High Barbaree (1947)

Van Johnson is a navy pilot in WWII, who has been shot down in the Pacific on a bombing mission. He and a wounded comrade are the only survivors of the mission and are lost at sea. As they ... See full summary »

Director:

Jack Conway

Writers:

Anne Morrison Chapin, Whitfield Cook,

Stars:

Van Johnson, June Allyson, Thomas Mitchell

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Van Johnson	...	Alec Brooke
June Allyson	...	Nancy Frazer
Thomas Mitchell	...	Capt. Thad Vail
Marilyn Maxwell	...	Diana Case
Cameron Mitchell	...	Lt. Joe Moore
Claude Jarman Jr.	...	Alec (Age 14)
Henry Hull	...	Dr. William G. Brooke
Geraldine Wall	...	Mrs. Martha Brooke
Barbara Brown	...	Della Parkson
Paul Harvey	...	John Case
Charles Evans	...	Colonel Taylor

Storyline

Van Johnson is a navy pilot in WWII, who has been shot down in the Pacific on a bombing mission. He and a wounded comrade are the only survivors of the mission and are lost at sea. As they await rescue, Van Johnson recants his life's story and romance with girlfriend, June Allyson. It's a wonderful wholesome movie that the whole family will enjoy. Written by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall, the authors of Mutiny on the Bounty.

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Plot Keywords:

pilot | navy | based on novel

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Taglines:

Six Great Stars! A Thousand Unforgettable Moments!

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Den förtrollade ön

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Third of six movies that paired June Allyson and Van Johnson.

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Connections

Referenced in Forecast (1945)

User Reviews

High On Something

I haven't seen this for decades, but I do remember it. The pilot, reminiscing to his shipmate, while downed on a tropical island, goes on and on about his past experiences, including his dream since childhood about an island paradise called High Barbaree.

On and on he goes, as one reviewer observed, slowly boring his companion to death. And the theme and throughout his ramblings, the subject of High Barbaree recurs.

SPOILER FOLLOWS: Toward the end of the film, a Polynesian native appears, and offers him entry to High Barbaree, but he realizes that he shouldn't go there then. Not if he wants to keep on living. For High Barbaree _is_ Paradise (as in Heaven).

It's a very slow film, but there have been far worse.