Adventure Island

No, this isn't very good but actually the cast gel quite well as we get ourselves immersed in a seafaring adventure that's got piracy and insurance fraud in it! It hits the ground running, well the ocean really, with Rhonda Fleming's "Faith" determined to keep onto her half of a ship that belonged to her now dead dad and that is now being pointed towards the titular island by a trio of erstwhile pig rustlers. It's got a valuable cargo of champagne. Or has it? Hmmm. Anyway, "Capt. Lochlin" (Paul Kelly) and his very young looking mate "Herrick" (Rory Calhoun) soon ally with the gal, predicable romantic sparks fly and there's the malevolent "Attwater" (Alan Napier) to outwit in what has to be one of the daftest denouements I've seen. The budget, or lack of it, is obvious from the low standard of the production but the writing gives us the odd line to smile at and there's enough action too. Nope, you'll never remember it, but it's got just enough swash and buckle to keep it afloat for an hour.

Sam Newfield directed and produced a ton of cheapo films during his career. So, when I saw he was responsible for this movie, I just assumed it was cheap crap....and I am glad I was only half right! While the film was made on a tiny budget, it turns out to be a good film...one well worth your time, particularly if you like seeing actors playing against type. What I mean by this is that the normally urbane British actors, John Abbott and Alan Napier, play folks nothing like their usual characters. Abbott plays a sociopathic alcoholic and Napier plays a megalomaniac with visions of godhood! Talk about playing against type!!

When the story begin, three losers (Rory Calhoun, Paul Kelly and John Abbott) meet up and form a strange partnership to pilot a ship to Sydney. However, soon after the trip begins, Herrick (Calhoun) realizes his two new friends and partners are complete rogues who plan on stealing the ship and cargo! But Herrick is an honorable rogue and insists they deliver the ship...as does the old skipper's daughter (Rhonda Fleming). However, during the course of this trip they're all in for a surprise...the cargo is fake and the ship was supposed to be scuttled. The only thing that stopped this was the unexpected death of the first captain.

Now with a boat of worthless water (instead of champagne), the group make their way towards an island they just discovered off the normal trade routes. This island is a major find....there are valuable pearls to be had there. But there is one serious problem...the island is controlled by a cold maniac (Napier) and he's got the locals convinced he's some sort of god! What's next....especially when this 'god' takes a liking to the lady and insists she stay??

I liked this film for two main reasons: the characters played by Napier and Abbott as well as the violence level in the film. It's not exactly gratuitous but folks get killed by snakes, acid and all sorts of nastiness which sure keeps your attention! The script is also surprisingly good and the film well worth your time...unlike MOST of the director's other work.

Two scoundrels, "Captain David Lochlin" (Paul Kelly) and "Mr. Huish" (John Abbot), have been forced off of a ship and left on a semi-populated tropical island to fend for themselves. They happen to save a gentleman named ""Mr. Herrick" (Rory Calhoun) from quicksand who vows to repay them for their kindness. Not long afterward a ship comes along flying a yellow flag of pestilence and in serious need of a captain to get to their destination. David Lochlin agrees to sail it to Sydney but then reneges on his promise, steals the ship and cargo, and changes course to Peru in order to sell everything there. What he doesn't realize is that the owner's daughter "Faith Wishart" (Rhonda Fleming) has been hiding in the cabin and overhears Captain Lochlin's plans. At any rate, rather than divulging the rest of the story I will just say that this turned out to be a typical B-Movie for its day. The movie is a bit short (only 66 minutes), the acting was only average and it was filmed in black and white. Now, I'm not complaining about the latter and I fully understand that color film was quite a bit more expensive during this time. But the fact is that black and white film simply doesn't do justice to Rhonda Fleming or the beautiful tropical scenery. I'm just telling it like it is. All things considered then, I rate this film as about average.

There are a lot of happenings crammed into this 66 minute film. Despite all the comings and goings, running around, fire fighting, ship sailing, natives running and danger escaping the overall film just does not move along at a very fast pace. Scenes go on for too long where there is nothing but dialog to carry them. Action scenes are shorter and leave the film feeling a bit out of balance.

The print I watched was in black and white, a little soft in the focus and too dark. Such a shame too. I would have liked to have seen clear color footage of Rhonda Fleming rising out of the ocean surf in a clinging dress. Also the ending copyright date was 1942. So either the date on this site is wrong or the film was held back from release for five years.

Sam Newfield, here working under the nom de plume of Peter Stewart, actually has a good cast and decent script this time out. All those involved acquit themselves well. For any of you familiar with Mr. Newfield, who'd shoot a movie in 3 days and frequently have lots of people standing around talking for indefinite periods of time, this is a welcome surprise. The film moves fast, the actors are all good (OK, Rory Calhoun is a little stiff, but he's the good guy, so get over it)and there's actually some character development (former drunk skipper Kelly who finds redemption). They don't get to the island of the title till two-thirds of the way through, but that won't bother you. Alan Napier then appears and steals the show in a sinister performance. It's a lot of fun and doesn't betray its low budget origins.