Donovan's Reef (1963)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Edmund Beloin (story)
James Edward Grant (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

12 June 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

'Guns' Donovan prefers carousing with his pals Doc Dedham and 'Boats' Gilhooley, until Dedham's high-society...

Plot Keywords:

Church | Macho | Friendly Brawl | Faith | Colonial Protectorate

Cast

John Wayne	...	Michael Patrick 'Guns' Donovan
Lee Marvin	...	Thomas Aloysius 'Boats' Gilhooley
Elizabeth Allen	...	Ameilia Sarah Dedham
Jack Warden	...	Dr. William Dedham
Cesar Romero	...	Marquis Andre de Lage
Dick Foran	...	Australian Navy Officer
Dorothy Lamour	...	Miss Lafleur
Marcel Dalio	...	Father Cluzeot
Mike Mazurki	...	Sgt. Monk Menkowicz
Jacqueline Malouf	...	Lelani Dedham
Cherylene Lee	...	Sally Dedham
Jeffrey Byron	...	Luki Dedham (as Tim Stafford)
Edgar Buchanan	...	Boston Attorney
Jon Fong	...	Mister Eu
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frank Baker	...	Capt. Martin (uncredited)
Carmen Estrabeau	...	Sister Gabrielle (uncredited)
Harold Fong	...	Sells Ameilia a swimsuit (uncredited)
Dan Ford	...	Child (uncredited)
Duke Green	...	Mate (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Family council member (uncredited)
Fred Jones	...	Family council member (uncredited)
June Y. Kim	...	Servant (uncredited)
Carl M. Leviness	...	Family council member (uncredited)
King Lockwood	...	Lawyer (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	...	Australian Navy officer (uncredited)
Mae Marsh	...	Family council member (uncredited)
Michelle Mazurki	...	(uncredited)
Ron Nyman	...	Naval officer (uncredited)
Yvonne Peattie	...	Sister Matthew (uncredited)
John Qualen	...	Deck hand who cries "Man Overboard" (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	...	Festus (uncredited)
Scott Seaton	...	Family council member (uncredited)
Charles Seel	...	Grand uncle Sedley Atterbury (uncredited)
John Stafford	...	Child (uncredited)
Sara Taft	...	Family council member (uncredited)
Ralph Volkie	...	James (uncredited)
Aissa Wayne	...	Native girl (uncredited)
Patrick Wayne	...	Navy Lieutenant (uncredited)

Directed by
John Ford

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Edmund Beloin		story
James Edward Grant		writer
James Michener		story (uncredited)
Frank S. Nugent		writer (as Frank Nugent)

Produced by
John Ford	....	producer

Original Music by
Cyril J. Mockridge		(as Cyril Mockridge)

Cinematography by
William H. Clothier

Film Editing by
Otho Lovering

Art Direction by
Eddie Imazu
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Darrell Silvera

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Nellie Manley	....	hair styles supervisor
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
Don Robb	....	unit production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Wingate Smith	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Charles Grenzbach	....	sound recordist
Hugo Grenzbach	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	process photography
Paul K. Lerpae	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Jerry Gatlin	....	stunts (uncredited)
Duke Green	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tom Hennesy	....	stunts (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	....	stunts (uncredited)
Boyd 'Red' Morgan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hal Needham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Leo C. Richmond	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Wally Rose	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bernie Abramson	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Richard Mueller	....	color consultant: Technicolor

Music Department
Jack Hayes	....	orchestrator
Leo Shuken	....	orchestrator
Irvin Talbot	....	conductor

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures
• John Ford Productions

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1963) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount (1963) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1966) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Paramount Home Video (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Paramount (2006) (France) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #20357) | West Germany:12 (nf) | Finland:S | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Kaua`i, Hawaii, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

In the beginning, Gilhooley tells the captain who "shanghai'd" him that they were supposed to be at the island "on the 7th". Taking into account the time-line of the movie, ending on Christmas, that would make Donovan and Gilhooley's birthday as December 7th, the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Goofs:

Continuity: Ameilia loses her stockings after falling in the water.

Quotes:

Michael Patrick 'Guns' Donovan: [Sending Morse Code message to Doc] Let's have it.
Michael Patrick 'Guns' Donovan: [Reads note from Gilhooley] "Doc, Mayday, your Boston dotter here." Dotter, D-O-T-T-E-R.
Thomas Aloysius 'Boats' Gilhooley: That's right. Two T's.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That (2005) (TV)

John Ford and John Wayne's last hurrah.....together

From the very beginning of this movie you know what you have let yourself in for, when Lee Marvin belts the ship's bosun over the ear with a broom. Followed by, "Permission to leave the ship"; then literally jumps ship and swims for the beach. You realize then that you are in for 150 minutes of a Fordian, boisterous knockabout comedy.

This was the last time that Ford and Wayne would team up together. Maybe this production was a farewell rave-up for both of them. With Lee Marvin thrown in to assist in turning it into a roughhouse just for the hell of it. Added to this pugilistic mixture, you have the jumbo-sized heavyweight, Mike Mazurki, serving as a French Colonial Gendarme. As a welcome opposite to the boisterous muscle we have the smooth, suave Cesar Romero, oozing glossy charm and good manners, serving as the colonial governor of this supposed French Polynesian paradise. Add to that, Dorothy Lamour, back in the sarong after a long absence, as a duskey maiden-type decoration. The three children belonging to Doctor Dedham add a nice child-like innocence to this warring male atmosphere. Here the softer side of Big John comes to the surface when he tries to comfort the eldest of the three children who becomes emotional over her half-cast origins. Elizabeth Allen adds a well bred prim and proper touch of class to this nonsensical tropical South Pacific potion.

This movie then, has a friendly-like approach to bar room brawling with smiles thrown in. Harmless and bruising fun all the way. I always imagine that this kind of rough and tumble movie seems to be "cobbled" together...somehow. Then everything seems to fall into place at the end. The end result being order out of chaos.

It's a sad to think that nearly all the lead characters plus John Ford, have all faded out and gone to the big movie studio in the sky. God help anybody else up there with this lot! That's all.