Yeah, you can’t see the garbage floating in the water. – Rumble on the Docks (1956)
Today on Classic Movie Review, we are taking a film that introduces a famous actor, has huge “Star Trek” all-series connections, and the title has an asterisk for an explanation. Today’s movie is the decent Film Noir Rumble on the Docks (1956).
This movie has three overlapping battles: The Diggers gang vs. the Stompers gang, the corruption union gangsters vs. the dock workers, and a father vs. his son. iMDB.com has this movie rated at a fairly low 5.6.[1] On Rottentomatoes.com, this film has neither a Tomatometer nor an audience score.[2] At the time of release, Variety said, “Theme of juvenile delinquency is set down in a promising background in this gutsy Sam Katzman production which combines brawling juve street gangs with longshoremen labor trouble on the Manhattan waterfront. The film packs considerable violence, but gets in good characterizations and is an okay entry for action houses.”[3] It is worth watching to see a young James Darren in action, and many of the violent scenes are ahead of their time.
Actors – Rumble on the Docks (1956)
Returning
Timothy Carey played local hood, Frank Mangus. Carey, who is always good at playing a creepy guy, was first covered in the exceptional hiest Film Noir The Killing (1956). I have a full video episode on The Killing (1956), and the link will be in the description.
Robert Blake played Chuck, a Diggers gang member who was second to Jimmy. Blake was first covered while playing a Mexican child in the stellar John Huston-directed film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). Blake’s career went from “Our Gang” to starring film roles, and he eventually had his own series, “Baretta,” from 1975 to 1978. He was charged with murdering his wife but was later acquitted.
New
James Darren played gang leader and working-class hood Jimmy Smigelski. Darren was born in the city of brotherly love in 1936. As a teen, he attended acting class with coach Stella Adler. Today’s film, Rumble on the Docks (1956), was Darren’s first acting credit. Following this Film Noir, Darren was in two more with The Tijuana Story (1957) and The Brothers Rico (1957).
Tall, dark, and handsome, Darren was tagged for the formulaic love stories of the Gidget films. These surfer girl films include Gidget (1959), Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961), and Gidget Goes to Rome (1963) in the role of Moondoggie.
Darren went on to have a few hit songs in the mid-1960s. This sparks an old theory that I will talk about in the Conclusion. Darren was one of the time-traveling stars in a television series that profoundly affected my life. Darren was Dr. Tony Newman in “The Time Tunnel” 1966-1967. He was on another hit series that came after my prime view years, “T.J. Hooker” 1982-1986.
If the previous wasn’t enough, one of his films is the beloved war movie The Guns of Navarone (1961). Darren is still alive, and his last credit was in 2017.
Celia Lovsky played Jimmy’s mother, Anna Smigelski. This fascinating actress was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary Empire, in 1897. Her father was a Czech composer, and Lovsky was trained at the Vienna Royal Academy of Arts and Music. She was doing well as a stage actress in Vienna and Berlin by 1929. This was when she met the young actor Peter Lorre.
Lorre was Jewish, and those damn nazzies started acting up. The couple fled to Paris and then London. The couple married while Lorre worked on The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934). Lovsky had a small uncredited bit in the film as well. The married couple moved to Hollywood. Lovsky did not act until the marriage ended in 1945. She was prolific as a character between 1947 and 1974, appearing in over 240 films. A large number of these films were Film Noir. Celia’s films include Chicago Deadline (1949), The Killer That Stalked New York (1950), The People Against O’Hara (1951), The People Against O’Hara (1951), The Big Heat (1953) as an uncredited picture of the gangster’s mother, The Blue Gardenia (1953) as May, the Flower Woman, New York Confidential (1955), today’s film Rumble on the Docks (1956), Death of a Scoundrel (1956), While the City Sleeps (1956), The Garment Jungle (1957) as Robert Loggia’s mother, Hitler (1962), and the Sci-Fi standard Soylent Green (1973). Lovsky died in 1979 at 82.
I have audio-only reviews of The Big Heat (1953), The Blue Gardenia (1953), and The Garment Jungle (1957). Links will be in the description below.
Freddie Bell and His Bellboys mostly played on the Las Vegas strip and may have introduced a young Elvis Presley to the song “Hound Dog.”[4] They were in a few movies, including Rock Around the Clock (1956) and Get Yourself a College Girl (1964). More about this in the Conclusion.
Story – Rumble on the Docks (1956)
Della (Laurie Carroll) and her little brother Poochie (Barry Froner) casually walk on an industrial pier. The pier is located in Brooklyn and is a pretty rough area. Della has recently moved back home to help her mother out. Not too discreetly, two members of the Stompers gang, Tony (Dan Terranova) and Gil Dan (Robert C. Ross), are following Della and Chuck.
The Stompers are in Diggers territory. Before the two Stompers confront Della, she tells her brother that gangs like the Diggers are just criminals in the making. As the two Stompers attack Della, Poochie runs and lets Jimmy Smigelski (James Darren) know what is happening. Jimmy is the head of the Diggers gang. He sends gang members to see if any other Stomper are around. Jimmy and Chuck (Robert Blake) head to save Della. They have drug her into a warehouse and are sexually assaulting Della. Jimmy and Chuck beat the two Stompers and save Della. Tony says there will be a rumble about this. Poochie asks Jimmy to walk Della home.
As they walk, Della tells her ideas about gangs and fighting. She talks about how Poochie wants to be like Jimmy. She is all in for peace. Della tells Jimmy what he did was a fine and noble thing. Della invites ten Diggers to the Settlement Dance. Della says Jimmy can be her date, and she will provide tickets for the others.
Later that day, gangster Joe Brindo (Michael Granger) and his goon Frank Mangus (Timothy Carey) stop by Jimmy’s dad’s printing shop. The father, Pete Smigelski (Edgar Barrier), is a dedicated union organizer, prints an anti-Brindo newspaper, and has a broken back because of a dock accident. Pete blames the accident on Brindo trying to stop his union organizing.
This time, Brindo is trying to buy Pete off by giving him printing contracts. Jimmy enters the shop as Mangus tells his father it means $3,000 yearly. Pete is not interested. Brindo threatens to file a libel lawsuit to break Peter. Brindo says hi to Jimmy as he leaves.
Jimmy’s mother, Anna Smigelski (Celia Lovsky), comes down the stairs just as Pete hits Jimmy across the back with a cane for insisting that Pete take the Brindo deal. Anna calms the situation. Pete is very upset about the path his son is on. Anna says Pete is mad at Jimmy because his birth caused him to take the dock job.
Freddie Bell and His Bellboys belt out early rock at the dance. Everyone is wearing nice clothes and having a good time. One of the dance chaperones, Dan Kevlin (David Bond), talks to Jimmy about a telescope he gave him. Kevlin says it is on Jimmy’s roof.
Carrying sticks, the Stompers show up outside the dance. The Stompers attack, and a huge fight breaks out. Poochie gives a late warning. The Diggers are winning the fight when Digger Wimpy (Don Devlin) pulls a knife and starts slashing. Apparently, this is against the general rule of no guns or knives. Jimmy disarms Wimpy, and the police arrive. Both gangs start running.
Brindo and Mangus stop the running Jimmy and offer him a ride. Brindo lets Jimmy drive to his apartment. Jimmy is impressed with the lavish lifestyle of the gangster. Brindo gives his side of the accident with Jimmy’s father. Brindo says he will mentor Jimmy into the labor business. Brindo gets a call that Pete and his friends held a private union meeting at the printing shop.
Brindo drops Jimmy at home, and the meeting is still going on. Pete is upset that his son was in a fight and that the police came to investigate. Kevlin tells Pete that Jimmy is not at fault. Later, Kevlin meets Jimmy on the roof, where the telescope is located. He says they have a new local and have rented an abandoned pier. The organizers believe the days of Brindo are numbered. Della arrives as Kevlin leaves. Jimmy is cranked that so many people are coming to his private place. Della invites Jimmy to church. They fight and then get all kissy-faced.
The next day, the Diggers watch the new union hiring from the rooftop. Wimpy shows up and now has a revolver. Kevlin offers some of the Diggers jobs for the summer. A few Diggers decide to work. Later, Jimmy forces the rest to go along, but just to watch. Poochie is left behind.
Later, Brando and his gang meet in reaction to the new union. He sends Mangus and a few guys to say there will be no reprisals if they walk off today. The ship’s captain is not happy with the speed and quality of the work. The working Diggers arrive for work while others watch from the sidelines. Mangus and two goons arrive to deliver the message. Mangus calls it a scab job and says they will not work again if they don’t leave. A fight breaks out between Mangus’ group and the Union organizers. It ends as a solo fight between Mangus and Ferd Marchesi (Joseph Vitale). Ferd wins the fight, and Mangus is lowered off the ship in a cargo net.
Jimmy and Chuck deliver the beaten Mangus back to Brindo. When Jimmy gets home, Pete gives him the business for helping Mangus. Jimmy says his father has started a fight in which people are going to get hurt or killed. Pete throws Jimmy out of the house. Anna is broken by the fight between her husband and son.
Jimmy is living and working at a garage with Chuck. One day, Brindo comes in and gives Jimmy some money. Poochie is working on the telescope when Tony and two Stompers climb onto the roof. Tony demands to see Jimmy. The Stompers hang Poochie over the ledge for a bit. Tony says to tell Jimmy that they have to rumble tonight. Jimmy sends Chuck to round up the Diggers. Jimmy doesn’t know that Wimpy has the gun.
The Stompers arrive by truck. One of them clubes Poochie. The fight breaks out in the street. Kevlin and Della carry Poochie away. Wimpy hides in a stairwell. Tony pulls a meat hook. He and Jimmy, armed with a club, begin to fight. Wimpy fires two shots, which break up the fight. The Diggers get the gun from Wimpy and take his gang jacket. Jimmy takes the gun to hide it. Jimmy hides the gun in an oil can and is chewed out for leaving the garage unattended.
The police arrive and try to arrest Jimmy, but he escapes across the rooftop. When he is clear, he calls Brindo for help. Brindo encourages Jimmy to give himself up to the police. Jimmy arrives with a lawyer, Gotham (David Orrick). Gothan has the paperwork to get them all released. A cop asks Kevlin if the kids are worth trying to save.
Sometime later, Della and Jimmy take a walk in the park. Della wants Poochie to go to summer camp, but she needs Jimmy to convince him. They end up walking on the pier. They hear an ambulance and rush to find that Marchesi has been killed in a hit-and-run.
Pete can’t believe that Marchesi is dead. Anna looks on and knows that Pete has caused much of this trouble. She is still upset about Jimmy being kicked out of the home. Kevlin still thinks justice will catch up with Brindo.
The DA has two teens who robbed Marchesi’s body before the ambulance arrived. They identify Lou Bassett (Benny Burt), a Brindo gang member. The DA orders Lou to be arrested. Brindo is worried that Lou will sing like a bird. Lawyer Gotham says they need a witness to testify that Lou wasn’t in the car.
Brindo takes Jimmy back to his apartment. Gotham finds out that the boys robbed the dead body and that Jimmy wants to help Brindo. They have Jimmy stay at Brindo’s apartment.
In court, Gotham impeaches the young boys for making a deal with the DA. Jimmy is called to the stand. Jimmy lies on the stand, saying he was alone and saw the car that hit Marchesi. Jimmy says the driver was not Lou. The DA calls for an adjournment until the morning.
Brindo has a big party but Jimmy is sullen. When the doorbell rings, Mangus hides Jimmy in a back room. Jimmy’s parents, Pete and Anna, are at the door. Jimmy comes out to talk to his folks. Pete calls his son a liar and says he now has no son. After they leave, Pete is discussed with himself.
Jimmy is in his room smoking. Poochie arrives at the window via the fire escape. He tells Jimmy that Della is sick. They leave together. On the street, a group of Diggers grab Jimmy and throw him in a car. Wimpy, no longer in the gang, sees them take Jimmy into the garage. Della is waiting inside. Della says she will tell that Jimmy is lying.
When Brindo finds out that Jimmy is missing, Gotham says they have to get rid of Jimmy. They leave Chuck with Jimmy, and the rest go to get Kevlin. Wimpy calls Brindo and tells them where Jimmy is located. Chuck has to go out on a run, and Jimmy is left alone. Jimmy goes to a parked car in the garage to listen to the radio. Chuck is waiting outside and sees Brindo and Mangus pull into the garage. Chuck runs for help.
Brindo and Mangus begin searching for Jimmy. Chuck tells Pete that Brindo is going to kill Jimmy. Pete heads to the garage, and Chuck calls for help.
Jimmy slips out of the car and retrieves Wimpy’s gun from the oil can. Brindo begins firing at Jimmy. Pete slips inside and beats Mangus to the ground with his cane. Brindo shoots Pete. Jimmy shoots Brindo. Police sirens are heard coming, and Jimmy thanks his wounded father.
Much later, Jimmy is on the roof watching the new union hiring. Della comes by with a letter from Poochie, who is at camp. They get all kissy-faced, and Pete, who has a cast on his arm, calls for Jimmy to come make money. Jimmy wants to make time. Jimmy is working in the shop and, in the fall, will start college to be an engineer.
Conclusion – Rumble on the Docks (1956)
When this film was released, the title had an asterisk for an explanation on many ads because rumble was not widely known as a term for a gang fight at the time.
Although he had 20 credits, this was the only feature film for Barry Froner, who played Poochie.
In the film, Jimmy (James Darren) says he was 17. He was 20 years old at the time. Edgar Barrier, who played Jimmy’s father, Pete, was 49. Celia Lovsky, who played Jimmy’s mother, Anna, was nearly 60. They used makeup and hair to age Edgar rather than try to make Celia look young.
I told you that there were some Star Trek connections in the Introduction. Lovsky played T’Pau, the leader of the planet Vulcan, in the 1966 Season 2, Episode 1, Amok Time, of “Star Trek” 1966-1969. In that episode, Spook (Leonard Nemoy) goes into heat and has to fight Kirk (William Shatner) to death. Lovsky is one of less than a dozen actors born in the 19th century who appeared in the 25th-century series.
Many years later, James Darrin appeared on eight episodes in the 1993 season of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” 1998-1999.
I mentioned before that this was James Darren’s first film. I also mentioned that musical performers in the film Freddie Bell and His Bellboys mostly played on the Las Vegas Strip. I guess you are familiar with who ran that place back in the day. iMDB.com states that Darren is the Godfather of Nancy Sinatra’s daughter and granddaughter of Frank Sinatra. It makes me wonder if someone did a horsehead for Darren. Food for thought.
World-Famous Short Summary – A girlfriend and a job will keep you off the streets.
Beware the moors.
[1] Rumble on the Docks (1956)
[2] https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rumble_on_the_docks
[3] https://archive.org/details/variety204-1956-11/page/n213/mode/1up
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