China Seas (1935)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Adventure, comedy and romance on the high seas. Alan Gaskell (Clark Gable) is an aristocratic ship captain piloting his vessel from Shanghai to Singapore. Jamesy MacArdle (Wallace Beery) is the pernicious pirate getting in his way. But MacArdle is nothing compared to the blonde bundle of trouble known as China Doll (Jean Harlow). This sassy girl is anything but respectable but it doesn't stop her from making a play for Gaskell. She has to move his high-society girlfriend out of the way first, but China Doll is prepared to go to any length to get - and get back at - her man.
- Actors:
- Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone, Rosalind Russell, Dudley Digges, C. Aubrey Smith, Robert Benchley, William Henry, Liev De Maigret, Lilian Bond, Edward Brophy, Soo Yong, Carol Ann Beery, Akim Tamiroff
- Directors:
- Tay Garnett
- Writers:
- Jules Furthman, James Kevin McGuinness
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Classics, Drama, Romance
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Reviews (1) of China Seas
Eastern Adventure. - China Seas review by Steve
Classic example of how the Hollywood studios would take a successful premise and disguise it in a different setting or genre. It's a retelling of Red Dust which was a big hit for MGM in 1932. An American adventurer slums around Asia pursued by an illiterate, unsophisticated sex worker only to be tempted by a refined lady from his past.
They even retain Clark Gable as the macho tough guy and Jean Harlow as the tart with a heart. Rosalind Russell stands in for Mary Astor as the high class dame and the whole adventure is relocated to a merchant ship operating out of Hong Kong. The main negative is the director Tay Garnet, who isn't much of a stylist.
But there's plenty of entertainment to be had with a droll script and an action climax as Wallace Beery attempts to relieve the shipping line of its cargo of gold. The stars and support cast make it fresh and fun. Robert Benchley brings abundant comic relief in his usual role as a habitual drunk.
Maybe this recycling betrays a lack of ideas. Or it's an example of how the studio system, with its roster of writers, technicians and stars was able to lavish gloss on almost any project and make it sparkle again. China Seas is formulaic, but also an unpretentious lively diversion. And no one does romantic foreign intrigue this well anymore.