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It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Blistering performances.

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.

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.

This film, shown on cable recently, was a discovery. In only 76 minutes, this delicious comedy packs much more than lengthier ones. This is a tribute to the man in charge of it, Allan Dawn, who combines the right elements to give us this fabulous trans Atlantic voyage.We are introduced to the main characters, Jeannette Foster and John Francis Dugan, traveling second class in a luxury liner. Dugan knows he can sneak into first class and takes Jeanette with him. John Dugan is a professional gambler that made his living out of these ships playing with the wealthy passengers. Jeanette is an actress returning home.We also meet an assortment of the passengers in the upper deck. Among them, an immature playboy, Fred Curtis, who has no luck gambling and is in debt to the mysterious and sophisticated Mrs. Bath, a rich woman who has stolen an expensive necklace from one a European royal just for the thrill of it. We also meet Col. Belcher and his friend and partner in gambling, Schmelling, a funny pair that will soon lose money to Dugan, who knows more about the game.The surprise comes from watching a splendid comedic turn by Claire Trevor, who we have seen in a lot of heavier roles. In this picture she clearly demonstrates she had a knack for playing a lighter fare. The movie also has an excellent performance from the great Edmund Lowe, an actor that was a pleasure to watch in everything he did.In the smaller roles, the great Eugene Palette makes a great impression as Col. Belcher, a rich oil man returning from Europe. Adrienne Ames, was also good as the sophisticated Mrs. Bath. She plays this woman with great panache. Tom Brown, as the young Fred Curtis, makes a good contribution to the film.The ensemble work that Allan Dawn got from all the major players, as well as the rest of the crew makes "Black Sheep" a delight to watch. The fantastic crossing of the Atlantic in the era of the luxury ships will enchant anyone looking for a carefree time at the movies.

This is an excellent little film with two stars much better known for their supporting roles. A young Claire Trevor is more lovely than I have ever seen her. This may be one of her few `straight' roles. She is not the scheming woman in a film noir, a prostitute, saloon girl or a drunk. Edmund Lowe, a first line star during the silent era who never quite made it past supporting roles in the talkies, is a very believable gambler/con man. Virtually the entire movie takes place on board a cruise ship so there are none of the car chases, gun fights, mid depression hard luck stories, etc. that tend to carry many mid '30s mysteries/dramas. The script contains a good deal of intrigue and suspense that is carried of well by Lowe and his `accomplice', Trevor. Adrienne Ames, who looks very much like Gail Patrick plays a character that was made for Patrick, the snooty, unlikable wealthy woman. Ames and Eugene Pallette support.The Plot Outline for this movie accurately describes what occurs so there is no need to dwell there. The most enjoyable parts of the movie for me were the situations where Trevor is determining what kind of person Lowe is and whether or not he can be trusted, is honest, etc. Keep in mind Trevor and Lowe meet on the cruise ship. Lowe tells Trevor up front that he is a gambler and Trevor is not quite sure what to think as Lowe goes about `setting up' Pallette and Ames primarily through card games to get his son out of a jam and return the stolen jewels. This occurs in spite of the ship's detective and eventually everyone else involved knowing Lowe is a gambler.The ending may be a bit too neat in today's terms but one must remember happy endings were important in the early and mid '30s.