Moontide (1942)
Moontide is a 1942 American romantic drama with elements of a thriller. It was produced by Mark Hellinger and directed by Archie Mayo, who took over direction after initial director Fritz Lang left the project early in the shooting schedule. The screenplay was written by John O’Hara and Nunnally Johnson (uncredited), based on the 1940 novel Moon Tide by Willard Robertson.
Directors – Archie Mayo, Fritz Lang (uncredited)
Writers – John O’Hara (screen play), Willard Robertson (from the novel by), Nunnally Johnson (contributing writer)
Cast –
Jean Gabin as Bobo
Ida Lupino as Anna
Thomas Mitchell as Tiny
Claude Rains as Nutsy
Jerome Cowan as Dr. Frank Brothers
Helene Reynolds as Woman on boat
Ralph Byrd as Rev. Wilson
William Halligan as Bartender
Victor Sen Yung as Takeo (as Sen Yung)
Chester Gan as Henry Hirota
Robin Raymond as Mildred
Arthur Aylesworth as Pop Kelly
Arthur Hohl as Jennings
John Kelly as Mac
Ralph Dunn as Policeman
Tully Marshall as Mr. Simpson
Tom Dugan as Waiter #1
Watch “Moontide” (1942)
Plot
After blacking out from an all-night drinking binge, dock worker Bobo (Jean Gabin) wakes up in a decrepit shack on a San Pablo Bay barge. The barge’s owner, fisherman Takeo (Victor Sen Yung), comes by to remind him how they met the previous night, and that he agreed to work for Takeo. Bobo does not remember the encounter and intends to leave. A police boat passes and, hearing that they are searching for the murderer of local bar-fly Pop Kelly (Arthur Aylesworth), who was strangled to death sometime during Bobo’s drinking spree, causes Bobo to put the brakes on his plans to go. He is afraid he may have killed the man, due to drunken violence he has been capable of in the past.
He takes the job on the barge, then goes into town to meet up with his friends, Tiny (Thomas Mitchell) and Nutsy, the town watchman and amateur philosopher (Claude Rains) at a local boardinghouse. Despite Tiny’s assurances that he didn’t hurt anyone, Bobo worries. He agrees to meet Tiny later that night and leave town together. As he and Nutsy talk after Tiny leaves, Nutsy realizes Bobo is in possession of Pop Kelly’s hat.
As the two men walk near the water, a female group begins to shout about a young woman who is about to drown herself in the surf. Bobo rescues her and takes her back to the barge. The next morning, the young woman, Anna (Ida Lupino), has rebounded and tidies up the shack while Bobo repairs the boat of a wealthy doctor, Frank Brothers (Jerome Cowan) and his mistress (Helene Reynolds). Anna makes breakfast for Bobo. Tiny shows up and begins badmouthing Anna (“she used to work in a hash house”) and implying she is a prostitute. Tiny argues for Bobo to finally leave town with him as they had agreed. Anna overhears and tells Bobo she is “much obliged for everything” but she is “blowing now”, planning to go back to her life and make her way.
Bobo appears to have fallen for Anna. After she is gone, Tiny hints broadly at what damage he might be able to do to Bobo, regarding his history of aggression. Bobo loses his temper and nearly strangles Tiny, but catches himself and tells him to get out and never come back.
Nutsy stops by that night and finds Bobo having definitely decided to leave town alone. While they are chatting, Nutsy acting as a voice of reason and encouraging Bobo to accept that he may have reached a point where he wants a home, Anna returns. Unnoticed, Nutsy takes Pop Kelly’s hat from the shack and later burns it on the beach. Anna and Bobo are obviously drawn to each other and she talks about her dream of settling down and creating a home, like the cozy barge across the bay. He grabs his bag and leaves, however, wishing her “good luck”. In town he tries to spend time with Mildred (Robin Raymond), a prostitute he met during his drunken melee, but he can’t stop thinking about Anna and goes back to the barge.
Bobo and Anna decide to settle down and plan to get married. They buy paint and fabric to fix up the shack. After he heads out with Takeo to catch bait, Tiny once again interferes and suggests to Anna that he and “his buddy” have a dark history together. Anna is disturbed by this conversation and, when Bobo comes back she asks him about Tiny. He explains their relationship and tells her about his regrettable tendency to be violent, especially if he gets drunk.
Bobo and Anna get married on the barge with all their friends in attendance. Dr. Brothers sails by during the wedding and asks Bobo to once again help him fix his boat. With Anna’s blessing, Bobo agrees and they set off. His happily married state encourages the doctor to leave his mistress and return to his wife. On the barge, Anna opens a gift from Bobo — a gaudy revealing dress, once owned by Mildred. Nutsy assures her that wives should leave modesty out of married life and Anna dons the dress, anticipating Bobo’s return.
After Nutsy leaves Anna, Tiny comes to the barge, drunk and angry that he wasn’t invited to the wedding. Tiny and Anna argue and she realizes that Tiny killed Pop Kelly. Enraged, Tiny attacks Anna. When Bobo returns, he and the doctor find Anna stuffed in the bait box, badly injured. They rush her to the hospital and Dr. Brothers promises to do all he can for her. Leaving Nutsy to wait for word about his wife’s condition, Bobo goes hunting for Tiny. He tracks a drunken Tiny to the breakwater near the barge. Bobo stalks him down to the water with Tiny professing his innocence the entire time. Tiny, who cannot swim, climbs onto the rocks to escape and is swept away by a wave.
After some time has passed and Anna is able to leave the hospital, Bobo brings her back to the barge via the doctor’s boat. She is unable to walk but he is anxious to at last carry her, as per tradition, across the threshold of their home, which has been spruced up to be as cozy as Anna dreamed it would be. Their favorite song plays as they go inside.