Adventure Island is a 1947 American South Seas action/adventure film shot in Cinecolor and directed by Sam Newfield (using the pseudonym Peter Stewart) for Paramount Pictures' Pine-Thomas Productions. This marked one of the few times in which Newfield worked for a major studio. The film stars Rory Calhoun and Rhonda Fleming.
| Adventure Island | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Sam Newfield as "Peter Steward" |
| Screenplay by | Maxwell Shane |
| Based on | The Ebb Tide by Robert Louis Stevenson |
| Produced by | William H. Pine William C. Thomas |
| Starring | Rory Calhoun Rhonda Fleming Paul Kelly John Abbott Alan Napier |
| Cinematography | Jack Greenhalgh |
| Edited by | Howard A. Smith |
| Music by | Darrell Calker |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 66 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $250,000-$300,000[1] |
This film is a remake of the silent film Ebb Tide (1922) and the film Ebb Tide (1937), all based on the 1894 novel of the same name by Robert Louis Stevenson and his stepson Lloyd Osbourne.
Plot
editThis article needs an improved plot summary. (October 2022) |
Three sailors and a woman roam an island ruled by a deadly tyrant.
Cast
edit- Rory Calhoun as Mr. Herrick
- Rhonda Fleming as Faith Wishart
- Paul Kelly as Capt. Donald Lochlin
- John Abbott as Huish
- Alan Napier as Attwater
Production
editThe film was produced by Pine-Thomas Productions, which specialized in low-budget action films. However, the budget for this film was larger than that of most Pine-Thomas productions.[1]
Rory Calhoun and Rhoda Fleming were borrowed from David O. Selznick. Filming began in September 1946 on Santa Catalina Island.[2] Ninety percent of the film was shot on the island in order to reduce the need for studio space, and the script was rewritten to minimize indoor scenes.[3]
The owner of the boat used in the film later sued the producers for damaging it.[4]
Reception
editIn a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic A. H. Weiler compared the film negatively with the 1937 film Ebb Tide: "'Adventure Island' is a dull, incredible and slowly paced fiction of a very venerable school. Paramount's earlier version had the services of Oscar Homolka, Barry Fitzgerald and Ray Milland as well as Technicolor and a professional script. 'Adventure Island' has Cinecolor, which is pleasant, and a script not nearly so pleasant."[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "$750,000-$1,000,000 class held just right by Pine Thomas". Variety. 26 January 1949. p. 7.
- ^ KELLY AND GLAZER BUY 'HALF CASTE' New York Times 5 Sep 1946: 34.
- ^ "Briefs from the lots". Variety. 4 September 1946. p. 7.
- ^ "Variety (June 1947)". New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company. June 22, 1947 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Weiler, A. H. (1947-10-20). "The Screen in Review". The New York Times. p. 29.
External links
edit- Adventure Island at IMDb
- Adventure Island at TCMDB
- Adventure Island at BFI
- Review of film at Variety
- Adventure Island is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive (print is in black & white)
- Adventure Island at AllMovie
- Adventure Island at Rotten Tomatoes