Most of he action occurred on the cruise ship.Body Count:20 (17 committed by Jason, 2 accidental deaths: Wayne shooting a crew-member, and an exploding car with Miss Van Deusen inside, and Jason""s own death?), plus about wo dozen drowned students." He has a new partner, an influential politician and rackets boss named Mac Keefer (George Bancroft)."The story flashes back to six months earlier, when Joe, a struggling, down-and-out, depressed, Midwestern hack screenwriter, finds that he is unable to sell his scripts ("I seemed to have lost my touch") and is behind three payments on his car.Newman brought up the fact that Loomis had been accused of "profiteering off the misery of others." Loomis took "great issue" with hat statement, and afterwards expressed how he felt humiliated by the interviewer""s questions.