and solving the mystery is NOT the best way of handling things!!

This movie has B-movie written all over it. It comes in at a hasty 57 minutes (typical of a B) and has a plot that is very familiar to the style of movie. Apart from the sexual harassment, the film is a competent and reasonably enjoyable picture from RKO...a studio that made a lot of Bs.

Decent Crime Drama

[Michael_Elliott · 9 November 2012]

Night Waitress (1936)

** (out of 4)

Decent crime picture from Lew Landers has Helen Roberts (Margot Grahame) getting a waitress job after being put on probation for a crime the police think she knew about but couldn't really prove. Once working the woman gets involved with a young man (Gordon Jones) but what she doesn't know is that this location is a hot spot for gangster crime and soon she's threatened with going back to jail. There's romance, crime and drama here but none of the three things are exactly done good. For the most part this is just a 57-minute "B" picture that was obviously made to play second tier to something much bigger and as long as you don't take it too serious or expect too much you should at least be slightly entertained. I think Landers does a nice job with what he has to work with as he at least keeps the picture moving at a fast pace and for the most part the seedy locations feel real. Both Grahame and Jones do a nice job in the leads and help carry the picture and we also get to see Billy Gilbert in the role of the restaurant owner. If you look quick you can even spot a very young Anthony Quinn in a few spots. The biggest problem with the picture is that nothing ever really works well enough to make the film a good one. Still, fans who enjoy these forgotten, low-budget pictures will still want to check it out.

Guilt by Association

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 1 November 2018]

After having been placed on probation for associating with certain disreputable characters found guilty of criminal activities, "Helen Roberts" (Margot Grahame) is only too happy to go back to work as a waitress at a restaurant in San Francisco named Torre's Fish Palace. It's at this time that a new customer named "Martin Rhodes" (Gordon Jones) appears and reserves one of her tables for several nights and in the process he becomes quite smitten with her. What she doesn't know is that Martin is there to meet a person seeking to rent his schooner for a job carrying an unknown cargo to a destination yet to be divulged. Unfortunately, it soon becomes apparent that other unsavory individuals are extremely interested in meeting Martin's mysterious business client as well and they are willing to do whatever is necessary to make that happen. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that, although it was rather short (approximately 57 minutes), this turned out to be a decent crime-drama all the same. Of course, having been filmed over 80 years ago one has to make certain allowances but all things considered I thought it was worth the time spent and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

Some Good Touches

[dougdoepke · 30 June 2017]

Decent little programmer. The plot's nothing special, about stolen gold being smuggled out on Martin's schooner, while rival gangsters try to hijack it. Meanwhile, over at the waterfront dive, the brash Martin's joining all the other guys hitting on comely night waitress Helen who refuses to be part of the menu. Too bad she's also on probation, which doesn't make connecting any easier. So how will this all sort out.

The visuals really help carry the show, plus the brisk pacing. Suspense is not played up even though the components are there (Helen held captive). Then too, actor Jones in the key role is more jovial than the usual gritty crime fighter. Credit ace photographer Metty for the engaging b&w, and even pedestrian director Landers shows some imagination (shooting artfully through a fish bowl). But the story unfolds more than it builds.

Boy, judging form the supporting cast, I was hoping three first-rate thugs would get to tangle —Tony Quinn, Marc Lawrence, and Don (Red) Barry. But unfortunately, their screen time is limited. Anyway, the Bay Area location shots really help make this programmer a watchable time- passer.