Black Sheep
Black Sheep
NR | 01 August 1935 (USA)
Black Sheep Trailers

On an ocean liner crossing a professional gambler comes to the aid of a naive young man victimized by a jewel thief. The young man turns out to be his son he's not seen since infancy.

Reviews
GamerTab That was an excellent one.
Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?
Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.
mark.waltz No "Thin Man" rip-off this one; It stars the very funny Edmund Lowe as a card shark with a past, about to be blasted his way out of the blue. In the second class of a luxury liner heading from Europe to New York, Lowe and girlfriend Claire Trevor sneak into first class to try to swindle the rich and idle out of some of their pesky cash. Along the way, they encounter the troubled Tom Brown, blackmailed by a sophisticated kleptomaniac (Adrienne Ames) into smuggling some jewels she stole onto shore. Mingling with Ames and Brown brings Lowe and Trevor to the realization that Brown is Lowe's son from a short-lived marriage. Lowe must rescue the son he never got to know without revealing his identity, and the result is a very funny film with an outstanding script.Acting wise, it is Ames who scores here, a much married golddigger who steals simply out of excitement. Eugene Pallette gets some funny moments as the gregarious prankster, with Jed Prouty as another one of the card playing passengers and Herbert Mundin as a constantly drunk passenger whom Lowe keeps encountering with some smooth and funny double talk. Both big hearted and completely charming, this is the epitome of a "sleeper", a forgotten film so good that you find yourself drawn in immediately. It's sophisticated screwball comedy at its best, a film that may have slipped through the cracks in 1935, but one that could certainly be praised by film historians upon rediscovery.
JLRMovieReviews Edmund Lowe is a professional gambler on a cruise ship, who likes to take the suckers' money, but he is known by the ship's detective and, if caught in the act, can be sequestered in his room for the duration and arrested. Tom Brown is a young man who has been taken by two old men, one of them played Eugene Palllette. who like to think they're something else by bluffing people, like this poor unsuspecting tot, and taking their money. We see as the film opens that they had nothing at all in their hands, while Tom had a pair of tens, and he winds up paying them, because of their bluffing and raising $500 here and $300 there. When Edmund catches on to the old men, he feels sorry for the young man. Edmund meets Claire Trevor, an actress, who appears to be somewhat well-off, but is still in second-class with Edmund. They form an friendship and plot to help the young man who was suckered by the old men. The twist is that when Edmund is in Tom's room he sees the pictures of Tom's mother and grandmother! Yes! He knows them! Put it together! When he does, he realizes who Tom is. This film was really good. We are immersed in Edmund's world and really come to care about him, and Tom and Claire. Tom tells him about another problem he's having. Adrienne Ames is a ruthless character who holds the cards over Tom concerning another debt. For 76 minutes, this film really packs a wallop. It's amazing to me how such simple, short films of the 1930s et al. can be so good, satisfying and fulfilling and much better than today's movies. While no award winner, the stars' acting and crisp writing make "Black Sheep" worth finding.
MartinHafer The biggest reason I chose to watch this film is Edmund Lowe--a pretty much forgotten leading man today but a darn fine actor. Often I have noticed that I like him better than the films he's in, as he managed to bring something more to his parts.Lowe is a professional gambler who frequents cruise ships. He doesn't cheat--he's just very good. Soon after the film begins, he meets a nice lady (Claire Trevor) and they both sneak into the first class section where Lowe looks for some action. But before he can locate a game, he and Trevor come upon a sad young man who is trying to kill himself. It seems that the young man has been tricked by an evil vamp and she is trying to blackmail him into helping her with a theft. And, rather than do this, he'd rather kill himself. Lowe decides to help the young man out of his predicament. Partway through his scheme, Lowe discovers the guy is his son! I'd not normally mention such a spoiler, but it's CLEARLY given away in the IMDb summary! Can he and Trevor extricate the young knucklehead? And what will become of Lowe and Trevor, as Claire clearly has her eyes set on him and isn't about to just let him go when the film concludes.As usual, Lowe makes fine use of him screen time in a movie that is otherwise just a little better than ordinary. It also helps that Trevor and Eugene Palette are on hand as well--giving the film a bit more color and entertainment value. I'll give this one a 7...but it's almost good enough for an 8.
stoneyburke I love this movie. I have a copy and I watch it frequently and I'm never bored. The theme song that streams practically through the entire movie is a catchy little number and just enhances the '30's stuff.By now all the reviewers have let you in on the plot. I must concur that parts of the plot are too convenient...like in this whole wide world a pro cruise ship gambler meets his physical past on a cruise ship but so what. There's Claire Trevor who was so cool. No Clark Gable but a fetching Edmund Lowe. Adrienne Ames being so appealing spending time with a very young man. I see how a young impressionable young man would be attracted to her and better yet be her dupe.Trevor and Lowe meet, it's a fun interlude...they get wise to Palette,etc...Lowe meets his past and saves the same's fate. The whole movie is not long on running time, easy to watch, fun on listening and one can see that some talent and a fun script can make a small movie set have you on a wonderful cruise.