A sud di Pago Pago

Edward Small took director Alfred E. Green's cast and crew - an uncommonly attractive and brilliant assemblage - to the south seas to do the majority of this curiously undersung piece on location. Far less stylized/dated than Goldwyn's THE HURRICANE, it is admittedly riddled with cliches and formula, but packaged in such visual and technical excellence it scarcely matters.

There are scenes that will stop the heart. Chiseled adonis Jon Hall and porcelain idol Frances Farmer outlined in profile(s) against the steaming background volcano take the romantic closeup to a level that defies comparison.

Edward Small's films typically were strings of frames any one of which was an individual work of art in itself. What can one say but that with this one he outdid even himself, as did workhorse composer Edward Ward on song and score, some years prior to his work on Universal's stunning PHANTOM OF THE OPERA?

This movie was an attempt to imitate the success of "The Hurricane" which was made three years earlier also starring Jon Hall as a Tarzan- like South Pacific Islander. Unfortunately, South of Pago Pago was NOT directed by John Ford and it showed.

The script is very predictable, the characters are one-dimensional and the acting varies from wooden to hammy. Whereas "The Hurricane" was able to develop a real insight into the soul of the islanders and their way of life, "South of Pago Pago" portrays them too simplistically to ever really identify with.

Please watch "The Hurricane" instead.

SOUTH OF PAGO PAGO (United Artists, 1940), an Edward Small Presentation, directed by Alfred E. Green, is a South Seas adventure tale starring Victor McLaglen, Jon Hall and Frances Farmer in the leads. As much as this movie might have started a trend of other South Seas adventures that were common ground during the 1940s, with many produced in lavish Technicolor, this is not the first of this cycle. In 1937 alone, Jon Hall got his first big break in a leading role opposite sarong girl Dorothy Lamour in THE HURRICANE (Samuel Goldwyn) while Frances Farmer was featured in a Technicolor adventure of EBB TIDE (Paramount), based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. Three years later, their paths would meet for this black and white adventure tale with enough island scenery that might have been more effective had it been produced in Technicolor.

Opening title: "This is a story of days not so long ago, when Singapore spawned a race of steel-fisted, iron-jawed adventurers, who lived happy, fought hard and died hard - as they ravaged unknown seas, lured by the priceless lusture of virgin pearls." Opening in Shanghai, China, at the Tingle Tangle Café, hostess Ruby Taylor (Frances Farmer) meets with Portuguese sailor, Manuel Forro (Abner Biberman) with news about rich pearl beds that can be found off the shores of Manoa. This news reaches Ruby's friends, Captain Bucko Larson (Victor McLaglen) and his first mate, Williams (Douglass Dumbrille), who invite both Ruby and Manuel aboard their steamer, the L.A. Dessa, bound for the island south of Pago Pago. Before reaching Manoa, Manuel, who's upset about being cheated of his promised share, is thrown overboard to the sharks by Bucko. Greeted by the natives, the crew is met by Kehase (Jon Hall), son of the island chief (Pedro De Cordoba). Although loved by Malia (Olympe Branda) since childhood, Kehase takes an immediate interest in Ruby, a beautiful white woman. Also on the island is Mr. Lindsay (Gene Lockhart), a white man who's been living among the natives for nine years, is not please by the presence by these visitors, which may mean trouble for his happy paradise. His instincts are correct. As the native boys dive for pearls, danger lurks for some, leading to certain deaths or injuries. Kehase insists the pearl diving must stop. Not wanting to leave the island with just twelve pearls to their name, Bucko uses Ruby to lure Kehase away, even to a point of marrying him and honeymooning on the island of Tua Tua. With Kehase temporarily out of the way, Bucko and his mates resume their greedy force amongst the native boys, risking their lives diving for more pearls and turning a once happy community into a fearful one. Also seen in the cast are: Francis Ford (Foster); Ben Weldon (Grimes); and Harry Woods (Black Mike Rafferty).

A South Seas tale that plays like a Saturday afternoon matinee is one that has done no harm in Jon Hall's movie career, considering a handful of similar adventures that would follow later on, especially those six over at Universal opposite the exotic Maria Montez. Hall does well as the island leader, but his accented manner of talking fails to come off convincingly. Aside from native drum playing and dancing, shipboard fights pearl diving dangers, the movie also contains off-screen chanting and singing to the title tune of "South of Pago Pago" by Chet Forrest, Bob Wright and Frank Loesser to round out the story. When Frances Farmer makes her first screen entrance in the cafe, her character, clothes and hairstyle strongly resemble that of her Lotta character from her breakthrough film, COME AND GET IT (1936). Once the story shifts towards the island of Manoa, she not only lets her hair down, figuratively, she appears slightly heavier in her physical appearance than before. Olympe Bradna, on loan from Paramount, makes a beautiful island girl. She even participates in a lively island dance with Jon Hall.

Not as well known as other films of this type, SOUTH OF PAGO PAGO did become available on VHS through VCI Home Video around 1998, and later onto DVD, assuring its rediscovery. Though cable television broadcasts are uncertain, it was once popular viewing on the late show or afternoon broadcasts during the 1960s and 1970s before taken out or circulation. Overlooking certain outdoor scenes that appear more indoor studio bound, with ordinary scripting, SOUTH OF PAGO PAGO moves swiftly during its 97 minutes of action and adventure. (*** pearls)

Around 80 years ago, I saw this film at our small town's only movie theater. I was eight years old, and a juvenile fan of movies that told simple stories involving high adventure, uncomplicated romance, easy identification of the good guys v. the bad ones and scenes that included underwater thrills. South of Pago Pago was such a film, and I found it to be very appealing and a fun experience to watch.

Recently, I had the opportunity to see it again on YouTube. Apparently, it is hard to find elsewhere. How does it now appear to someone in the twilight of life? It is still enjoyable. The good guys (and gal) are still positive role models and the bad guys are truly repulsive in an unrelenting sort of way. The acting seems natural, and the story of greedy men spoiling a native paradise until meeting their justly deserved fate is spun out in an easily understood way.

Olympe Bradna, who plays Jon Hall's girl friend, continues to remind me of Debra Paget as she has for many years. And Frances Farmer, whose real life involved a truly tragic story, is just as beautiful and stirring as she seemed to me so long ago. The underwater sequences are still exciting. The setting and costumes greatly add to the movie's appeal.

All in all, South of Pago Pago is a film that deserves to be objectively reconsidered by a new audience.

And how about the great movie trivia question that it poses. What do South of Pago Pago and The Jolson Story have in common? Give up? Same director!

When the film begins, an idiot sailor is way too talkative about some gigantic pearls he's found on a far off island. Now you'd THINK he'd keep this to himself...especially since he has found a captain and crew to take him back to where he got the pearls so that they can all become rich men. Instead, however, he's swayed by the blackhearted Captain Larson (Victor McLaglen) and his vicious femme fatale, Ruby (Frances Farmer). In fact, they are so evil that when they near the island with the pearls, they murder the poor sailor. Then, when they land, they behave like they love the locals and only want what's in their best interest. But when their pearl diving natives try to find pearls, all they find are tiny ones....making their trip a waste of time. But when they try diving in much deeper places, they hit pay dirt...gigantic pearls. But there is a major problem....it's so deep that the divers risk death and one does die from the bends. So, the local kahuna, Kehane (Jon Hall), orders the divers to stop. So, it's time for Ruby to use her sexy wiles and get Kehane to change his mind...and he does so because he's head over heels for this heel! What's next?

So is this any good? Well, it's pretty good...though it would have been nice if more parts had actually been played by Polynesian actors and if the sea battle late in the film hadn't been so cheesy. Jon Hall at least was in real life half-Tahitian....which makes this better than many similar films of the era. My assumption is that there just weren't that many Polynesian actors available on and around Catalina Island, California, where the film was made! As for the story, it's an interesting little parable about the evils of 'civilization' and its impact on innocents...and the impact this has on the scoundrels who invaded their paradise.

By the way, this film stars Frances Farmer, a woman whose life story, "Frances", is mostly fiction. She never was labotomized and much of the IMDB biography from her is based on a book that completely fabricated much of her life and experiences.