The Ghost Ship (1943)

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

Donald Henderson Clarke (screenplay)
Leo Mittler (story)

Release Date:

27 July 1944 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

MYSTERY TERROR! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

Tom Merriam signs on the ship Altair as third officer under Captain Stone. At first things look good...

Plot Keywords:

Ship | Captain | Authority | Murder | Merchant Marine

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Richard Dix	...	Captain Will Stone
Russell Wade	...	Tom Merriam, 3rd Officer
Edith Barrett	...	Ellen Roberts
Ben Bard	...	First Officer Bowns
Edmund Glover	...	Jacob 'Sparks' Winslow, Radioman

Also Known As:

Ghost Ship (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

69 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:TV-PG | UK:A (original rating) (passed with cuts) | Finland:K-16 (1986) | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #9567) | Spain:13

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

RKO had built an expensive ship set for their 1938 production Pacific Liner (1939). Val Lewton was given instructions to come up with a film that could use the still existing set.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: One shot of the boat traveling toward camera shows the name of the boat on the bow is backwards. The backwards name reads Venture, indicating it's a shot reused from King Kong (1933) that has been horizontally flipped.

Quotes:

Captain Will Stone: You know, there are some captains who would hold this against you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows (2007) (TV)

Underrated Lewton

Tom Merriam is a third mate on the Altair, a cargo ship headed by Captain Stone, who Merriam looks to as a father figure, since Stone has the experience and the full loyalty of the crew. Merriam's opinion of his commanding officer is changed after a series of events (including the death of a mate due the captain's interference) and Merriam believes that Stone is unfit to command the ship. A hearing at the ship's port has the crew and line agent side with Stone, and Merriam is relieved of his duties as third mate. While on shore, Merriam is knocked out for trying to stop a fight, and is put back on the Altair much to his and Stone's disapproval. Stone says Merriam is now a guest on the ship, but the crew shuns him and Merriam believes that Stone is going totally insane and plans to kill Merriam, who now has to find someone to believe him before its too late. Underrated (and for a long time, unseen) classic from the Lewton-RKO 9, with above average script, camera-work, cinematography, but highlighted by probably Dix's best performance as Stone, as a man who is insane try to fool himself and those around him by acting normal. Excellent moments of suspense (especially for me when Merriam notices the lock missing from his door) make this a film one to get a hold of. Rating, 8.