The chief innovations in Riffraff are that it deals with the tuna-fish industry, never before touched in movie romance, and that Jean Harlow appears in it with her hair dyed brownette.

Jean Harlow (who gets star billing and is brunette for a change) and Spencer Tracy give tough, energetic performances in this contrived marital melodrama.

His name is Hammer and they call him Hammer, and he's just as subtle! Riffraff (AKA: erm, Riff-Raff) is directed by Ted Tetzlaff and written by Martin Rackin. It stars Pat O'Brien, Anne Jeffreys, Walter Slezak and Percy Kilbride. Music is by Roy Webb and cinematography by George Diskant. Something of a little cracker is this one, a pic for those with a discernible palate of Private Investigator based film noir. Don't be misled into believing others when they write that it's minor noir, or borderline of such, it quite simply is a noir pic from what was a stellar year for that film making style. Story is based in Panama and finds P.I. Dan Hammer (O'Brien) involved in the search for a map that shows priceless oil concessions. Sure enough there's others who desperately want the map, so in comes murders, beatings and a sultry babe. Pic opens with the shot of a reptile at nighttime, sitting on a rock in the pouring rain, it probably would have been better to use a snake in the shot, but it certainly is a most appealing and appropriate film opening. From there the piece is a veritable feast of super photography and punchy dialogue. OK, so the plot story is standard fare, but the makers never let it drag things down, there's always a quip or a punch thrown to keep things perky. Tetzlaff was himself a fine cinematographer (see the previous year's Notorious), and here armed with Dis…

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