The Boy and the Pirates

I well remember this film, seeing it in the movie theater when I was 12 years old. But viewing it now I wonder how producer/director Bert Gordon could credit himself with an original script. It's so obviously borrowed from A Connecticut Yankee in the Court of King Arthur. I guess since Mark Twain was long dead they didn't have to credit him.

Charles Herbert is having a lot of issues at home and school because of his obsession with pirates. Finding a lost bottle washed up from the sea, he makes a wish to be a pirate with Blackbeard and the genie Joseph Turkel makes it happen. Turkel also says unless that bottle is returned to the exact spot he found it, Herbert takes his place in the bottle.

On board ship Herbert becomes cabin boy and meets Blackbeard himself played by the always menacing Murvyn Vye who curiously enough was Bing Crosby's adversary Merlin in A Connecticut Yankee In The Court Of King Arthur. Archie Duncan, Timothy Carey, and Paul Guilfoyle play other pirate types.

Then there's Susan Gordon who was also the producer's daughter who Herbert rescues from a plundered Dutch ship and who looks strangely enough like the girl next door back in modern times.

Herbert and Gordon are a nice pair of youthful leads and Gordon certainly was a pretty thing back in the day. The Boy And The Pirates holds up well as a nice piece of children's entertainment with or without deserved credit to Mark Twain.

Keep in mind this film was released in 1960 and the target audience were families, especially young boys and girls who had an innate fear of Pirates and/or Indians. At my now senior citizen age I was bored very early with young Jimmy but when I saw the fearful pirate Morgan (Timothy Carey) my boyhood fear was brought to the forefront.

If you enjoyed The Boy and the Pirates I suggest you try and catch the subsequent 1961 Ray Harryhausen's Mysterious Island. Ray Harryhausen's classic visual effects lead the way for many a fine adventure films that followed which is why I have to give some credit to The Boy and the Pirates which led the way for many a great adventure films to follow.

I give it a decent 5 out of 10 IMDb rating but it is meant for children between the ages of 5 and 15.

THE BOY AND THE PIRATES is atypical fare from Mr B. I. G., aka Burt I. Gordon, best known for his back-projected creature features featuring blown-up critters running rampage in the streets of America. This kiddie film is much more genteel and involves the adventures of a precocious boy who discovers a genie on the shore (said genie is played by Joe Turkel, recognisable as the sinister bartender in THE SHINING). Pretty soon his wish to become a pirate comes true, and the rest of the film charts his adventures on a pirate ship alongside Blackbeard. This is simple stuff for sure, colourful and vibrant and resolutely shallow from beginning to end. It's nowhere near on par with THE MAGIC SWORD, but it passes the time.

The Boy and the Pirates (1960)

** (out of 4)

Bert I. Gordon stepped away from the giant insects long enough to direct this children's film about a young Jimmy Warren (Charles Herbert) who is in trouble by his parents because all he does is think about the days of the pirates. After coming across a genie, the boy is transported back to when Blackbeard (Murvyn Vye) ruled the sea and the boy gets to see what it was really like. THE BOY AND THE PIRATES is innocent enough and there are a few good things about it but I think most adults are going to have trouble staying awake through it. I'll start off with the good stuff, which includes some decent special effects considering some of the director's earlier films and not to mention that the budget here isn't that big. I also thought we got some nice supporting performances including Vye as Blackbeard and Paul Guilfoyle who plays a pirate who befriends the children. The director's daughter Susan Gordon actually steals the show in a dual role as Jimmy's friend. Even Joe Turkel isn't too bad as the genie. I think Herbert wasn't all that interesting in the lead so his performance certainly brings the film down a notch or two. Another problem is that there's really just not enough energy to carry the film and its rather short running time. There are quite a few pirate battles but none of them are so exciting to the point where you're having a great time. Instead, they get the job done to just barely keep you awake. I think the darker moments of the film (the kids constantly being threatened) really don't mix too well with some of the lighter humor (the bubblegum getting in the pirate's food) but these scenes on their own are quite effective.

This film begins with a young boy by the name of "Jimmy Warren" (Charles Herbert) playing on what's left of an old ship that crashed upon the coast near his small town in Massachusetts. Upon gazing out into the ocean he just happens to spot a bottle that drifts on the beach and while handling it wishes he could be aboard a pirate ship. Suddenly a genie named "Adu" (Joseph Turkel) pops out and immediately grants his wish. The next thing Jimmy knows is that he is surrounded by pirates and subsequently forced to work for "Captain Blackbeard" (Murvyn Vye) as his personal cabin boy. To make matters even worse, Abu then tells him that unless he can return the bottle within 3 days to the exact spot in which he found it he will be forced to take Abu's place and live in the same bottle for the next two thousand years. From that point on Jimmy tries his best to get the pirate ship to change course and head back to Massachusetts but the only problem is that Abu is doing everything possible to prevent it. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an okay adventure film which was essentially produced for younger viewers. As such the action, scripts and special effects were toned down to accommodate that particular audience. Even so this wasn't a bad film by any means and I have rated it accordingly. Average.