Down to Their Last Yacht

I'm not sure if this movie is bizarre, as several previous reviewers have claimed, or just a silly attempt to slap something together that will appeal to audiences after they have sat through whatever the main feature was.

For this must certainly have been made as the B movie for houses that showed double features.

Humor: Mary Boland is her usual funny self. Sterling Halloway, who could be funny, doesn't get much to work with.

Sex: You get to see lots of "native" men and women in skimpy outfits. For 1934, this could have been titillating. No one would have mistaken them for real "natives," however. Some of them sing with noticeably New York accents.

Music: The big production number near the end, the second-last number, is pleasant.

Production values: Some of the editing of that production number is interesting.

And there you have it. For 64 minutes, it's fine. Longer than that would have been too long for something so unsubstantial.

I can't imagine anyone would have paid money to see just this, without a better main feature.

If you're up for a challenge, definitely see RKO's 1934 bizarrefest DOWN TO THEIR LAST YACHT. You'll have self-inflicted dandruff from scratching your head by the time it's finished, I promise you. A family formerly of the social register hit the skids after the stock market crashes. All they have left is their 80 ft. yacht, which Polly Moran arranges for rental on behalf of skipper Ned Sparks. A boatful of nouveau rich (with the likes of Tom Kennedy, Maurice Black and Blanche Payson!!) set sail for the south seas. Stowaway Sidney Blackmer (watch out - he sings!!) pines for ingenue Sydney Fox, late of MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE. Sparks runs aground and the whole gang is captured by Queen Mary Boland and her butler (what else) Charles Coleman. The natives are seen lazily singing of love. The lead is none other than Felix "Tom Tom" Knight. Boland's native guards are armed with tommy guns. She threatens to kill them if Blackmer doesn't marry her. I won't give it all away, but there's more incredulity involving bombs, a radio-wired saxophone and Pooh himself Sterling Holloway.

Whether or not DOWN TO THEIR LAST YACHT was actually the financial disaster that legend has painted must be confirmed with documentation. While not a top drawer release, it was certainly big enough to warrant issuance of motion picture edition sheet music. Also, there are some pretty costly optical and miniature effects. But whatever its cost and subsequent receipts, there is no denying that the film is strange beyond comprehension. And for those who are inquisitive and indulgent of films off the beaten path, DOWN TO THEIR LAST YACHT is definitely worth 64 minutes of your time!

This movie is fantastic! Pour yourself a cocktail (and have more ready to pour) and sit back and be ready to laugh at what should be a camp classic. It's over the top, it's ridiculous, it's hilarious! The characters are completely over-the-top - it's like everyone's a drag queen. And it's a rarity in that it's a musical where everyone sings live on film. The highlight is Mary Boland, who you probably know as the Countess De Lave from The Women - she's even more hilarious in this.

A shipload of supposedly rich and connected folks runs aground in a strange kingdom populated with Hawaiians and white folks who have been dyed dark which are led by a ditsy American white lady who wears evening wear and a tiara. Supposedly these are Zulus--but the film and the island where it's set have nothing to do with South Africans. One anachronism after another occurs in this 'primitive' land--including natives who pack Thomson machine guns! Most of what happens on the island is a lot of nonsense.

"Down to Their Last Yacht" is a very unusual musical comedy for many reasons. First, it has no stars to anchor the movie--just various supporting players who didn't have the charisma and range to helm the project. So, while Mary Boland, Ned Sparks and Polly Moran COULD have been funny (they all have had some nice roles in support in other film comedies), there they have no one to act against and they simply are out of their league. Second, for a comedy, it seems to have an amazingly small amount of laughs. While the situations could have been funny, nothing was done to exploit the humorous aspects of the plot. Third, the music...UGGHH! Not only are the songs poor, but the voices are dreadful--and very dated. Considering that IMDb says the movie needed retakes, I assume that even in 1934 it was pretty bad and the studio was trying, in vain, to salvage the project. It all makes you wonder WHAT the folks at RKO were thinking when they made this film!! A real clunker!

Such a fun group -- Mary Boland (The Women), Ned Sparks (Bride Walks Out, Imitation of Life), Sterling Holloway, Sydney Blackmer. Too bad they couldn't have given that group a better script to work with, but here it is. As the title suggests, the family is quickly running out of cash, so they rent out their "last yacht" for a big cruise to the upper crust. The script starts out with a plausible story, but goes silly about halfway through, and i'm also not a fan of all those musical song-and-dance numbers. Ned Sparks is his usual awesome self, with his slow, dry, sarcastic statements, as the captain. When the ship runs aground, they have to deal with "Queenie" (Boland), who pretty much carries the second half of the film, with her musings and wisecracks. and that final song and dance number... it just goes on for-everrrrrrrr! this one is just campy and silly enough to be fun, but the story line goes off the rails, for sure. fun, if just for the historical value. Directed by Paul Sloane, who had been around since the EARLY days of silents. It's watchable, and has two of my favorite character actors... Boland and Sparks! Check it out! it's fun and upbeat.