Double Crossbones

"You stand on one edge of this cloth, and I on the other" is amusing ( won't spoil it for you ) & there are quite a few other amusing moments that make this worth watching.

Unfortunately there are also many other gags that do not work that were left in & the storyline becomes ridiculous at times which then takes away from the comedy & story.

In order for great comedy to work best the basic story has to be very serious & make enough sense to the viewers to keep you engaged in the story ( suspension of disbelief ) then when the good comedy comes it comes across that much more funnier especially if you catches you off guard.

I personally enjoy pirate movies so feel this was worth watching once, but won't be looking to add it to my movie collection ( as only films worth watching again do I buy ).

The actor who plays the butler in TV's popular show "Batman" ( Adam West TV series that is ) is in this film, as see if you can spot him ( you may recognise others too ).

Swashbuckling comedy, not as bad as I had anticipated but clearly no more than a footnote within the annals of this colorful action genre (here in its heyday). Donald O'Connor is an amiable and undeniably energetic lead (obviously, he gets to sing and dance too) – playing a shop-keeper's assistant who wants to make good for love of heroine Helena Carter. She, however, is coveted by her much older guardian…who also happens to be the (actually treacherous) Governor of the colony in which events are set.

Immediately falling foul of pirate Charles McGraw, O'Connor eventually finds himself serving under him – after he, his pal and their employer are accused (by none other than the Governor himself) of accepting and selling stolen goods. The villain, in fact, is in cahoots with a society of legendary pirates comprising Sir Henry Morgan, Blackbeard, Ann Bonney (Anne Of The Indies – whose story, incidentally, was being told contemporaneously in a much more satisfying film by that title), Captain Kidd, etc.; apparently, this Governor's so mean that even they are no more than his mere underlings!

Anyway, O'Connor eventually captures a ship practically single-handed (and sets free the convicts within, among them James Arness, on their way to Debtors' Prison), which wins him the moniker "Bloodthirsty Dave" and – naturally – a place in the pirate brotherhood. Recognizing the Governor's right-hand man as the courier of his message to them, the hero realizes the statesman's dual nature and determines to meet Carter in order to stop her impending marriage (she had earlier shunned O'Connor for his own buccaneering activity!).

This he does by impersonating a foppish aristocrat at a ball (whose presence causes a snobbish lady to enquire "Who is that weird creature?"), though his ruse is discovered soon after and lands him once again in jail. Needless to say, everything comes out right by the end: the villain receives his come-uppance after engaging in a fencing duel with O'Connor on a ship's mast, hero and heroine marry, and the pirates – given a royal pardon – turn respectable…or do they?

I can't understand how anyone about to watch this movie, knowing it stars Donald O'Connor, can be surprised to discover that it's funny, lighthearted, and contains some dancing.

I was thoroughly delighted each time I watched it. Besides the fantastic, under-appreciated Donald O'Connor, the cast includes Will Geer (Grandpa Walton), as well as many other actors fans of classic movies and TV will recognize, by sight if not by name. The plot is no more far-fetched than any other pirate movie, and the acting is very good.

If you want to watch a serious pirate movie, by all means put in "Captain Blood." But if you're looking for some upbeat entertainment, I heartily recommend "Double Crossbones."

Double Crossbones finds Donald O'Connor as a poor shop apprentice who finds himself nabbed for piracy quite innocently. But before the film's over, O'Connor is the greatest buccaneer of them all, Bloodthirsty Dave.

During the course of his incarceration O'Connor learns that the shop that he and Will Geer worked at was a front for the selling of pirate loot and the guy behind the piracy none other than the governor of the Carolinas, John Emery. In fact Emery has all the pirates of legend that you can name, Henry Morgan, Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, and the famous female pirate Anne Bonney all working for him. And he's getting the best of the deal. They clearly need a better deal and O'Connor puts himself forth as the guy to give it to them. And incidentally win the heart of the beautiful Helena Carter who is Emery's fiancé.

As she usually does, Hope Emerson as Anne Bonney steals the film when she's in it. As Donald O'Connor says, she's best man of the lot of them.

Double Crossbones is a nice satire of pirate movies and O'Connor does fine in the title role. But this seemed to be a film crying for Danny Kaye and I wouldn't be surprised if he was originally offered the lead.

Double Crossbones is directed by Charles Barton and written by Oscar Brodney. It stars Donald O'Connor, Helena Carter, Will Geer, John Emery, Charles McGraw, Hope Emerson and Morgan Farley. Music is by Frank Skinner and cinematography by Maury Gertsman.

Davey Crandall (O'Connor) and friend Tom Botts (Geer) are falsely accused by the corrupt Governor Elden of Charleston (Emery) of fencing stolen pirate booty. Bluffing their way onto the ship of local buccaneer Capt. Ben Wickett (McGraw), the pair soon become embroiled in piracy purely by accident and then have to pretend they are in fact pirates just to prove their innocence!

Nothing to dislike here, it does exactly what it promises to do, it's avast yee frothy merriment with a little song and dance routine thrown in for good measure. It's comedy satire on the seven seas where everybody seems to be having great fun. There's treachery and trickery, a gorgeous dame to be spared from the villain's plans and a splendid narrative set up that puts all the famed pirates of Tortuga in one "brotherhood" meeting room.

O'Connor comes off as a poor version of Danny Kaye, but he is an amiable lead here, with energy unbound and a quip on the lips he makes the most of the standard screenplay. The production design is mightily handsome and Gertsman's Technicolor photography is quite simply stunning. Support cast list is impressive, with McGraw (sadly not in it enough) and Emerson (stealing the film) the highlights.

It's all very playful and colourful and not intended for deeper dissection, accept it on its own frothy terms and it becomes a fun 75 minutes of film. 6.5/10