Buccaneer's Girl (1950)

A New Orleans entertainer falls for a pirate who has another identity.

Director:

Frederick De Cordova (as Frederick de Cordova)

Writers:

Samuel R. Golding (story), Joseph Hoffman

Stars:

Yvonne De Carlo, Philip Friend, Robert Douglas

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Yvonne De Carlo	...	Deborah McCoy
Philip Friend	...	Frederic Baptiste
Robert Douglas	...	Narbonne
Elsa Lanchester	...	Mme. Brizar
Andrea King	...	Arlene Villon
Norman Lloyd	...	Patout
Jay C. Flippen	...	Jared Hawkins
Henry Daniell	...	Capt. Duval
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Capt. Martos (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Verna Felton	...	Dowager
John Qualen	...	Vegetable Man
Connie Gilchrist	...	Vegetable Woman
Ben Welden	...	Tom
Dewey Robinson	...	Kryl
Peggie Castle	...	Cleo

Storyline

Robin Hood-like pirate Baptiste takes only the ships of rich but wicked trader Narbonne. Fun loving Debbie, a passenger from his latest prize, stows away on the pirate ship and falls for the pirate; later, having become a New Orleans entertainer, she meets his alter ego, who's engaged to the governor's daughter. Sea battles and land rescues follow in lighthearted style.

---

Plot Keywords:

champagne | red wine | woman slaps a man | pirate | breeding | 

---

Taglines:

Universal-International's Fiery Swashbuckling Adventure!

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Musical | Romance

---

Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Yvonne De Carlo's first pirate movie. This film's working title was "Mademoiselle McCoy and the Pirate."

---

Quotes

Mme. Brizar: We've had an anxious day, Captain, wondering if it would be you or the police who would call on us. I haven't even let Debbie unpack.
Frederic Baptiste: It's safe for her to do so, but I'm here to ask her not to.
Deborah McCoy: Why not? Does my presence in New Orleans embarrass you?
Frederic Baptiste: On the contrary. New Orleans itself embarrasses me. Therefore, I'm sailing immediately and want you to go with me.
Deborah McCoy: Won't that be a little awkward - you and I and Madame Narbonne?
Frederic Baptiste: Then, you know.
Deborah McCoy: Yes, Madame Brizar was kind enough to tell me.
Mme. Brizar: At which point...

---

Soundtracks

Here's to the Ladies
Music by Walter Scharf
Lyrics by Jack Brooks
Sung by unknown actor

User Reviews

BUCCANEER'S GIRL (Frederick De Cordova, 1950) **

When this swashbuckling DVD set was announced, I was rather annoyed about the inclusion of three obscure efforts with the popular and vintage AGAINST ALL FLAGS (1952) starring Errol Flynn; well, having watched all three now, this proved to be perhaps the most resistible of them. For the record, my copy jumps from the Universal logo (preceding all their DVD releases) to the beginning of the film omitting the credits entirely, then it pixellated terribly around the 64-minute mark, so that I had to skip to the next chapter (thus missing a couple of minutes) in order to keep watching the thing through to its conclusion!

The plot has a New Orleans setting with a pirate named Baptiste (Philip Friend, an unknown actor to me but an okay lead under the circumstances) who hides under the guise of an aristocrat in order to keep up the fight with chief villain Robert Douglas (aided in his nefarious deeds by two other notable character actors – Norman Lloyd and Henry Daniell). Guttersnipe Yvonne de Carlo – I recall watching her other swashbuckler with director de Cordova, THE DESERT HAWK (1950), as a child – and upper-class Andrea King vie for the dashing Friend's attentions (at one point, the two let their hair down and engage in a catfight over him during a ball!), while Jay C. Flippen appears as the hero's right-hand man. Incidentally, having seen this immediately after DOUBLE CROSSBONES (1951), it was amusing to realize that some of the sea-battle footage from BUCCANEER'S GIRL was replicated wholesale into the Donald O'Connor vehicle!

The film itself would be tolerable enough if it weren't for two huge flaws: for one thing, the action-less climax has to be the lamest ever devised for this type of fare; much more queasy, unfortunately, are de Carlo's trio of songs (under the tutelage of typically eccentric Elsa Lanchester) – with the last of them occurring just minutes before the end titles! – and for which the creator of the embarrassingly corny choreography ought to have been made to walk the plank himself.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Debbie's Escape

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1