User reviews

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.

"Joe Walker" (John Smith) is a pilot who is flying a radio commentator named "Mark Bradley" (Jeff Richards) to a conference in Australia. Unfortunately, a typhoon blows them off course and when one engine goes out they decide to land the airplane close to a nearby island. Upon landing they are greeted by a man who only wants to be known as "Mr. Paul" (Alan Napier) and his three lovely daughters, "Mercuria" (June Blair), Venus (Venetia Stevenson) and "Urana" (Diane Jergens). Although Mr. Paul initially wants them to leave he changes his mind when Joe and Mark realize who he really is and decides to destroy the airplane so that they have to stay. This pleases all 3 young ladies but Mark is still determined to leave while Mr. Paul is determined that they will not. Now rather than reveal any more of this film and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was an enjoyable Grade-B movie from the 1950's. Although there were some dull parts here and there I must say that the 3 attractive women certainly brightened the scenery. Be that as it may, overall I rate it as about average.

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.

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.

I have to admit that I was looking forward to watching "Island of Lost Women". The 1950s and 1960 were full of movies about lost women missing male companionship (like "Queen of Outer Space"), and a lot of them were frequently and unintentionally hilarious. I thought I would be in store for more of the same. Also, the fact that a major Hollywood studio picked up this independently made feature interested me. But after watching the movie, I wonder why the studio in question thought this was worthy. The low budget is pretty evident throughout, for one thing. As for if the movie is unintentionally funny, for the most part it isn't. There are some chuckles here and there, but the characters are somewhat smarter and less dopey than usual, so they don't do many things that would be considered unintentionally funny. And the story unfolds not only at a pretty uneventful pace for the most part, what happens in the climax is telegraphed early on, so there is no surprise when it happens. A pretty disappointing quickie.

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.

It's not just the plot or the bad acting. It's not even the cheesy sets. It's the incredibly bad flamenco guitar soundtrack. One simply cannot imagine the overall effect, with the swimsuit-clad actresses cavorting amongst the potted plants, with the off-key, amateurish flamenco guitar. There must be a story there...

This movie is one of the B&W semi-horror films of the 50's and early 60's. Granted, the premise is totally absurd.....2 hunka hunka's running around an island with 3 babe-a-licious honeys and not one case of hanky-panky? The guys seemed more interested in each other and themselves -- swimming in those horrid 1950's spandex trunks (is that a potato in your swimwear or are you just happy to see me?), rubbing lotion on each other's backs, reminiscing about close friendships, --- hmmm --- maybe this should have been called "BROKEBACK ISLAND?" I liked the movie although it is totally predictable. I DID keep waiting for Godzilla or some other camera enlarged creature to come around and scare the swimwear off the guys, (looks like the girls would have defended the island against the killer beast while the boys were screaming little pansies scampering off into the forest), but no monster. Heck, enjoy it for what it's worth, a piece of B&W film history.

Notable for at least one element. The musical score for this film is easily the most atrocious ever. Flamenco-style guitar accompaniement. Poorly played, out of tune, and dismally suited to the film's tropical island locations.

"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.

Two musclebound guys (Jeff Richards and John Smith) crash land on an island inhabited by Alan Napier and his three hot-looking daughters. So this should be a sci-fi film - the part about Napier having hot-looking daughters. Turns out Napier is an atomic scientist who decided to leave the human race after the atom bomb was dropped. He should have left his film contract instead. Napier and his offspring live in a cave with all the comforts of home - solar power, radar, and a cable service which offers TCM for less than $1000 a month.

Richards and Smith spend large portions of the film bare-chested, trying to get off the island, while being tempted to score with Napier's under-dressed daughters. One of the ladies is played by gorgeous Venetia Stevenson, with whom I wouldn't mind being stranded.

One contemporaneous newspaper report claimed that John Smith caught a fish bare-handed at Zuma Beach while on location for this film. There is no report if he caught crabs.

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by Frank Tuttle; Produced by Albert J. Cohen; Executive Producer: Alan Ladd, for Warner Brothers. Screenplay by Ray Buffum; Photography by John Seitz; Edited by Roland Gross; Music by Raoul Kraushaar. Starring: John Smith, Jeff Richards, Venetia Stevenson, Diane Jergens, June Blair and Alan Napier.

This science fiction fantasy emphasizes pretty babes; directed by talented veteran Frank Tuttle.

Played Totally "Straight", this "Message-Movie" about "Atom Bombs"...

No Mutated-Monsters or Men, just a Regretful Nuclear-Scientist who Helped Birth-the-Bomb, then Retired to an Island to Escape "Doomsday",

In the Scenario...3 Drop-Dead "Bombshell" Daughters, and a Reporter and Pilot who Arrive, Forced to Land and Disrupt the Utopia.

The Nuke-Scientist has built a Spiffy Lab Set-Up (still dabbling), has Created an Advanced Flame-Throwing Pistol (essential for Plot advancement), and Threatens to "Destroy" Anyone or Anything that Invades His Privacy.

The 2 Men are Hunky, the 3 Women are Beautiful Natural Foliage, and All of it Culminates with...

a Shark Attack, an Atom-Bomb Detonation, and One Man Protesting Humanities Determination to Race Toward Extinction on a Road to Ruin.

Under-Rated Little Diversion From the Decades Imaginative Illustration of Symbolic Irradiation in the Form of Creepy-Creatures Carrying Out Revenge for Man's Hubris.

Worth a Watch.

A scientist with his three shapely daughters leaves behind threats of nuclear war and escapes to a desert island. But then two hunky fliers crash land and unexpected movie boredom begins.

In my hormonally vulnerable mind, I never thought a skin show could be boring, but this one is. Three scantily clad girls and two bare-chested guys stand around and talk for 70 inert minutes. That is, if you ignore the nuclear explosion coming at the end, a cloud whose kill range is about that of a firecracker.

The only point of interest is how a homoerotic sub-current is worked into the non-existent storyline. Other reviewers are right, it's unmistakable—catch the brief back rub Joe (Smith) gives Mark (Richards), when you'd expect one of the shapely girls on hand would do. But then this is 1959 and tip-offs have to be done subtly, (see reviewer gg1947 for a more complete list).

I guess aristocratic Allen Napier (Batman, the TV series) was added to lend some class, but it's got to be the nadir of his lengthy career. Anyway, the youngsters are all good-looking and okay actors. But unfortunately, that's not enough to lift this super-cheapo from the pits of ennui. Thank goodness, I didn't pay to see it.

What a strange film from director Frank Tuttle, his final movie.... It is not a disgrace, no, let's not exagerate, but just strange. I would have bet on a director as Richard Cunha, Roger Corman or any psychotronic film maker, but certainly not Frank Tuttle. It is funny, light hearted. Plus, it is a short film, so it can't be boring. This stuff is destined to teen audiences I guess, because of those bunnies presence. It is impossible to take it seriously, it is just entertaining, that's all. I don't know any of those second rate actors, chosen I guess, only because they are handsome, good looking. Watch it just by curiosity.