Behind The Three Stooges: The White Brothers (Conversations With David N. Bruskin)
THE CAPTAIN HATES THE SEA (1934)
Film Pick of the Day
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
A reluctant Captain who'd rather be piloting a barge, and his busy-body steward, command a cruise ship to Panama. Several storylines revolve around the passengers... A retired cop, now a private detective, tails the bond thief that has always eluded him, and falls for the crook's partner-in-crime and fiance. An alcoholic has-been actor running away from the society woman who loves him. A social-climbing man, ashamed of his ex-call girl wife. An exiled Panamanian general, who leaves his family to return to Panama and command a planned coup. And, a no-nonsense widow who befriends them all.
The Three Stooges appear as the ship's lounge musicians. Their screentime is limited to background players in a handful of scenes, and only Larry enjoys a few lines of dialogue.
The film premiered with a running time of 103 minutes, but was cut to 85 minutes for its general release. Many of the cast members listed do not appear in the released version, victims of the edited 18 minutes. Survivng bits of business between the Stooges and costar Arthur Treacher imply that they had an earlier setup scene, lost to editing.
John Gilbert was one of the greatest leading men of the 1920s, starring in films like MGM's THE BIG PARADE (1925). A soured relationship with Greta Garbo, disagreements with MGM chief Louis B. Mayer, and Gilbert's alcoholism combined to make him a liability in Mayer's eyes. After a couple box-office disappointments, MGM's publicity machine circulated the untrue story that Gilbert's voice was not suitable for sound films, and John found himself in supporting roles. Garbo used her influence to cast him as her costar in the pre-code QUEEN CHRISTINA (1933), but the Hays office's objections to the film gave MGM the reason it wanted to terminate his contract. After a few more roles, including Columbia's THE CAPTAIN HATES THE SEA (1934), depression, stress and alcoholism led to Gilbert's death from a heart attack in 1936.
Details
Average Rating:   [ 5.67/10 ] 6 votes |
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| Featuring | Moe, Larry and Curly |
|---|---|
| Release Date | Wednesday, November 28, 1934 |
| Studio | Columbia |
| Production Type | Feature Film |
| Duration | 84.75 min. |
