Double Crossbones

Double Crossbones finds Donald O'Connor as a poor shop apprentice who finds himself nabbed for piracy quite innocently. But before the film's over, O'Connor is the greatest buccaneer of them all, Bloodthirsty Dave.

During the course of his incarceration O'Connor learns that the shop that he and Will Geer worked at was a front for the selling of pirate loot and the guy behind the piracy none other than the governor of the Carolinas, John Emery. In fact Emery has all the pirates of legend that you can name, Henry Morgan, Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, and the famous female pirate Anne Bonney all working for him. And he's getting the best of the deal. They clearly need a better deal and O'Connor puts himself forth as the guy to give it to them. And incidentally win the heart of the beautiful Helena Carter who is Emery's fiancé.

As she usually does, Hope Emerson as Anne Bonney steals the film when she's in it. As Donald O'Connor says, she's best man of the lot of them.

Double Crossbones is a nice satire of pirate movies and O'Connor does fine in the title role. But this seemed to be a film crying for Danny Kaye and I wouldn't be surprised if he was originally offered the lead.

In colonial Carolinas, Davey Crandall (Donald O'Connor) is a shopkeeper's apprentice. He and the governor's ward Lady Sylvia Copeland (Helena Carter) are in love. The governor intends to pair her off with an English lord. Davey intends to get his own ship to be worthy of her hand. He inadvertently uncovers the governor's dirty dealing. He and his friend Tom Botts and the shopkeeper are all arrested. He and Tom manage to escape. They accidentally steal a ship and he becomes known as a pirate called Bloodthirsty Dave.

This is supposed to be a comedy although IMDB does not list it as such. I get it. I didn't laugh. Comedy can get dated and become unfunny. I don't think that this is the case here. Davey needs to be dumber and maybe the comedy could be funnier.

A very strange movie featuring Donald O'Connor as a pirate-by-mistake who sings, dances and farces his way out of trouble to win the hand of comely Helena Carter. Notable for an outstanding supporting cast of players including Charles McGraw, Hope Emerson- a fearsomely funny Amazonian female pirate- Will Geer, a young Jim Arness and many other familiar faces in glorious Technicolor.

I am intensely curious who came up with the idea for this film and successfully got it funded and made by Universal-International. Whoever contrived and made the pitch could have sold the Brooklyn Bridge several times over.

An odd attempt that doesn't work due to an over talky, gimmicky script that simply isn't very funny. Director Charles Barton had better luck with Abbott and Costello. Handsome production design and earnest performances just don't click, but how can one resist Charlie McGraw and Hope Emerson in pirate mufti toasting their collective health and prosperity?!

Through a strange series of circumstances a menual, inoffensive shop assistant (Donald O'Connor) becomes feared as a pirate called "Bloodthirsty Dave."

A few familiar faces show up (mostly rising talent) but O'Connor is the only bona fide movie star in sight. He lacks the insoucuant edge he'd later adopt in "Singin' in the Rain" but he's likeable enough.

It seems to be an attempt to turn O'Connor into the next Danny Kaye, especially in the one song in the piece, performed by O'Connor in a tavern early on. The movie's not really a musical and it could use a few songs and dancing. As it is, O'Connor's atheletic body is impressive, little though it is.

The comedy is in the mode of Danny Kaye and Bob Hope (without their overplayed cowardice). Though in his upper twenties, O'Connor looks barely out of adolescence.

Lots of light-hearted adventure crammed into a movie that certainly doesn't overstay its welcome. A fun time for anyone who isn't too demanding.

Double Crossbones is directed by Charles Barton and written by Oscar Brodney. It stars Donald O'Connor, Helena Carter, Will Geer, John Emery, Charles McGraw, Hope Emerson and Morgan Farley. Music is by Frank Skinner and cinematography by Maury Gertsman.

Davey Crandall (O'Connor) and friend Tom Botts (Geer) are falsely accused by the corrupt Governor Elden of Charleston (Emery) of fencing stolen pirate booty. Bluffing their way onto the ship of local buccaneer Capt. Ben Wickett (McGraw), the pair soon become embroiled in piracy purely by accident and then have to pretend they are in fact pirates just to prove their innocence!

Nothing to dislike here, it does exactly what it promises to do, it's avast yee frothy merriment with a little song and dance routine thrown in for good measure. It's comedy satire on the seven seas where everybody seems to be having great fun. There's treachery and trickery, a gorgeous dame to be spared from the villain's plans and a splendid narrative set up that puts all the famed pirates of Tortuga in one "brotherhood" meeting room.

O'Connor comes off as a poor version of Danny Kaye, but he is an amiable lead here, with energy unbound and a quip on the lips he makes the most of the standard screenplay. The production design is mightily handsome and Gertsman's Technicolor photography is quite simply stunning. Support cast list is impressive, with McGraw (sadly not in it enough) and Emerson (stealing the film) the highlights.

It's all very playful and colourful and not intended for deeper dissection, accept it on its own frothy terms and it becomes a fun 75 minutes of film. 6.5/10