Sanders und das Schiff des Todes

COAST OF SKELETONS and its predecessor, DEATH DRUMS ALONG THE RIVER, are two of the finest Harry Alan Towers-produced movies of the 1960s. They're both exotic, Africa-shot detective adventures that come across as Bond flicks mixed with German krimi (both tales are based on SANDERS OF THE RIVER, a novel by Edgar Wallace). DEATH DRUMS ALONG THE RIVER has the edge, but this is still a worthy follow-up.

The story sees the efficient investigator Harry Sanders en route to visit the crew of a diamond-hunting ship, where his mission is to find out what happened to a previously-wrecked vessel. Before long he finds himself caught up in conflict between the captain and his crew, along with a conspiracy to make certain members millionaires.

COAST OF SKELETONS is perfectly adequate, Sunday afternoon viewing-type fare. The story is straightforward and yet complex enough to keep you watching, and there's a wealth of hard-knuckle action to keep male viewers enthralled. None of the twists and turns of the narrative are very surprising, but they're certainly handled adroitly by the director.

Richard Todd makes for an ever-dependable hero, and he's backed up by an effective Dale Robertson as the gruff captain and Euro-crumpet Marianne Koch as his second. The outrageously posh Derek Nimmo shows up as another associate. COAST OF SKELETONS is certainly one of the slickest and most entertaining of the Towers of London productions.