Die Perlenräuber von Pago-Pago

Around 80 years ago, I saw this film at our small town's only movie theater. I was eight years old, and a juvenile fan of movies that told simple stories involving high adventure, uncomplicated romance, easy identification of the good guys v. the bad ones and scenes that included underwater thrills. South of Pago Pago was such a film, and I found it to be very appealing and a fun experience to watch.

Recently, I had the opportunity to see it again on YouTube. Apparently, it is hard to find elsewhere. How does it now appear to someone in the twilight of life? It is still enjoyable. The good guys (and gal) are still positive role models and the bad guys are truly repulsive in an unrelenting sort of way. The acting seems natural, and the story of greedy men spoiling a native paradise until meeting their justly deserved fate is spun out in an easily understood way.

Olympe Bradna, who plays Jon Hall's girl friend, continues to remind me of Debra Paget as she has for many years. And Frances Farmer, whose real life involved a truly tragic story, is just as beautiful and stirring as she seemed to me so long ago. The underwater sequences are still exciting. The setting and costumes greatly add to the movie's appeal.

All in all, South of Pago Pago is a film that deserves to be objectively reconsidered by a new audience.

And how about the great movie trivia question that it poses. What do South of Pago Pago and The Jolson Story have in common? Give up? Same director!

SOUTH OF PAGO PAGO (United Artists, 1940), an Edward Small Presentation, directed by Alfred E. Green, is a South Seas adventure tale starring Victor McLaglen, Jon Hall and Frances Farmer in the leads. As much as this movie might have started a trend of other South Seas adventures that were common ground during the 1940s, with many produced in lavish Technicolor, this is not the first of this cycle. In 1937 alone, Jon Hall got his first big break in a leading role opposite sarong girl Dorothy Lamour in THE HURRICANE (Samuel Goldwyn) while Frances Farmer was featured in a Technicolor adventure of EBB TIDE (Paramount), based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. Three years later, their paths would meet for this black and white adventure tale with enough island scenery that might have been more effective had it been produced in Technicolor.

Opening title: "This is a story of days not so long ago, when Singapore spawned a race of steel-fisted, iron-jawed adventurers, who lived happy, fought hard and died hard - as they ravaged unknown seas, lured by the priceless lusture of virgin pearls." Opening in Shanghai, China, at the Tingle Tangle Café, hostess Ruby Taylor (Frances Farmer) meets with Portuguese sailor, Manuel Forro (Abner Biberman) with news about rich pearl beds that can be found off the shores of Manoa. This news reaches Ruby's friends, Captain Bucko Larson (Victor McLaglen) and his first mate, Williams (Douglass Dumbrille), who invite both Ruby and Manuel aboard their steamer, the L.A. Dessa, bound for the island south of Pago Pago. Before reaching Manoa, Manuel, who's upset about being cheated of his promised share, is thrown overboard to the sharks by Bucko. Greeted by the natives, the crew is met by Kehase (Jon Hall), son of the island chief (Pedro De Cordoba). Although loved by Malia (Olympe Branda) since childhood, Kehase takes an immediate interest in Ruby, a beautiful white woman. Also on the island is Mr. Lindsay (Gene Lockhart), a white man who's been living among the natives for nine years, is not please by the presence by these visitors, which may mean trouble for his happy paradise. His instincts are correct. As the native boys dive for pearls, danger lurks for some, leading to certain deaths or injuries. Kehase insists the pearl diving must stop. Not wanting to leave the island with just twelve pearls to their name, Bucko uses Ruby to lure Kehase away, even to a point of marrying him and honeymooning on the island of Tua Tua. With Kehase temporarily out of the way, Bucko and his mates resume their greedy force amongst the native boys, risking their lives diving for more pearls and turning a once happy community into a fearful one. Also seen in the cast are: Francis Ford (Foster); Ben Weldon (Grimes); and Harry Woods (Black Mike Rafferty).

A South Seas tale that plays like a Saturday afternoon matinee is one that has done no harm in Jon Hall's movie career, considering a handful of similar adventures that would follow later on, especially those six over at Universal opposite the exotic Maria Montez. Hall does well as the island leader, but his accented manner of talking fails to come off convincingly. Aside from native drum playing and dancing, shipboard fights pearl diving dangers, the movie also contains off-screen chanting and singing to the title tune of "South of Pago Pago" by Chet Forrest, Bob Wright and Frank Loesser to round out the story. When Frances Farmer makes her first screen entrance in the cafe, her character, clothes and hairstyle strongly resemble that of her Lotta character from her breakthrough film, COME AND GET IT (1936). Once the story shifts towards the island of Manoa, she not only lets her hair down, figuratively, she appears slightly heavier in her physical appearance than before. Olympe Bradna, on loan from Paramount, makes a beautiful island girl. She even participates in a lively island dance with Jon Hall.

Not as well known as other films of this type, SOUTH OF PAGO PAGO did become available on VHS through VCI Home Video around 1998, and later onto DVD, assuring its rediscovery. Though cable television broadcasts are uncertain, it was once popular viewing on the late show or afternoon broadcasts during the 1960s and 1970s before taken out or circulation. Overlooking certain outdoor scenes that appear more indoor studio bound, with ordinary scripting, SOUTH OF PAGO PAGO moves swiftly during its 97 minutes of action and adventure. (*** pearls)

It's a strange movie. Frances Farmer is the main attraction. This is not her ideal role- her patrician blond beauty seems a little out of place here. Although only 27 when she made the movie, she does not look quite as breathtaking as when she made Come and Get It 4 years earlier. Nevertheless, it is one of the few movies one can see Frances in. Jon Hall is an interesting character. I remember him from the 1950s as Ramar of the Jungle. Apparently he never sustained the successes in his early movies.

South of Pago Pago is a pre-mature White Supremacy look at the corruption of an island paradise by a surly, ruthless captain (Victor McLaglen) and his band of brigands in search of pearls. With a white goddess in tow (Francis Farmer) he manages to dazzle the acting chief (Jon Hall) with her and exploit the native population allowing things get violently out of hand.

This South Sea Island dud opens with a raucous almost slapstick brawl as it introduces caricatures McLaglen and Farmer. Once island bound the devious ways of Captain Larsen get ugly fast as he cons the divers with drink and trinkets to undertake dangerous tasks. Larsen then distracts Kehane by marrying Ruby off to him. As the death toll and casualties mount, the islanders led by kehane revolt.

Outside of his informer performance, McLaglen's career has been a series of bellicose self parodies and though particularly cruel in this waterlogged clunker it is an uneasy mix here. The monotoned Farmer sleep walks through her part while the rest of the cast gets in each others way.

There are some decent underwater moments while some model work is glaringly bad. The editing is a fractured montage of hodge podge but the brutality quite graphic as the natives get the last say in this sorry South Seas adventure. Stay as far south and any other direction from this Pago Pago.

I can't express how fortiesishly luscious this is on every level. Any fan of that era who hasn't seen it 'ain't there yet.' Frances Farmer ! How could you describe her? [a curiously unblemished saloon girl in this one, but what the heck?] John Hall ! Victor McLaglen ! These people - who they were in the time in which they lived and worked - bigger & more beautiful than life - a part of that never-never fantasy world - that was so much illusion - once lived and so gone forever - of the forties.