L'isola delle vergini

Frank Tuttle who was a contract director at Paramount and most famous for This Gun For Hire ended his directorial career on a sad note. A blacklist victim, Tuttle's last film was Island Of Lost Women. It should be added that their dad was with them.

In fact Alan Napier who is the dad is responsible for building an island paradise for his three daughters who since the mid 40s have been growing up and filling out quite nicely. The daughters are Venetia Stevenson, Diane Jergens, and June Blair. Like Anne Francis in Forbidden Planet they've been educated in a lot of areas except the facts of life, no avenues for practical experience and home work.

Into their lives come Jeff Richards and John Smith, a pair of healthy American males who get themselves lost when their plane conks out and they land on the beach. Even with those three girls for company, Alan Napier doesn't want them around. Napier was a nuclear scientist who saw the world destructing itself and he was going to get away from it all. He's even developed workable and practical solar energy and what we wouldn't give to have that about now.

The story was kind of dumb even a smart guy like Napier couldn't keep those daughters of his from getting curious about the world. Special effects were laughable, especially with Jeff Richards knife in hand wrestling with a rubber shark.

Paradise does come to an end in Island Of Lost Women and not to soon.

Let's see, now, this movie provides us with two hunky men who crash land their plane on an uncharted island in the South Pacific inhabited by three beautiful young women. Do you think, just maybe, someone could come up with a plot making effective use of these ingredients? ("Forbidden Planet" did!)

Amazingly enough, the temptingly-titled "Island of Lost Women" fails to do so. The characters simply stand around, looking attractive, while waiting for something in the way of a real plot to arrive. It never quite does, but even though the movie "blows" a seemingly sure-fire set-up, it's easy to watch, has a certain naive charm, and -- despite the erotic possibilities -- is suitable viewing for all ages.

Because of its blank, empty quality, viewers can project all sorts of interpretations onto the proceedings. Some may note, for instance, that though they're in the company of three nubile females, neither of the two men makes any sexual advances toward them, aside from a bit of kissing and hand-holding. Indeed, the men spend a lot of time together, reminiscing about their "friendship" and finding ample opportunities to take their shirts off. (Joe even gets a chance to apply lotion to Mark's bare back.) Neither man mentions a "significant other" back home. And while the women wear decidedly modest swimming attire, the men get to slip into swim trunks which are snug enough to bulge in all the right places.

The trio of actresses in "Lost Women" came and went without making a ripple but the two actors had careers with a bit of substance. Jeff Richards hovered at the fringes of stardom in the 1950s with a number of films to his credit, including "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," but never became more than just "promising." By the time "The Island of Lost Women" went into release, his career had clearly begun to fade. John Smith, on the other hand, never made much of an impact in the movies but he did achieve a small measure of success in the "Laramie" series on TV. One wonders if they were cast in this movie because they were such opposite physical types. Richards has black hair and a hairy chest, while Smith is blond with a chest as smooth as a baby's bottom.

Two men are forced to crash-land their plane on an uncharted island in the Pacific. They soon discover an atomic scientist and his three pretty daughters live on the island. The three girls have never seen a man besides their father. To say they're excited would be an understatement. When the men threaten to expose the scientist upon returning to civilization, he takes steps to ensure they never leave the island.

Weak film that bears a few similarities to Forbidden Planet but, make no mistake, this cheapie isn't in that film's league. Jeff Richards and John Smith are the bland leads. Alan Napier is good as the scientist, easily the meatiest part in the movie. Venetia Stevenson, Diane Jergens, and former Playmate June Blair are the girls. All three are nice to look at but ultimately forgettable. I admit I was rooting for Napier in this one. The 'good guys' were pushy jerks. Richards wants to force the scientist to go back and build more bombs, even if that's not what Napier wants. The only reason Napier decides to prevent their leaving is because Richards threatens him. So I had a fundamental problem with the premise and found the protagonists unlikable. Also nothing much happens that's exciting. There's no real action, like most movies of this type. Usually there are wild animals or monsters to fight off. But not here. It's all pretty dull without even the obligatory camp value these things usually have.

With a title like "Island of Lost Women", this has to be a B movie. But the cheesy melodrama one would expect from such a title is absent.

Two men have to make an emergency landing on an unknown island, where they discover a scientist and his three beautiful daughters. The girls have never seen another man before and they are intrigued by any information about the outside world.

The two men want to leave the island, because they have lives to recover. The three girls want the men to spend time with them. The scientist only knows he wants his island to remain an unspoiled secret.

The dialogue is very straightforward. This allows the viewer to concentrate on the motivations of the characters, without the usual overacting. Most of the conversations center around ideas, not passion. But the film never takes advantage of that. Instead--like there's a clock ticking down the running time--the plot wraps up in an improbable way.

The cast is interesting, if not celebrated. In their combined filmographies, these actors weave in and out of the lives and professions of numerous celebrities. If only this script had given them more to work with. The final result is somewhat pleasant, if short and simple.

"Island of Lost Women" is a bit silly...I won't deny that. But, surprisingly, it's very watchable and entertaining.

The story begins with a TV newsman and his pilot flying from the USA to Australia. The plane begins having engine problems and is in the middle of the Pacific and they appear to be totally screwed. However, a lone island is ahead and they'll try to land there. But then something weird happens....a loud voice booms out (not over the radio) telling them NOT to land...or else. Well, considering they either land or die, the plane, naturally, lands.

Upon landing, they are met by an odd older man (Alan Napier) and his three very sexy daughters. It seems long ago, the man and his now deceased wife left civilization and moved to this island....and the guy has created a neat futuristic cave-home. Eventually, they realize the guy is the famed Professor Lujan...a man who is a top atomic researcher who disappeared years ago. The Professor begs the men to keep his location a secret...but the newsman insists that not only will he leave the island but he'll report about everything he's seen! What a jerk!! In response, the Professor uses his cool flamethrower pistol to destroy the plane and stand them there. Now his hot to trot daughters don't mind this at all...they LIKE the two guys and want them to stay. But this island paradise is about to have bad things happen...see the film to see what's next.

While the film is cheap and a bit cheesy, it is entertaining...and the pretty women make viewing even easier. Overall, a decent film...made a bit better by Napier's excellent (as usual) acting.

By the way, the film seems to portray the Professor as a bit of a jerk. But I felt the opposite...the guy deserved his privacy and the reporter was the jerk. See the film...see if you agree.