The Boy and the Pirates

This is another film that was regularly shown on the Chicago-area television program "Family Classics," remembered fondly on other posted for other films ("Snowfire" and "Journey to the Beginning of Time," to name a couple.) I am certain that re-watching it at my age would be a real mistake; even though it makes the occasional TCM appearance, I think I'll pass on it. But when I was six, boy, what a film! I looked forward to it every year. The old WGN, in it's pre-superstation days, was a haven for fans of movies, classic and otherwise, between Frazier Thomas's "Family Classics," the Saturday night "Creature Features," and the Sunday night "When Movies Were Movies." Those were the days when local programming was important. I am thankful to WGN TV for filling my childhood fantasies with these films. For now, Though, with this particular film, I'll let sleeping dogs lie.

Cute 12 year old Charles Herbert stars in this kiddie movie about a boy who dreams of being a pirate. To get him away from his hum-drum life of school, chores, and nagging parents. O to be free like the pirates, and do what a boy wants!

Walking on the Massachusetts shore, little Jimmy (Herbert) finds a genie in a bottle. The genie makes his dream come true. But the boy finds out to his dismay that the life of a pirate is not what he thought it would be. And he longs for home.

Lots of boyish adventure. Blackbeard, and sloops, and man-o-wars, treasure chests, rum and adventures.

The cute Herbert made many movies and also starred in "Houseboat" as the little son to Sophia Loren as his stepmother. See also "Don't Eat the Daisies" also made in 1960 when the lad was 12. Such a comely lad, he should have gone on to other movies but seems to have vanished into high school obscurity. Pity, he was such a cute boy.

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.

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.

A young boy (Charles Herbert) is magically transported back in time to a pirate ship on the high seas.

I have something of a fondness for Bert Gordon. While his films are hit and miss, probably more miss, and often cheesy, he does hail from Kenosha, Wisconsin and attended UW-Madison. So I like to consider him a kindred spirit, even if we have never met.

This is actually among his better films, though not one of the more well-known. Of course, he may be best known for the films that appeared on "Mystery Science Theater", so that would tend to skew how people see him. Here the plot, effects and even the scenery and costumes are good. The story seems to be a kid's adventure but is dark enough that people of all ages may appreciate it.

Shockingly, no monsters! And no large animals (though we do have a genie who appears very small, so at least we have that).