Steve Martin, a man pursuing a dream of finding oil in the Gulf of Mexico, had no idea what he would be getting into when he and his partner, Johnny Gambi arrived at the sleepy fisherman town in Louisiana to meet Kermit McDonald, the head of a firm at the brink of bankruptcy.The new arrivals are clearly not welcome by the small fishing community, suffering from bad years for the lack of shrimp, their principal source of income. Afraid of the way Martin will change the source of their livelihood, create an unforeseen animosity among the oil people and the locals. The situation escalates when Johnny Gambi falls in love with the daughter of a well liked man."Thunder Bay", a 1953 Universal picture, was seen recently on a cable channel. Directed by Anthony Mann, the film keeps the viewer involved, as the action keeps building up. The enactment of a storm in the Gulf area looks real, even though special effects then, were not what they are today. Thanks to Mr. Mann and his crew, things keep moving at a good pace, building on the strength of a dire situation and a deadline for finding the oil.James Stewart does not disappoint with his Steve Martin. After all, Mr. Stewart always delivered, as is the case here. Dan Duryea playing against type, is fun to watch. Joanne Dru has some good moments as Stella. Gibert Roland appears as a shrimp boat owner.

The outsiders are the oil guys coming into a small fishing town off the Gulf of Mexico. Jealousies erupt, fear of the new technology is involved. Businessmen are risking everything they've got "and this time it has to work or they're finished". You know the rest.You should decide for yourself whether it's the acting or the script that's marginal. Stewart plays it like he always does, but there's not much challenge in the role. I can't help but wonder if Senator Kerr (D - Okalahoma) helped finance this little "promo" piece for his company.Interesting though that this really is a look at Kerr-McGee's first offshore oil platform, which struck oil at a time when the post-war (we can make cars again!!) economy was exploding. The shrimpers are still shrimping and the oil is still flowing from that day to this (with a little break for a few hurricanes).An informally educational look back at the hot controversy that abounded at the time, 1947.

Apparently the public was mainly unaware of Cajuns and their culture, which would have been the largest population group of shrimp fishermen in Louisiana at the time. The portrayal of the 'hurricane' would have given them the impression of, at best, a big squall. What was a real hoot, was Stewart tossing sticks of dynamite at the crowd while he 'talked sense' to them. ("Alright now, just settle down"). If this movie is shown on a show where there is a 'host' or 'moderator' who comes on before and after the film, it would be informative to mention the 'microenvironment' created by the oil rigs; not so much with shrimping, but with sport fishing, which is a major economic force in the Gulf. The metal structure of the rig platforms becomes an 'artificial reef', which first becomes populated by barnacles and other stationary marine life; then becomes a focal point of fish, crustaceans, cephalopods, and various other species. The area around the rig becomes a jackpot for fisherman.

Thunder Bay is an anomaly, a pedantic film on a subject seldom dealt with in the movies, the conflict between businessmen, whose ambitions will cause great change in the local landscape, and the locals, who want things to remain as they are. In this case it's oil drillers versus shrimp fisherman in the Louisiana of the early 1950's. The conflict at times seems almost Marxian, with James Stewart's hardheaded, no-nonsense outsider going up against ragin' Cajun Gilbert Roland, a far more charming and sympathetic figure. Rather than shy away from class conflict, the movie confronts the issue repeatedly, in a variety of ways, and builds up a good deal of tension along the way, as Stewart's compulsive, oil drilling loner, increasingly isolated, takes on the entire community. There's a good deal of fifties sociology here, with the modern, inner-directed Stewart against the tradition-centered fishing people. Neither side understands the other, as one can well see how these local folks would view Stewart as an uncaring and forbidding figure, the embodiment of alien, big city values. On the other hand these people are a rough and tumble lot, uneducated, clannish and utterly without curiosity. It's easy to see how an educated man might look down on them. There's a good deal of action along the way, and some fist-fights. At a time when many Americans still thought of themselves in terms of class, and with the Depression fresh in everyone's minds, it was rather bold of director Anthony Mann to take on this subject from a middle of the road, basically Republican (but not right wing) perspective. In this respect the movie, which came out in the first year of the Eisenhower administration, heralded a new era of compromise, with the promise of better things yet to come. As to which side is right, well, you be the judge. I'm still thinking this over.