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.
Review of Black Sheep
