Escapade in Japan (1957)

A plane on its way to Japan is forced to land at sea just off the Japanese coast. A small American boy survives the ditching but is separated from the rest of the passengers and crew and is... See full summary »

Director:

Arthur Lubin

Writer:

Winston Miller

Stars:

Teresa Wright, Cameron Mitchell, Jon Provost

Cast

Cast overview:
Teresa Wright	...	Mary Saunders
Cameron Mitchell	...	Dick Saunders
Jon Provost	...	Tony Saunders
Roger Nakagawa	...	Hiko
Philip Ober	...	Lt. Col. Hargrave
Kuniko Miyake	...	Michiko Tanaka
Susumu Fujita	...	Kei Tanaka
Katsuhiko Haida	...	Capt. Hibino
Tatsuo Saitô	...	Mr. Fushimi

Storyline

A plane on its way to Japan is forced to land at sea just off the Japanese coast. A small American boy survives the ditching but is separated from the rest of the passengers and crew and is picked up by a Japanese fisherman, who takes the boy back to his village. The boy is befriended by the fisherman's son, but when they see Japanese police swarming over the village, they are afraid that they've done something wrong and run away, although the police are only searching for the missing boy. Together the two boys travel through the Japanese countryside, trying to avoid the police who are searching for them and meeting up with many different kinds of people along the way.

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Plot Keywords:

japan | airplane accident

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Taglines:

The exciting adventures of two little runaway boys in Japan!

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Genres:

Adventure | Family

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

November 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Verschollen in Japan

Filming Locations:

Horyu-ji Temple, Nara, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures, Arthur Lubin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally made by RKO Pictures, but was acquired and released by Universal Pictures after RKO closed down.

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Soundtracks

"The Continental"
(uncredited)
Written by Con Conrad and Herb Magidson

User Reviews

Great portrayal post-war Japan of the 1950's told thru the eyes of 2 young boys, one American, one Japanese

This is the Japan of my early childhood memories, brought to life by this film. I was a boy of 4 when I moved to Japan in 1956, so seeing this movie which was shot at the same time I lived there was a great thrill. It was the travelogue aspect of the movie that particularly interested me: the vignette in the geisha house; the vignette in the Japanese theater;street scenes; railroad stations; etc. The plot was relatively simple. Cameron Mitchell and Theresa Wright were convincing as the worried married couple desperately trying to find their missing son. But the flattering portrayal of the Japanese people and the reverence shown for Japanese landmarks and its cultural is the real eye opener. Since it was made in 1957, I'm assuming it was to show Americans how their perceptions of the Japanese may have been wrong. I know that having there for 4 years, we couldn't have been treated more kindly than we were by our Japanese friends, neighbors, and co-workers. I thank Turner Classic Movies for showing it.