Classic Film Guide

Out of the Fog (1941) - full review!

Directed by Anatole Litvak (The Snake Pit (1948)), and based on the Irwin Shaw (The Talk of the Town (1942)) play "The Gentle People", this above average drama's screenplay was co-written by Robert Rossen (All the King's Men (1949)), Irving G. Thalberg winner Jerry Wald, and Richard Macauley. It features an outstanding cast of lead actors and many recognizable character actors as well.

The film opens with John Garfield, later introduced as Harold Goff, deliberately setting fire to a boat moored to the docks and then making his way, "out of the fog", into a dockside restaurant owned by the chubby, old maid Miss Pomponette (Odette Myrtil). Her bartender Eddie (Leo Gorcey) complains of the same old routine by the same old customers, who sit and complain about their businesses while they play cards. One of these is a Russian, Igor Propotkin, played by George Tobias (another is Jimmy Conlin, who appears uncredited). While the lonely Miss Pomponette "chases" her slight cook Olaf Johnson (John Qualen), he does his best to avoid her until it's quitting time when he, and his tailor friend Jonah Goodwin (Thomas Mitchell), can go out fishing in their boat. George Watkins (Eddie Albert) enters the restaurant looking for Stella, Jonah's daughter, for their nightly dinner and date. When she (Ida Lupino) enters and joins him, she too complains about being stuck in a rut, working her telephone operator job by day and the doing the same things each night (e.g. with George). Goff soaks all this in and then introduces himself to the others in the restaurant by demonstrating a card trick. In doing so, he seemingly pulls the key card out of George's ear, embarrassing he and Stella, while at the same time impressing her.

When the fire is discovered, all of the restaurant's patrons including Miss Pomponette and Eddie empty the place, rushing to see it. Goff learns of Olaf's and Jonah's boat and implies the same thing could happen to theirs unless they pay him $5 a week. Though Jonah is quick to resist, Olaf convinces him they should think it over and agree to meet with Goff the next evening. While leaving the docks, Goff runs into Stella and, displaying his confident nature, persuades her to break her date with George and go with him instead. The two old fisherman discuss paying the "protection" money while they dream of buying an even bigger boat on credit. When they return with their catch to Jonah's apartment, we meet his wife Florence (Aline MacMahon). Apparently she's not as involved in her daughter's life as her husband is, and is upset with Olaf for sloshing their bucket of fish about the residence. Jonah hears Stella return from her evening with Goff, though she lets him think she was with George as usual. Later that night, when a worried George comes to his shop to inquire about Stella, Jonah knows his daughter has lied to him.

After paying off the physically violent Goff, and signing a bogus $1,000 loan agreement at 6% interest, Jonah learns that his daughter is dating the racketeer. As a concerned parent, he tells Stella of her new boyfriend's occupation and that Goff is even bribing he and Olaf. Stella doesn't seem to care, she says she tingles with life when she's with him and parrots much of what Goff has evidently told her: that the strong always use the weak, etc.. Jonah then offers her an opportunity to get away, to take a cruise to Cuba which he'll pay for with the $190 he's saved. Though she declines his offer, she is touched. Later that evening, after keeping Goff from fighting with George, she's clearly disturbed about the company she's been keeping. However, Goff is able to win her back with more of his rhetoric. He then matches her father's vacation offer, ironically while they're dining in a Cuban nightclub, and also learns of the money Jonah and Olaf have saved when Stella lets it slip. Of course, the next thing you know Goff is back on the docks threatening the two old fisherman to turn over their life's savings. Jonah has had enough, he yells for Magruder (Robert Homans), the beat police officer. Goff warns him against this course of action, Olaf seems resigned to it, and Jonah continues until the hood is arrested.

At the trial, the Assistant District Attorney (Jerome Cowan) tries Goff before Judge Moriarty (Paul Harvey). But when Goff produces the loan agreement, the case is dismissed. Later, the freed Goff beats Jonah with a rubber hose to make an example of him. This, as well as learning about Stella's plans to go to Cuba with Goff, seems to motivate Jonah. In a steam room which happens to be occupied by the now bankrupt Russian Propotkin, he plots with Olaf to murder Goff. Later, though George almost inadvertently foils their plan, they succeed in a way that disappoints: it calls into question the believability that Goff would have even gone with them, and the end is all too quick to be credible. The wrap up from this point is not entirely satisfying either, but there is a cute little scene near the end involving Officer Magruder that I liked.