Fletcher Christian, oh the time has come ... and you know that you're the only one to say ... OK: "Mutiny on the Bounty"

You gotta love Night Ranger ...

Two thoughts before we get to it:

1. Do you remember the first time you saw Tom Selleck without a mustache? I think it was "In and Out" with Kevin Kline, but in any case, it was just plain weird ... and wrong. I mean, only a few guys on the planet can pull off the mustache -- Selleck, Burt Reynolds, Alex Trebek -- and for any of them to shave it is just a crime. (Yeah, I know Trebek did, too.) I mention all this because Clark Gable has no mustache in "Mutiny on the Bounty," and that was a bit of an adjustment.

2. It took me a few movies, but I've decided that Gable reminds me of George Clooney. True, Gable has the more distinguished filmography, but both pretty much are roguish ladies' men who "don't give a damn" -- ha ha -- about what anyone else thinks. Yeah, Gable may have never worn a Batsuit with nipples, but Clooney probably has better breath.

As for the actual movie, "Mutiny on the Bounty" is usually considered a classic, and it probably fits the bill. While versions came before (1916) and after (1962 and 1984), this 1935 version remains the standard, thanks not so much to Gable -- who is good -- as Charles Laughton, whose Captain Bligh is the perfect sadistic villain, which I'm sure just cheered everyone up during Great Depression.

You know the story: Bligh is captain of the H.M.S. Bounty, but his abusive behavior ultimately drives first mate Christian to mutiny, leaving Bligh and a few others to fend for themselves on a lifeboat. Knowing this, the fun in "Bounty" comes from watching just how far Bligh will go, and just how much Christian will take before they kindly part ways.

Initially a little cartoonish and hard to take seriously, Bligh soon proves to be a real b*stard, and Laughton never once lets up through the whole movie. It's quite impressive. Given the chain of command in the military, it's easy to see how Bligh believes in absolute authority, no matter if he's right or wrong. Not helping matters is the fact that many sailors were criminals or other draftees, but Christian realizes this and tries to bridge the gap between officers and crooks so the ship can function.

Let's be clear: Gable doesn't make a convincing Englishman. I'm trying to remember if he even tried an accent. He did, however, make Christian more complex than a second-in-command simply hoping to seize control at the first opportunity. When the big mutiny moment arrives, it's because Christian has finally had enough after toeing the line for so long, and Gable does a decent job when it comes to conveying that loss of patience.

"Bounty" holds up well technically, too, with some nice ocean scenes and a mostly convincing ship setting. Not sure the Tahiti scenes are that accurate -- the movie was shot off the coast of California -- but that's not a killer. Gable's breath, on the other hand ...