MOVIES - PIRATES 1951

★ Adventures of Captain Fabian (1951)
★ Anne of the Indies (1951)
★ Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951)
★ Double Crossbones (1951)
★ Hurricane Island (1951)  
★ Kaizoku-sen [aka Pirate Ship] (1951)
★ Mysterious Island (1951)
★ Smuggler's Island (1951)
★ Treasure Island (1951)
★ Two Lost Worlds (1951)
★ Vendetta del corsaro, La [aka Revenge of the Pirates] (1951) 

Adventures of Captain Fabian (1951)

Director: William Marshall and Robert Florey (uncredited)

Writer: Errol Flynn (screenplay) and Robert T. Shannon (novel, uncredited)
Cast: Errol Flynn [Capt. Michael Fabian], Micheline Presle [Lea Mariotte, as Micheline Prelle], Vincent Price [George Brissac], Agnes Moorehead [Aunt Jezebel], Victor Francen [Henri Brissac], Jim Gérald [Commissioner Germain], Héléna Manson [Josephine], Howard Vernon [Emile], Roger Blin [Philippe], Valentine Camax [Governess]
Storyline: In 1860, Léa Marriotte, a French Creole maid in the home of spoiled New Orleans socialite Cynthia Winthrop, smashes a vase in response to her mistress' cruel reference to the young woman's mother, who was hanged some years earlier. Jesebel, Léa's aunt and constant companion, fuels the girl's rage by reminding her that it is the Marriottes who possess the good blood, while families like the Winthrops now enjoy power purely because of their wealth. In the Winthrops' absence, Léa and Jesebel throw a wild party for their Creole friends, but the revelry is interrupted by George Brissac, who, although once Léa's lover, is engaged to marry Cynthia. Still attracted to Léa, George kisses her, whereupon Phillipe, the Winthrops' footman, who has been courting Léa, attacks his wealthy rival in a jealous rage. Horrified, Léa strikes Phillipe with a cane until he is dead. George assures Léa that all will be well, but when he soon afterward arrives at the Winthrop home with Constable Gilpin, he declares that Léa murdered the footman. Léa is arrested, but later, George's uncle, Henri Brissac, who runs a profitable mercantile business once owned by the Fabian family, threatens that if his brainless nephew causes a scandal, he will be disowned. On that same night, Michael Fabian, who has captained a ship since his family lost their business to the Brissacs, arrives and learns about the arrest. After the captain promises to ship a supply of Emil's gunpowder to the North, Emil, an employee of the Brissacs, reveals to Fabian what really happened. During Léa's trial, Fabian tells the judge, another Brissac, that he will implicate the family in the crime unless she is released. Fabian then purchases the Pierrot tavern for Léa, using money he blackmailed from George. Although attracted to Fabian, Léa rejects his attentions and even steals his watch, and while Fabian is away, she lures George to "Chez Léa" on the eve before his marriage to Cynthia. Léa persuades George to take her to his room, and when Uncle Henri bursts in and discovers her there, she assumes she now has her revenge. George, however, strangles his uncle to death, a development that allows Léa to attain her fondest wish. She and George bury the body, after which she threatens to have George arrested unless he agrees to marry her. The two are wed, and Léa becomes mistress of the elegant Brissac mansion, but George's hatred, her continued rejection by New Orleans society, and Fabian's anger bring her nothing but unhappiness. Léa visits Fabian on his ship, and although he at first threatens to throw her over the side, he soon kisses her passionately. George, meanwhile, finds Fabian's gold watch in Léa's room. At George's prompting, Constable Gilpin searches the grounds for signs of the missing uncle, and when the grave is opened, Fabian's watch is found by the body. Fabian is arrested, but because George fears the captain will be released, he hires some local cutthroats to break into the jail and lynch his enemy. Remembering that there is an old tunnel under the jail, Léa sends Jesebel to free her lover while she makes her way to Fabian's ship. Fabian is released just as the mob breaks down the door, but Jesebel is shot and killed. The mob pursues Fabian to the ship, and George convinces them to throw their torches at the captain's explosive cargo. Fabian and George fight, and George is drowned. Just then Léa runs toward the ship shouting Fabian's name, but the gunpowder explodes, and she dies in his arms. [100 min - Adventure - English - Black and White - USA - Les Films Corona, Republic Pictures (I), Silver Films - 21 March 1951]  

Anne of the Indies (1951)

Director: Jacques Tourneur
Writers: Philip Dunne (screenplay), Arthur Caesar (screenplay) and Herbert Ravenel Sass (story)
Cast: Jean Peters [Captain Anne Providence], Louis Jourdan [Captain Pierre François LaRochelle], Debra Paget [Molly LaRochelle], Herbert Marshall [Dr. Jameson], Thomas Gomez [Blackbeard], James Robertson Justice [Red Dougal], Francis Pierlot [Herkimer], Sean McClory [Hackett], Holmes Herbert [English Sea Captain], Byron Nelson [Bear Handler]
Storyline: LaRochelle, a former pirate captain, is caught by the British. To get his ship back, he works as a spy against other pirates, first of all Blackbeard and Providence. He works on some ships, crossing the Caribbean sea, with the intention of being enchained, when a pirate ship is in sight, to make them believe he's an enemy of the British. One day, his ship is conquered by Captain Providence. What nobody knew before, Providence is a (beautiful, of course) woman. She believes his story and so he joins her crew. But Blackbeard, her fatherly friend, doesn't believe him. Providence and LaRochelle fall in love, although he is married. When LaRochelle tries to deliver her to the British, she forebodes the trap, kidnaps his wife and escapes. As for revenge, she wants to sell his wife on a slave-market. LaRochell gets his ship and his crew back and follows her. [81 min - Action | Adventure | Drama - English - Color - USA - Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation - 18 October 1951]

Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. (1951)

Director: Raoul Walsh
Writers: Ivan Goff (screenplay), Ben Roberts (screenplay), Æneas MacKenzie (screenplay, as AeneAs MacKenzie) and C.S. Forester (novel and adapted for the screen by)
Cast: Gregory Peck [Capt. Horatio Hornblower R.N], Virginia Mayo [Lady Barbara Wellesley], Robert Beatty [Lt. William Bush], Moultrie Kelsall [Lt. Crystal, as M. Kelsall], Terence Morgan [2nd Lt. Gerard, as T. Morgan], James Kenney [Midshipman Longley], James Robertson Justice [Seaman Quist, as James R. Justice], Denis O'Dea [RAdm. Sir Rodney Leighton], Richard Hearne [Polwheal, Hornblower's batman], Michael Dolan [Surgeon Gundarson]
Storyline: During the Napoleonic wars, a British naval captain has adventures in Central American waters. In 1807, Captain Horatio Hornblower leads his ship the HMS Lydia on a perilous voyage around Cape Horn and into the Pacific. The men, even his officers, don't know exactly where he is leading them. England is at war with Napoleon and everyone wonders why they have been sent so far from the action. They eventually arrive on the Pacific coast of Central America where the HMS Lydia has been sent to arm Don Julian Alvarado, who is planning an attack against France's Spanish allies on the North American continent. The hope is that Alvarado's forces will require the French to divert some of their military resources to North American defense in the aid of their Spanish allies. He arrives to learn that a Spanish Galleon is en route and he no sooner captures it and hands it over to Alvarado that he learns the Spanish are now England's allies and he must take it from Alvarado. He also gets a very comely passenger in the form of Lady Barbara Wellesley... [117 min - Action | Adventure | Drama - English - Color - USA - Warner Bros. Pictures - 10 April 1951] 

Double Crossbones (1951)

Director: Charles Barton
Writers: Oscar Brodney (screenplay and story) and John Grant (additional dialogue)
Cast: Donald O'Connor [Davey Crandall], Helena Carter [Lady Sylvia Copeland], Will Geer [Tom Botts], John Emery [Governor Elden], Stanley Logan [Lord Montrose], Kathryn Givney [Lady Montrose], Hayden Rorke [Malcolm Giles], Morgan Farley [Caleb Nicholas], Robert Barrat [Henry Morgan], Alan Napier [Capt. Kidd]
Storyline: After being falsely accused of dishonesty, a young man decides to become a pirate. [75 min - Comedy - English - Color - USA - Universal International Pictures (UI) - 26 April 1951]

Hurricane Island (1951)  

Director: Lew Landers

Writer: David Mathews
Cast: Jon Hall [Capt. Carlos Montalvo], Marie Windsor [Jan Bolton], Romo Vincent [José], Edgar Barrier [Ponce de León], Karen Randle [Maria], Jo Gilbert [Okahla], Nelson Leigh [Padre]
Storyline: Explorer Ponce de Leon searches for the Fountain of Youth in the Florida swamps. Juan Ponce de León searches for the Fountain of Youth, but it is not an easy quest, thanks to bad weather, a treacherous lady pirate, warring Florida tribesmen, and a ship's cargo of man-hungry, marriage-minded maidens. [71 min - Adventure - English - Color - USA - Esskay Pictures Corporation - 16 July 1951]

Kaizoku-sen [aka Pirate Ship] (1951)

Director: Hiroshi Inagaki

Writer: Hideo Oguni

Cast: Toshirô Mifune, Shinobu Asaji, Tomoemon Otani, Jun Tazaki, Hisaya Morishige, Kichijirô Ueda

[114 min - Adventure - Japanese - Black and White - Japan - Toho Company - 13 July 1951]

Mysterious Island (1951)

Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet

Writers: Lewis Clay (screenplay, as Spencer Bennet), Royal K. Cole (screenplay), George H. Plympton (screenplay) and Jules Verne (novel "L'Île mystérieuse")

Cast: Richard Crane [Capt. Cyrus Harding], Marshall Reed [Jack Pencroft], Karen Randle [Rulu of Mercury], Ralph Hodges [Herbert 'Bert' Brown], Gene Roth [Pirate Capt. Shard], Hugh Prosser [Gideon Spillett], Leonard Penn [Capt. Nemo], Terry Frost [Ayrton - The Wild Man], Rusty Wescoatt [Moley - Shard Henchman], Bernie Hamilton [Neb, as Bernard Hamilton], William Fawcett [Mr. Jackson], George Robotham [Mercurian]

Storyline: Union prisoners use a balloon to escape a Southern prison camp near the end of the Civil War and end up marooned on a mysterious volcanic island with very unusual inhabitants. The story begins in 1865, during the Civil War, when Captain Cyrus Harding, prisoner of the Confederates, escapes in an enemy balloon with war correspondent Gideon Spilett; Jack Pencroft, a sailor; Herbert "Bert" Brown, Pencroft's adopted son, and Neb, Harding's black servant. A sailor with an adopted son and a servant in jail with his master is rather mysterious in itself. Hey, move on, it's a Katzman serial from Columbia. The balloon drifts in space for days and finally lands on a desert island. Also landing, in a better aircraft, is Rulu, a visitor from Mercury who seeks a radio-active material that will enable her to manufacture an explosive that will destroy the world or, at least, the portion known as Earth. Since it is in the 1860's and she has a spacecraft that will make the journey from Mercury to Earth, and all of the earthlings are riding horses or walking... Chapter Titles: 1. Lost in Space, 2. Sinister Savage, 3. Savage Justice, 4. Wild Man at Large, 5. Trail of the Mystery Man, 6. The Pirates Attack, 7. Menace of the Mercurians, 8. Between Two Fires, 9. Shrine of the Silver Bird, 10. Fighting Fury, 11. Desperate Chance, 12. Mystery of the Mine, 13. Jungle Downfall, 14. Man from Tomorrow, 15. The Last of Mysterious Island. [252 min (15 Chapters) - Action | Sci-Fi - English - Black and White - USA - Columbia Pictures Corporation - 13 September 1951]

Smuggler's Island (1951)

Director: Edward Ludwig

Writers: Leonard Lee (screenplay), Herbert H. Margolis (adaptation and story) and Lou Morheim (adaptation and story, as Louis Morheim)

Cast: Jeff Chandler [Steve Kent], Evelyn Keyes [Vivian Craig], Philip Friend [Allan Craig], Marvin Miller [Bok-Ying], 'Ducky' Louie [Kai Lun], David Wolfe [Lorca], Jay Novello [Espinosa], H.T. Tsiang [Chang]

Storyline: Ex-Navy man Steve Kent, struggling to make a living in Macao, is approached by beautiful Vivian Craig. She wants to hire him and his boat to retrieve some medicine from a plane which crashed into the ocean on a flight from Manila. Kent dives at the crash-site but discovers he's been tricked into retrieving a cache of gold bars. He intends to report this cache to authorities but his growing attraction to Vivian soon causes him to change his mind. Vivian's husband, Allan, now appears on the scene. Kent reluctantly agrees to sail the gold to Hong Kong where it will be sold and the proceeds divided equally between himself, Vivian, and Allan. On the voyage to Hong Kong, however, Kent's boat is pursued both by the police and by a pirate named Bok-Ying. [75 min - Adventure | Crime | Drama - English - Color (Technicolor) - USA - Universal International Pictures (UI) - 18 May 1951]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Treasure Island (1951)

Cast: Valentine Dyall [Dr. Livesey, 8 episodes, 1951], Brian Haines [Narrator, 8 episodes, 1951], John Quayle [Jim Hawkins, 8 episodes, 1951], Raymond Rollett [Squire Trelawney, 8 episodes, 1951], Reginald Hearne [Johnny, 7 episodes, 1951], Bernard Miles [Long John Silver, 7 episodes, 1951], Derek Birch [Captain Smollett, 6 episodes, 1951], Robert Cawdron [Job Anderson, 6 episodes, 1951], Anthony Cope [Harry, 6 episodes, 1951], Patrick Crean [Abe Gray, 6 episodes, 1951], Howell Davies [Tom Redruth, 6 episodes, 1951], Robin Cull [Merry, 5 episodes, 1951], Roddy Hughes [Morgan, 5 episodes, 1951], Norman Osborne [Dick, 5 episodes, 1951], Douglas Blackwell [Israel Hands, 3 episodes, 1951], Peter Jones [Black Dog, 2 episodes, 1951], Stanley Lemin [Arrow, 2 episodes, 1951], Toke Townley [Ben Gunn, 2 episodes, 1951], George Woodbridge [Sailor, 2 episodes, 1951]

Storyline: Treasure Island (1951) – a seven-part BBC series starring Bernard Miles as Long John Silver. The treasure seeking adventures of young Jim Hawkins and pirate captain Long John Silver. Jim Hawkins is the son of the owner of the hostel, Admiral Benbow, where the mysterious sailor Billy Bones is staying. After the sailor's unexplained death, Jim finds a map of the island with the hidden treasure in his coffin. Shortly afterwards, accompanied by friends, he decides to sail in search of the treasure of the legendary pirate captain Flint. Jim and his party board the ship "Hispaniola", but after a short time they discover that most of the crew are bloodthirsty pirates, led by Long John Silver, who wants treasure only for himself. Jim and his friends must defeat Silver and his men in order to fight for the fabulous treasure. The first TV serial adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island was presented as a children's adventure in 8 parts and featured Bernard Miles as the cunning and opportunistic pirate Long John Silver. The series was so popular with its young tea-time audience that it was later 'promoted' to an adult programme and broadcast in the BBC's Saturday-night serial slot. Miles, who was born in Uxbridge, Middlesex in 1907, was an Oxford graduate who worked as a teacher before joining the New Theatre in London. He made very few film appearances but served as director, producer, and screenwriter on a number of British movies. In 1959, Miles opened the Mermaid Theatre in London; his contributions to the London stage won him a knighthood in 1969 and a life peerage ten years later. Appearing as the character Black Dog in this series was Peter Jones who later became a household name in a number of sitcoms including The Rag Trade, Beggar My Neighbour and Mr Digby Darling. He later became a cult favourite as the voice of 'The Book' on radio and television; The Book being Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Another cult favourite, playing the part of Dr. Livesey, was Valentine Dyall, radio's famous 'Man In Black', distinguishable by his low, resonant and yet pleasingly smooth voice. The series was adapted for the small screen by Joy Harington who also produced Robin Hood in 1953 in which Patrick Troughton played the hero of Sherwood Forest, as well as a number of other classic adaptations. Six years later, in 1957, the BBC remade the series with Miles and Dyall reprieving their original roles. Richard Palmer replaced John Quayle as presumably the latter was now too old to play the young Jim Hawkins. Roy Dotrice and Clive Dunn joined the 1957 cast playing Abe Gray and Ben Gunn, respectively. This time the series was scaled down to seven episodes. BBC TV produced another (nine-part) serial in 1968 starring Peter Vaughan. Pictured above are Bernard Miles and John Quayle from the 1951 version. Episode: 1. The Old Buccaneer, 2. Long John Silver, 3. Aboard the Hispaniola, 4. The Plot to Mutiny, 5. Going Ashore, 6. The Stockade, 7. Captain Jim, 8. The Treasure Hunt. [TV Series (8 Episodes) - 30 min - Adventure | Family | Drama - English - Black and White - UK - British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) - 1 May-19 Jun 1951]

Two Lost Worlds (1951)

Director: Norman Dawn
Writers: Boris Petroff (story), Tom Hubbard (adaptation), Phyllis Parker (screenplay) and Bill Shaw (screenplay)
Cast: James Arness [Kirk Hamilton, as Jim Aurness], Kasey Rogers [Elaine Jeffries, as Laura Elliot], Bill Kennedy [Martin Shannon, as William Kennedy], Gloria Petroff [Janice Jeffries], Pierre Watkin [Magistrate Jeffries], Tom Hubbard [John Hartley], Jane Harlan [Nancy Holden], Tom Monroe [Captain Tallman], Michael Rye [Captain Hackett, as Rye Billsbury], Fred Kohler Jr. [Nat Mercer - Sailor]
Storyline: When the American clipper ship "The Queen" is attacked by pirates off the Hebrides in 1830, Mate Kirk Hamilton is injured and must be put ashore at Queensland Colony, Australia, for treatment and recuperation. There, he meets and falls in love with Elaine Jeffries, daughter of the magistrate and all-but-fiancée to rancher Martin Shannon. She also finds herself attracted to Kirk, and a rivalry develops between the two men. Meantime the pirates, led by Captain Hackett, decide to raid the colony and, in the process kidnap Elaine and her friend, Nancy. Kirk and Shannon lead the pursuit, having not only the romantic triangle to resolve but the pirates to overcome and, along the way, being stranded on a volcanic island inhabited by dinosaurs... [61 min - Adventure | Romance | Sci-Fi - English - Black and White - USA - Sterling Productions Inc. - 5 January 1951]

Vendetta del corsaro, La [aka Revenge of the Pirates] (1951) 

Director: Primo Zeglio

Writers: Fede Arnaud (screenplay), Alberto Liberati (screenplay), Romildo Craveri (screenplay), Ernesta Sabbi (story) and Riccardo Testa (screenplay)

Cast: Jean-Pierre Aumont [Enrico di Roccabruna], Maria Montez [Consuelo], Milly Vitale [Luana], Roberto Risso [Miguel], Paul Muller [Espinosa], Franca Tamantini [Conchita], Saro Urzì [Aguirre], Mimi Aylmer [Isabella], Enrico Glori [Governatore], Sidney Gordon [Van Hiess]

Storyline: A pirate tries to regain all that was taken from him by a wicked governor, and wins the governor's gold in the process. The stars of this story, set on 17th Century Maracaibo, are Enrico de Roccabruna (Aumont) and Olivia de Velasco (Montez). Both personages met when Roccabruna, who is the captain of a pirates band, attacks and boards a Spanish ship in which travel the gorgeous Marquise Olivia. They fall in love and at the end of the movie, Enrico learns that his lover's maid is his foster sister who disappeared a long time ago.This Italian/Spanish swashbuckler was released in Europe as La Vendetta Del Corsaro. In some English-speaking markets, it bore the name Pirates Revenge. No matter how you spell it, this is a strictly formula affair, right down to the Korngoldesque music whenever the pirates attack. Its one distinction is historical. Revenge of the Pirates stars former Hollywood luminary Maria Montez, in what must have been her last film role before her untimely death. [95 min - Adventure - Italian - Black and White - Italy Athena - Cinematografica - 18 October 1951]