Reviews & Ratings for
Smuggler's Gold More at IMDbPro »

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Tarnished Production, 13 May 2010

Author: boblipton from New York City

This one is another of the early 1950s Columbia "shaky A" productions, with all the technical details nicely done, but a script which is a bit too complicated for the rushed manner in which the dialogue is directed. Cameron Mitchell gets himself caught in the middle as his fiancée's uncle has been running gold for a mine owner who prefers the higher prices he gets overseas; and who is trying to get a bigger piece of the action.

The weak performance is by Carl Reid, usually a dependable actor, in the role of 'Pop' the chandler/shipowner who has been running the gold. He speaks all of his lines in a manner that underlines that he is a mean SOB masquerading as a nice guy, at all times, no matter whether he is urging Amanda Blake to have another cup of coffee or threatening lead Cameron Mitchell.

The whole production is shot in that middling light that marks the transition from Film Noir to the sunlit 'Western Noir' of the late 1950s. Although the script puts a bit of uncertainty into the entire double and treble crosses, the monotony of lighting and performances -- and the mildly overwrought score -- make this no more than an average programmer.

Utterly Routine, 26 May 2010

Author: dougdoepke from Claremont, USA

Professional deep sea diver (Mitchell) gets mixed up with girlfriend's (Blake) unscrupulous uncle (Reid) in a gold smuggling operation.

The movie's about as unremarkable for its time as a studio (Columbia) product could get. It's a cheap programmer intended to fill out a double bill at the neighborhood Bijou and shows it. The most watchable part, in my book, are the location shots aboard ship or on the waterfront. Otherwise, the indoor sets are, shall we say, economical. At the same time, the story develops in unimaginative fashion, without at least some stab at novelty.

The 60-minutes does provide a good chance to catch a girlish Amanda Blake of Gunsmoke fame, that is, before she set up shop in Dodge City and deepened her voice. Already, she fills out a skirt and sweater nicely.On the other hand, I don't know where Cameron Mitchell's attention is, but it's not on his part, to put it politely. (Catch those diving helmet close-ups where he seems to be thinking about dinner instead of drowning.) Then there's Pop (Reid) who at least provides some characterization as the endlessly double-dealing "Pop". Note too how quickly the story wraps up, as though the film stock is about to run out.

All in all, it's the kind of pedestrian effort that would soon happily migrate to TV.

0 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Lets face it I'm Yella!, 14 May 2010

Author: sol from Brooklyn NY USA

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

(Some Spoilers) After recovering from a near fatal drowning accident during a salvage operation off the Pacific Coast deep sea diver Mike Slone, Cameron Mitchell, feels that he just doesn't have it anymore in him being able to go under water. It was also during that accident that Mike's best friend and fellow deep sea diver Jack ended up being crushed to death in the wreckage. A fact that Mike, even though he blacked out because of lack of oxygen, held himself responsible for. Now back on his feet Mike is still very apprehensive in going back to his old job as a deep sea salvage diver even though at the time of his accident he was the very best in the business.

It's at his girlfriend's Susan Hodges, Amanda Hodges, Uncle 's Pop Hodgers, Carl Benton Reid, place that Mike tries to get back into action in overcoming his fear of the deep but ends up getting involved in even deeper stuff then just getting his feet wet! Gold smuggling & murder!

Unknownm to both Mike and his niece Susan Pop has been smuggling gold bars through customs in order that his supplier Arthur Rayburn, William Forrest, would avoid paying taxes on the precious medal. The fact that the gold is from Rayburn's gold mine makes things even more serious in that if he's caught smuggling his gold out of the country for as much as $100.00 , not the set US Government price of $35.00, an ounce he can end up losing his gold mine together with his freedom as well!

It's when one of Pop's gold smuggling seamen Hank Peters, Robert Williams, went to see him in getting more for his service that Mike unknowingly got involved with Pop's gold smuggling racket! With Hank getting whacked by Pop after Mike, in preventing Hank from hurting Pop, knocked him out cold it looked like Mike in fact killed him! Pop uses Hank's death, that Pop was wholly responsible for, to blackmail Mike into going along with him when after Mike found out about Pop's smuggling activities in smuggling Rayburn's gold. It was then that Pop had Mike forgo a great job, in Sunny Hawaii, he was offered by his old Navy buddy Gil Johnson.

It's when Pop had to ditch a gold shipment when the US Coast Guard were bearing down on his boat that he suddenly got the bright idea to have Mike, despite his phobia about going underwater, to retrieve it for him and keep Rayburn, who's gold it is, in the dark about the whole thing! Thus getting the entire $500,000.00 worth of gold all to himself! Or so he thought!

***SPOILERS*** Not too convincing deep sea drama with Mike Slone who was afraid to even step into a bathtub go the whole nine, or 60 fathoms, yards under the waves to get the ditched gold for Pop whom he knew was going to ditch, or kill, him once he gets it back on his boat!

It in fact was US Coast Guard Captain Frank Warren, Peter M. Thompson, who came to Mike's rescue by him together with his crew boarding Pop's boat and putting him out of action before he could do any more damage.

By the time the movie was over Mike was well on his way to sunny Hawaii to start his new job at his friend Gil's Mid Pacific Salvage Co. with his soon to be wife Susan Hodges at his side. As for Pop and his partner in crime Arthur Rayburn they ended up paying for their crimes against the US Government in trying to avoid playing taxes, by smuggling gold out of the country, in the worst way possible! : Behind bars and in a pine box!

Add another review

Related Links