The Secret of Treasure Island (1938)

In the Prologue, pirates hide a treasure on an island off the Mexican coast. And the pirates, the map and the treasure disappear in a volcanic eruption. The legend of the island draws ... See full summary »

Director:

Elmer Clifton

Writers:

L. Ron Hubbard (story), George M. Merrick (screenplay),

Stars:

Don Terry, Gwen Gaze, Walter Miller

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Don Terry	...	Larry Kent
Gwen Gaze	...	Toni Morrell
Walter Miller	...	Carter 'The Shark' Collins
Grant Withers	...	Roderick Gridley
George Rosener	...	Capt. Samuel Cuttle
Hobart Bosworth	...	Dr. X
Sandra Karina	...	Nurse Zanya
P.J. Kelly	...	Prof. Gault (as Patrick J. Kelly)
Yakima Canutt	...	Dreer (Mole-Men Leader)
William Farnum	...	George Brennan Westmore (Editor)
Joe Caits	...	Saltwater Jerry [Chs.1,4-7,13-15]
Colin Campbell	...	Hawkins (the Butler) [Chs. 1-3]
Dave O'Brien	...	Det. Jameson [Chs. 4-7]
William Royle	...	Paul Thorndyke [Ch.1]
Warner Richmond	...	Capt. Tom Stanton, alias Capt. Tom Faxton [Ch.1]

Storyline

In the Prologue, pirates hide a treasure on an island off the Mexican coast. And the pirates, the map and the treasure disappear in a volcanic eruption. The legend of the island draws treasure seekers for a few centuries, but the treasure lies undetected. Cut to 1938 and Carter Collins)---The Shark---takes possession of the island and turns it into a fortress, while he systematically seeks the gold. He takes over an ancient mansion, installs a physician, Doctor "X", his nurse Zanya, his butler, Hawkins, and Grindley, who has plans of his own, since he already has a portion of the map. The possessor of the other portion soon shows up. Meanwhile, Collins has his slave diggers---The Mole Men---digging up the island looking for the treasure. Back in the states reporter Larry Kent is assigned to go to the island to investigate the disappearance of another reporter, Paul Thorndyke. A sea captain who has half of the map is killed before he can tell the daughter, Toni Morrell, of an old ...

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Plot Keywords:

island | treasure | map | reporter | pirate | 

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Taglines:

STRANGE AND STIRRING ADVENTURE, THRILLS! (original poster- all caps)

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 March 1938 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Secret of a Treasure Island

Company Credits

Production Co:

Weiss Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

300 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chapter Titles:

• 1. The Isle of Fear
• 2. The Ghost Talks
• 3. The Phantom Dust
• 4. Buried Alive
• 5. The Girl Who Vanished
• 6. Trapped by the Flood
• 7. The Cannon Roars
• 8. The Circle of Death
• 9. The Pirate's Revenge
• 10. The Crash
• 11. Dynamite!
• 12. The Bridge of Doom
• 13. The Mad Flight
• 14. The Jaws of Destruction
• 15. Justice

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Connections

Referenced in Orientation: A Scientology Information Film (1996)

User Reviews

Amazing what they did in 1938, real cliff hangers

Action packed and each chapter leads to you really want to know what the heck is going to happen and how can this possible be solved. I hope this one gets re-done some day so that it could be in color along with a better picture quality. But the script was so good, your imagination fills in more than you wished for or dared. Movie lover