Captain Calamity (1936)

Director:

John Reinhardt

Writers:

Gordon Ray Young (story)
Crane Wilbur (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 November 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

A Story that is rich and racy...thrilling in its action and torrid lovemaking...packed with adventure and romance.

Plot:

A South Seas skipper fights off thieves and pirates who are after a lost treasure.

Plot Keywords:

Pirate | South Seas | Waterfront | Trader | Australia

Cast

George Houston	...	Captain Bill Jones / Captain Calamity
Marian Nixon	...	Madge Lewis
Vince Barnett	...	Burp
Juan Torena	...	Mike
Movita	...	Annana
Crane Wilbur	...	Dr. James Kelkey
George J. Lewis	...	Black Pierre (as George Lewis)
Roy D'Arcy	...	Samson
Margaret Irving	...	Mamie Gruen
Barry Norton	...	Carr
Louis Natheaux	...	E.D. Joblin - Store Owner
Lloyd Ingraham	...	Trader Jim
Alberto Gandero	...	Gandero - a Sailor (as Albert Gandero)
Harold Howard	...	Guy Warren
Charles Moyer	...	'Mac' McKenzie - a Sailor

Also Known As:

Captain Hurricane (USA) (trailer title)

Runtime:

66 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Passed | USA:Approved (MPPA #2171)

Company:

George A. Hirliman Productions

Quotes:

Madge Lewis: I've never seen such fine tattooing.

Movie Connections:

Alternate language version of El capitan Tormenta (1936)

Soundtrack:

Riders of the Rolling Seas

Bad acting, worse dialog and glistening bodies in the south seas.

Captain Calamity is, in nearly all respects, a bad film. Enjoyable, but bad in every sense of the word. Produced on a small budget it has two major redeeming values, (a) glorious color photography, and (b) a selection of attractive cast members running about in various states of undress.

The plot goes this way: a young sea captain (George Houston) and his motley crew are given a token of farewell by a businessman that has been traveling with them. It turns out to be an authentic piece of Spanish gold. Captain Bill (Houston) goes into town and tries to secure funds from various prospective investors by telling them that he's found chests of pirate gold just like it, and that he'll be able to find more if they agree to finance him.

One thing you can count on with a film like this is the eye-candy. Bill and his first mate Mike (mustachioed Juan Torena) take any excuse they can find for tripping off their tightly-fitted shirts. Mike's girlfriend Annana is played by the buxom and perfectly grinning Movita, so one can be assured of plenty of shots of her frolicking in a snug little sarong. In fact, the only cast member under forty who seems to keep themselves shielded from the blazing sun is wholesomely pretty Marian Nixon, who plays Capt. Bill's love interest Madge.

An adequate villain performance is delivered in the person of Roy D'Arcy, a former silent star. His acting is campy, but fairly effective. Briefly glimpsed is his girlfriend Mame, played by Margaret Irving. She doesn't give a very good performance here, but Irving looks right for the part of what is undoubtedly a brothel madam.

George Houston's acting style (at least in this film) is interesting. Houston seems to know exactly how bad this film is, for he delivers most of his lines as though he is about to erupt with laughter. And it's no wonder: the corny dialog must have had everyone out of camera range snickering. Some of the verbal expressions of the characters are outright embarrassing.

To wrap up: There are some silly fight scenes toward the end where people seem unsure if they socked each other in the right place. And the film makes a half-hearted attempt at being a musical every now and then. Clearly this is a movie that isn't really a musical, but does sort of want to be one when it grows up. It's also a movie that isn't all that worth watching unless you've got absolutely nothing to do and try to spot boom microphone shadows for an hour (believe me - there's a few in there).

SIDE NOTE: The businessman in the film is played by Argentine actor Berry Norton, best known probably for his role as Juan Harker in the 1931 Spanish Dracula. A handsome, youthful-looking actor, he had gotten his start in American pictures ten years before this film in The Black Pirate with Douglas Fairbanks, another color-film about pirates.

Norton also appears to have reprized his role for the Spanish version of this film, El Capitan Tormenta, which co-starred Mexican beauty Lupita Tovar. Norton and Tovar had also been co-stars in the Spanish Dracula and appeared in many other films together, including the other 'Marihuana' of 1936 (the one not made by Dwain Esper). People say the Spanish version of Dracula is better than the English one, and I'd have to say I'd agree, so I'm holding out for El Capitan Tormenta, if it ever surfaces.