The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959)

A disgraced merchant marine officer elects to stay aboard his sinking cargo ship in order to prove the vessel was deliberately scuttled and, as a result, vindicate his good name.

Director:

Michael Anderson

Writers:

Eric Ambler (screenplay), Hammond Innes (novel)

Stars:

Gary Cooper, Charlton Heston, Michael Redgrave

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gary Cooper	...	Gideon Patch
Charlton Heston	...	John Sands
Michael Redgrave	...	Mr. Nyland
Emlyn Williams	...	Sir Wilfred Falcett
Cecil Parker	...	The Chairman
Alexander Knox	...	Petrie
Virginia McKenna	...	Janet Taggart
Richard Harris	...	Higgins
Ben Wright	...	Mike
Peter Illing	...	Gunderson
Terence de Marney	...	Frank
Ashley Cowan	...	Burrows
Charles Davis	...	Yules, Quartermaster on Mary Deare

Storyline

In the English Channel John Sands, captain of a small rescue ship, finds the freighter Mary Deare drifting. Although there's only a little fire, the whole crew seems to have left the ship. John's already looking forward to a large salvage fee, but then he finds first officer Gerald Patch still on board, who sends him away. Although he doesn't understand yet what happened on the Mary Deere, Sands allows Patch to persuade him not to talk about what he saw on board and to drag out the official investigation of the incident.

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Plot Keywords:

salvage | english channel | merchant marine | ship scuttling | underwater | 

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Taglines:

From the great suspense Best Seller about the ghost ship Mary Deare!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 November 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Misterio en el barco perdido

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blaustein-Baroda

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The task of bringing this novel to the screen was originally assigned to writer Ernest Lehman and director Alfred Hitchcock. Lehman eventually went to Hitchcock and told him that he couldn't come up with anything. Hitchcock told him not to worry about it, that they'd do something else. Lehman said, "But what about MGM?" Hitchcock replied "We won't tell them." That "something else" that they came up with was North by Northwest.

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Quotes

Sir Wilfred Falcett: [During court testimony] After the loss of the Silver Isle, you found yourself, as the saying goes, "on the beach" for some considerable time, did you not?
Gideon Patch: Yes.
Sir Wilfred Falcett: You were glad to be taken on as a third officer?
Gideon Patch: Yes.
Sir Wilfred Falcett: That must have been a bitter experience for you, the sort of experience ends to put a chip on a man's shoulder. Wouldn't you agree?
Gideon Patch: That depends on the man!

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Connections

Featured in Destination Hitchcock: The Making of 'North by Northwest' (2000)

User Reviews

Just seeing these two legends together on screen makes this movie worth a look

Anyone connected to the sea or anyone who just likes a good sea story is going to love this movie. This movie isn't Ben Hur or High Noon nor does it try to be, but this is still a very worthwhile movie. The opening scenes of this film set it's mysterious and eerie tempo, almost a film nourish character that carries the viewer through the movie. I particularly enjoyed the scenes depicting the ship itself and found them to be more realistic and believable and better shot than almost any other movie of the genre. I can only hope that one day this long forgotten film with be rediscovered and find a new audience in a DVD version.