Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

calvinnme ...but let me warn you that the first half hour of this 85 minute film is a long hard slog. Gilbert plays "Jack", a sailor on a commercial line, who seems to have some kind of beef with fellow sailor "Tripod" (Wallace Beery), although the origin of this rift is never revealed. The boat lands, the sailors are on leave, and there is drunken brawl after drunken brawl for no reason. Someone will just insult someone else or break a bottle over someone's head for apparently no reason. Then everybody starts fighting. This got repetitive, plus the dawn of sound soundtrack is so bad that trying to hear these players speak, during storms, out of doors, in crowded bars, is nearly impossible. I had to rewind several times to get what was even going on. The bright spot in this part of the film - Polly Moran showing up all disheveled in a bar carrying a mallet of all things. Considering how rowdy things got and how quickly they got rowdy, maybe she was smart to be carrying a mallet after all.During the next hour things improve considerably as the ship lands in London and we meet the object of Jack's affection, Joan (Leila Hyams), a clerk in the shipping company office. She wants nothing to do with him because he is a sailor. Hyams could have come off as snooty in this role, but she doesn't, even without an exact explanation of her rejection. I felt that she might have been hurt or lied to by a sailor before, or she might have seen that happen, enough that she is simply not going to consider a sailor as a suitor. The point is, she plays the part vulnerable and it works. Likewise, Gilbert's character, though rough around the edges, is actually likable. He wants to marry the girl, so his intentions are honorable. He just thinks that lying is OK in the pursuit of this honorable intention. It's at this point the first half hour of the film - which has seemed pointless up to now - begins to make sense. It shows the rough and tumble kind of temporary port to port life Jack is accustomed to and helps explain his actions. He borrows money from the other sailors, buys a suit, and gives Joan a total lie of a story about him quitting the sea and getting a job in the shipping office. Now on the surface this seems despicable, but then you think back to the first half hour and remember in Jack's world the end justifies the means. How does this work out? Watch and find out.I'd say it is worth it to see that John Gilbert did understand how to act and project a character in the talkies, and also this film gives a supporting role to Wallace Beery that he was just made to play before MGM pretty much promoted him to leading man status after Min and Bill came out later in 1930.

Michael_Elliott Way for a Sailor (1930)** (out of 4) Early talkie from MGM suffers from a lot of technical issues and the story really lets down the cast. In the film a drunken sailor (John Gilbert) argues with his buddy (Wallace Beery) but soon falls for a questionable woman (Leila Hyams). Soon Gilbert is trying to win her heart but she doesn't want a sailor so the man must try and form a new life but finds out he is what he is. According to legend MGM was really sticking it to Gilbert and trying to ruin him with movies like this. I'm really not sure how true that is because legend also has it that he had a horrible speaking voice but the more sound films I watch I'm starting to realize that wasn't the case at all. In fact, I think the sometimes soft-toned voice perfectly fits some of these rough characters he's playing because he had the body of a tough guy but that voice allows him to work well in the more romantic sequences. In fact, during one of the love scenes he's saying one love line after another and it was actually quite effective as he was clearly very passionate and this really come through on screen. I'm not sure what people in 1930 were expecting but I can only guess that silent movies had people imagining what their favorite stars sounded like and when talkies came along and these voices didn't match, people were left disappointed. Either way, Gilbert is the only reason to watch this film as everything else is pretty bad. Hyams to me was way too flat and I really didn't care too much for the character or performance. Beery isn't too bad but he's pretty much just here to start fights, drink and be loud. We get Ray Milland in a brief, uncredited bit but the rest of the supporting cast are pretty forgettable. I think the biggest problem is the actual screenplay, which is quite boring, predictable and at times laughable. You really can't blame it too much as many of these early talkies were simply made for talking. The story never really progressive in a believable way and by the time it is over you can't help but feel you've been watching it for hours. The technical quality is another disaster as there are several scenes taking place outdoors where it's hard to hear what the actors are saying because of everything else the microphones are picking up. We also get some early rear-projection but it looks quite poor and often doesn't match up with the "real" footage. In the end, this isn't a disaster but it's certainly only recommended to those who want to see some of the Gilbert films that were laughed out of theaters back in the day.

drednm Oddly likable film even though it's badly directed, edited, and under-lit. There are several "inserts" of closeups that don't come close to matching the rest of the scene, and the rear projections are badly done as well.Still, this fourth talkie of John Gilbert's is fascinating because of the solid performances by Gilbert (no voice problems at all), Wallace Beery, and Leila Hyams.A story of carousing sailors (merchant marine) and their beer brawls is very pre-Code with saloons, whores, and raw language. But Jack (Gilbert) is smitten with Hyams and does everything to win her. Unfortunately he steals money from Beery to buy a suit and pretends he has left the sea for an office job so Hyams will marry him. He ends up going back to sea on the boat she is sailing on for Canada (after she learns of his lies). But then another ship is sinking in a storm.....Several interesting scenes, including one by the sea where Gilbert and Hyams are talking and arguing. The rescue is interesting but under-lit.Gilbert tries so hard here after a series of lousy MGM flops (thanks to Mayer) and is so likable that you forget the story is standard issue. Hyams is beautiful and has a few good dramatic scenes. Beery is his usual self. Supporting cast includes Polly Moran, Doris Lloyd, Ray Milland, Jim Tully, Tiny Jones, etc.This was Gilbert's best talkie to date after the disastrous HIS GLORIOUS NIGHT and REDEMPTION. Whatever the problems were with this film, they were not Gilbert's fault. He looks fit and trim and his voice is just fine. Despite the "B" film qualities of this and most of Gilbert's MGM films (thanks to Mayer), Gilbert always comes off as a solid actor and likable man.John Gilbert should have had a major career in talkies and proved that his acting style and voice were just fine in film after film, but he had lost his audience with the first few rotten sound films MGM gave him.This film is worth seeing just to see how valiant Gilbert was even with Mayer working against him.

Ron Oliver Here comes the Merchant Marine, the toughest seamen afloat. Sailing into every sea, a job in every port, a girl in every bar. Out of the way there! Here they come, up from the docks, looking for some shore leave. Look out! Make WAY FOR A SAILOR!According to cinematic legend, all the talkie MGM films starring John Gilbert were dreadful - the result of a bitter hatred between Gilbert (the highest paid star in Hollywood, with a $1.5 million contract) & studio boss Louis B. Mayer. A determination on Gilbert's part to fulfill the contract, and a campaign instituted by Mayer to destroy Gilbert's career - including spreading the rumor that Gilbert's voice was `high & feminine', culminated in several unwatchable movies.Not entirely true. The Studio had a huge financial investment in Jack Gilbert and was not going to completely cut its own throat by showcasing him in nothing but dreck. Of the 8 talkies in which he appeared as solo star (1929 - HIS GLORIOUS NIGHT; 1930 - REDEMPTION; WAY FOR A SAILOR; 1931 - GENTLEMAN'S FATE; THE PHANTOM OF PARIS; WEST OF BROADWAY; 1932 - DOWNSTAIRS; 1933 - FAST WORKERS) most were certainly rather ghastly. WAY FOR A SAILOR falls into that unfortunate category.Gilbert tries hard throughout the film, but it never comes together. Atmospherics are of the `B Movie' variety, and while the rescue at sea sequence is exciting, it's not enough to save the film. Even wonderful Wallace Beery, bluff & hearty, can't pull it off, though he certainly is entertaining & manages to steal every scene he's in. And lovely Leila Hyams is boring, thanks mostly to a lackluster script.Look fast and you'll spot Doris Lloyd & the inimitable Polly Moran, both enjoyable as dockside floozies (Polly wields a mean mallet). Movie mavens will recognize Sojin as the Oriental procurer; quick-eyed viewers may spot an uncredited Ray Milland as a ship's officer.Finally, about The Voice. There was nothing at all strange or unnaturally high about Gilbert's voice. As a matter of fact, it was of medium range & rather cultured & refined. Which was the crux of the problem, of course. While it is possible that no voice could have ever matched the perfect one viewers heard in their minds while watching his strong, virile silent roles, the reality was very different from what they wanted to hear (imagine Robert Montgomery's voice coming out of Clark Gable's mouth.) Gilbert was doomed from his first scene in his debut talkie; his war with Mayer only intensified the agony. He would die in 1936, forgotten by most of his former fans, at the age of only 36.