Joe Panther (1976)

A young Seminole indian boy comes of age outside the Florida Everglades by trying to enter the establishment ( white man's world ). He gets work as crew member on ( brian Keith's ) fishing ... See full summary »

Director:

Paul Krasny

Writers:

Zachary Ball (novel), Dale Eunson

Stars:

Brian Keith, Ricardo Montalban, Alan Feinstein

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brian Keith	...	Capt. Harper
Ricardo Montalban	...	Turtle George
Alan Feinstein	...	Rocky
Cliff Osmond	...	Rance
A Martinez	...	Billy Tiger
Ray Tracey	...	Joe Panther
Robert Hoffman	...	George Harper
Gem Thorpe Osceola	...	Tommy Panther
Lois Red Elk	...	Joe's Mother
Monika Ramirez	...	Jenny Rainbow
Ilse Earl	...	Woman Tourist
Bette Shoor	...	Tourist, principal
Alexander Panas	...	Mexican Man at houseboat
Thomas Monahan	...	Man #3 (as Tom Monahan)
Bobby Tiger	...	Seminole Man

Storyline

A young Seminole indian boy comes of age outside the Florida Everglades by trying to enter the establishment ( white man's world ). He gets work as crew member on ( brian Keith's ) fishing boat, hunts for alligators and has cathartic encounters with bad guys trying to bring illegal aliens into Florida on fishing boats.

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel | independent film

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Taglines:

Every dream has a price...He paid it.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

October 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Monster of Gator Swamp

Filming Locations:

Miami, Florida, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"The Time Has Come"
Sung by England Dan & John Ford Coley
Music by Fred Karlin
Lyric by Norman Gimbel

User Reviews

Great acting and touching story

Seminole Indian Joe Panther (Ray Tracey) dreams of a living outside of alligator wrestling shows for tourists with his friend Tiger (A Martinez). He decides to apply for a job as a ship hand for Captain Harper (Brian Keith) and, while he gets the job, is unprepared for the harsh reality of the white man's world. Thankfully, he has wise Turtle (Ricardo Montalban) around to offer him advice. I occasionally have to wash the movie muck out of my head and this G-rated flick was the antidote from my depraved/pathetic viewings. Based on a book by Zachary Ball, it is a gentle coming-of-age story that benefits from great performances, good Florida locations, a cool dog and some excellent underwater photography (done by Ricou Browning, the "Creature" from CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON). This was directed by TV vet Paul Krasny. The film was hilariously re-released under the title THE MONSTER OF GATOR SWAMP with advertising that made it look like a horror movie. I bet some folks were sure demanding their money back. There is also an excellent tune by England Dan & John Ford Coley that plays throughout the film. Sadly, the film is not on DVD.