Rainbow Island

RAINBOW ISLAND only existed on the Paramount lot and it was concocted to please kids and young adults with its story of three sailors (EDDIE BRACKEN, GIL LAMB, BARRY SULLIVAN) who land on a South Seas island populated by natives and a sarong wearing DOROTHY LAMOUR. They're delighted to be there until the natives realize that Bracken resembles the high man on their totem pole--and they decide to worship him unless he shows normal appetites that are not Godly.

That's the thrust of the plot. Bracken makes the most of a well written comic role, and Lamour looks lovely when she sings a song called "Beloved" and is romanced by Barry Sullivan. With all of the idol worship going on, you just know that the Gods are going to be angry when Bracken is revealed as mortal and there's liable to be an eruption from that lively volcano.

It's all very fetching to look at in brilliant Technicolor and there are plenty of amusing gags along the way. Only thing missing is Bob Hope and Bing Crosby--but Bracken and Lamb do pretty well in the laugh department.

Strictly escapism fluff.

I, too, first saw it in theaters as a kid. To a kid: the most exciting thing about a (duh!) musical is the action! In one scene, while the pilots are trying to get off the isolated island on which they crashed, one is nearly swallowed by a flesh-eating plant that looked more like a giant artichoke. Cool! Then their ingenuity (didn't know what the word meant when I was a kid) came up as they captured a Japanese plane that had landed there. To turn the "Zero" red ball of the Japanese flag into an Army Air Corps U.S. star, they used plant dies to paint it on the wings. Unfortunately, as they flew near a U.S. flattop, a sudden tropical rain came up and washed away the "star" pattern, leaving the original "Zero". The ship began to fire at them !!!

Curious -- those are the scenes that I recall, too. What I remember, in particular, was the vivid color! But then, that was only 60 years ago. Another movie that I remember from that time (ca 1943) was a combat documentary, "The Fighting Lady," about a US carrier in Japanese waters.

It was released as a DVD in 2001. According to the descriptive material: "See the ship and its pilots undergo their baptism of fire, -- Kwajalein, Truk, and the Marianas Turkey Shoot." The film is quite educational -- and not simply a wartime motivational piece. It, too, is in striking color.

Interested viewers may want to check it out (the same time frame and roughly covering the same historical interval) simply to compare it to the fictitious and humorous "Rainbow Island."

I am working from a very vague and indistinct childhood memory of a film which I think is Rainbow Island, but cannot be certain. My most vivid memory of this film, which I recall as being in technicolor and having a large number of native-type people in it, is of a kind of idol which was worshipped by the natives and had a curious expression on its face - the most distinct feature being an underlip that stuck out. If I recall the scene correctly, the natives never looked at this idol, believing that it caused death. Eddie Bracken (if it was he), not knowing of this custom looked at the idol and found himself assuming the same expression of face, complete with protruding underlip. On seeing this, the natives began to worship him instead of the idol. Was I watching Rainbow Island? Or was it a different film altogether? Does anyone know?

I was six years old when I first saw this movie in the 40's. Over a period of six months, I saw it 8 times. In the 70's, I happened to catch the last half of the movie on TV as part of a Late/Late Show so I know it's not lost. I don't think it ever came out on VHS but I search the data bases from time to time. I would love to have this movie. In it's time, I think it was one of the best and was enjoyed by both kids and adults.