EBB TIDE (Paramount, 1937), a Lucien Hubbard production directed by James Hogan, was a successful sea adventure following the pattern of 1937s SLAVE SHIP (20th Century-Fox), CAPTAINS COURAGEOUS (MGM) and Paramount's own SOULS AT SEA. EBB TIDE has become long unseen and forgotten movie title through the passage of time, being the studio's second Technicolor production following THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE (1936). Based on a 1894 story "The Ebb-Tide" by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osborne, previously filmed in 1922 with James Kirkwood, Lila Lee and Noah Beery, this latest installment stars Oscar Homolka (in association with the Gaumont British Company), in his American film debut, with Frances Farmer, Ray Milland, and Barry Fitzgerald in fine support.
Opening title: "Tehua in the South Seas in 1890, an island of happy indolence." In a story told in two parts, the first half begins with beachcombers Robert Herrick (Ray Milland), from England; Huish (Barry Fitzgerald) a sailor; and Captain Jakob Thornecke (Oscar Homolka), strolling along the island beach. Though Thornecke is a disgraced drunken captain having lost his Sea Rangers ship, he is later commissioned to sail a Yankee schooner to Sydney, Australia, after the deaths of both its captain and shipmate. Taking Herrick as mate and Huish as steward, Thornecke begins having second thoughts taking his cargo of champagne to Peru, sell both merchandise and ship and pocket the money on mines,. This scheme is overheard by Faith Wishart (Frances Farmer), daughter of the deceased captain, who orders Thorneck at gunpoint to resume sail for Australia. During the course of the story, the captain gets drunk, nearly sails the schooner into a passing typhoon, and later discovers the champagne bottles are not only filled with water, but discovers Faith's father's intentions to sabotage the schooner for insurance money. With limited supply of food on board, the schooner weights anchor on a deserted island of Kanaki, where the second half of the story finds its crew involved with Richard Atwater (Lloyd Nolan), an American supported by two guards and female servant (Lina Basquette), on the island living in richness of pearls, who may possibly be insane. Charles Judels, Charles Stevens, and David Torrence complete the cast.
Of its leading players, Lloyd Nolan's performance, reminiscent to Leslie Banks in THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (RKO Radio, 1932) gathers much attention here, but in a more somber manner. The story was reworked again ADVENTURE ISLAND (Paramount, 1947) with Rory Calhoun, Rhonda Fleming and Paul Kelly.
Known in recent years as the only color movie featuring Frances Farmer, EBB TIDE is something of a predecessor to the many 1940s Technicolor South Seas Island tales from its opening credits underscored by islanders singing its title tune of "Ebb Tide" by Leo Robin and Ralph Ranger, to Technicolor beauty and sailing adventure. While it doesn't have the top-notch casting of Warner Brothers' own Errol Flynn, Olivia De Havilland and Basil Rathbone, Milland, Farmer and Nolan are fine substitutes. In his very rare opportunity heading the cast, Oscar Homolka, with enough close-ups, is not as memorable as he later became for his excellent performance as the family uncle in I REMEMBER MAMA (RKO Radio, 1948) starring Irene Dunne.
Unseen on commercial television since the 1970s, and public TV since the early 1980s, thus far EBB TIDE was never shown on cable television nor distributed on video cassette. Theatrically released at 94 minutes, beware of shorter prints on DVD by private collectors. As much as EBB TIDE needs restoration, it's still a fine sea adventure worth seeing. (*** bells)
