The Sharkfighters (1956)

Landing on a small island not far from Havana, Cuba, Lt. Cmdr. Ben Staves joins a Navy scientific project engaged in finding an effective shark repellent to help save the lives of WWII ... See full summary »

Director:

Jerry Hopper

Writers:

Art Napoleon (story), Jo Napoleon (story),

Stars:

Victor Mature, Karen Steele, James Olson

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Victor Mature	...	Lt. Cmdr. Ben Staves
Karen Steele	...	Martha Staves
James Olson	...	Ens. Harold Duncan
Philip Coolidge	...	Lt. Cmdr. Leonard Evans
Claude Akins	...	Chief 'Gordy' Gordon
Rafael Campos	...	Carlos
George N. Neise	...	Cmdr. George Zimmer
Nathan Yates	...	Capt. Ruiz
Jesús Hernández	...	Vincente
Lorin Johns	...	Himself (as M/Sgt. Lorin Johns)
David Westlein	...	Himself (as CPO David Westlein)
Charles Collingwood	...	Narrator

Storyline

Landing on a small island not far from Havana, Cuba, Lt. Cmdr. Ben Staves joins a Navy scientific project engaged in finding an effective shark repellent to help save the lives of WWII military personnel stranded in shark-infested waters. His zeal for completing the project as fast as possible is explained by his having lost a large percentage of his crew to sharks when his ship was sunk by the Japanese. Against the advice of the others on the project, Staves demands that the new repellent be tested on a live subject surrounded by hungry sharks and will allow no one but himself to be the test subject!

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Plot Keywords:

shark

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Taglines:

U.S. NAVY'S SCIENTIFIC FIGHT AGAINST THE Terror of the Sea! (original print ad - mostly caps)

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Genres:

Adventure

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cacciatori di squali

Filming Locations:

Cuba

Company Credits

Production Co:

Formosa Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Noche en el mar"
by Mery Ferrer and Cesar Portillo
Sung by the Aida Quartette

User Reviews

Victor Mature spends more time drinking beer than fighting sharks.

Victor Mature spends more time drinking beer than fighting sharks in this shamefully bad film about a U.S. military shark-fighting operation in Cuba. It looks like it was shot with only camera (which has a hard time staying in focus). The film was probably just an excuse to take a vacation in Cuba.