Hell Ship Mutiny

If 1957's "Hell Ship Mutiny" looks like three TV pilots strung together (and with two directors listed) that's because that's exactly what it is, a 1955 unsold series titled KNIGHT OF THE SOUTH SEAS. Jon Hall, his acting career winding down (just two more features ahead), his recent TV series RAMAR OF THE JUNGLE now past, actually helped build up his father's acting career, as Swiss-born Felix Locher went on to do "Curse of the Faceless Man," "Frankenstein's Daughter," "House of the Damned," and STAR TREK's "The Deadly Years." Having opposed each other in "The Hurricane" and "The Invisible Man's Revenge," Hall and John Carradine are nearly the whole show in these poverty stricken circumstances, until Peter Lorre joins them in the third act, as a corrupt French commissioner whose interest in pearls almost equals Carradine's. Still looking fit and trim at 42, Jon Hall makes for a stolid hero, this vehicle designed to show off his underwater cinematography (his production company named after his grandmother Lovina), but its shipboard intrigues remain claustrophobically studio bound, the final battle beneath the sea rendered an unwatchable bore (the multi expensive James Bond film "Thunderball" encountered the same problem). Lorre as usual is underused but amusing, so it's up to the mustachioed Carradine to carry the perfunctory villainy; you can't be very effective if a tired Jon Hall can defeat you three times in the course of a 66 minute excuse for a feature. Carradine had previously crossed swords with Peter Coe in 1944's "House of Frankenstein," going back to the old contract days at 20th Century-Fox with Peter Lorre, equally memorable as hobos in "I'll Give a Million" (together again even in Lorre's last film, 1964's "The Patsy").

This film essentially begins with a man by the name of "Captain Jim Knight" (Jon Hall) sailing his cargo ship to a small island somewhere in the South Pacific. With him is are two crewmembers named "Roxy" (Stanley Adams) and "Tula" (Charles Mauu) along with a passenger by the name of "King Parea" (Felix Locher) who is the tribal chieftain of that particular island. Unfortunately, once they arrive there, rather than being greeted by the natives in a friendly manner, they encounter several men with guns who have enslaved the local populace and are using them to dive for pearls in extremely dangerous waters. That said, having now captured Captain Knight, they intend on using him for the same purpose. What they don't realize, however, is just how resourceful Captain Knight can be-and that is their first mistake. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was a rather lackluster adventure film which, from what I understand, was initially intended as a television series. To that effect, when the pilot was not picked up by any of the television networks, it was converted into a motion picture and released to American theaters instead. All things considered, although I don't consider this to be a good movie necessarily, it wasn't' terribly bad either, and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.

Jon Hall, who starred in several exotic adventure-romances with Dorothy Lamour and Maria Montez in the thirties and forties, seems to have had a dual purpose in making this rather retro sarong film. One was to promote his new underwater movie equipment rental business (the plot provides for lots of shots of Jon and friends diving for pearls, engaging in underwater tussles, looking at fishies, etc.) The other was to express a love that dared not speak its name, at least to Dorothy or Maria. The lumpish Polynesian princess that's Jon's nominal love interest appears to take second place in his affections to a puckish little brown boy in an abbreviated pareu, and there's a lot more buff male bodies on display on his island paradise than the expected female ones. As ever, however, the cutest item on display is Peter Lorre, in an all too brief comic turn as a visiting colonial circuit judge.

Back in the early to mid 1940s, Jon Hall was a very handsome leading man who made some wonderful escapist films for Universal Studios, such as "Cobra Woman", "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" and "The Hurricane". However, by the 1950s, Hall was no longer much of a box office draw and contented himself to work for some third-rate studios. In this case, "Hell Ship Mutiny", he made it for the minuscule Lovina Productions!

When the film begins, Captain Knight (Hall) arrives on an island only to discover that all the locals have been taken prisoner and are being used as slaves to do some incredibly deep dives for pears. Many of the folks die as a result and the evil Malone (John Carradine) couldn't care less. Fortunately, the Captain is able to escape and ends up taking these jerks prisoner. What ISN'T so fortunate is that after taking them aboard the ship so that he can take them to prison, they break loose and commandeer the ship. Can the Captain break free once again and save himself and the crew from these thugs? And, if he does, will his problems be over or will a new one be waiting for him when he lands the boat?

You know a film isn't all it's cracked up to be when the Captain has a pet chimp named 'Salty'. Salty's adorable in his little sailor costume but really unnecessary and silly. But the rest of the film isn't terrible. It's not really good because the writer had the baddies escape THREE times...and I would have just thought the Captain would have killed them before this! Not terrible as a time- passer but not much more. And certainly NOTHING like Hall's films with Universal.

And very short too, maybe too short for such a good B movie where I would like to see Maria Montez besides Jon Hall. Good pace, tense and a very good and solid story where Jon Hall shines as much as ten years earlier with his pal Maria Montez. It could have been a very good longer feature. Don't confound it with Edward Dmytryk's MUTINY, also an excellent B picture. Full of action and very few talks it will please many movie goers. One of the best from the lame director Lee Sholem who has never shined in his career. Do not miss this little film if you have the opportunity to purchase it. It is worth.