Secret of Deep Harbor

Someone has been smuggling wanted men out of the country, and the authorities think they're going through the waterfront. Ron Foster is the reporter or perhaps the stringer for that section of the city, and he wants out. He came thither originally so he could write a book, and now he's trapped. But he's found Merry Anders, and that makes it all worthwhile. Except that her father, Barry Kelley is the only charter boat captain around not going broke. Foster figures he's been carrying the Syndicate's people away. Except that the latest one has just turned up, shot and sunk with chains attached to an anchor from Kelley's boat.

It's a remake of I Cover the Waterfront, based on Max Miller's book. Given that it's a Robert E. Kent production, it's a cheap affair, and it shows mostly in the lack of atmosphere; the dive bars and living quarters are grime-free, except for the windows. As usual, Edward L. Cahn directs efficiently, and as usual in his last few years, when he was directing four or five movies a year, it's not very good.