Hell Ship Mutiny (1957)

Jim Knight is the captain of a ship trading in the South Seas. He runs into trouble when he makes port at an island where crooks Malone and Ross hold the natives under their cruel ... See full summary »

Directors:

Lee Sholem, Elmo Williams

Writers:

DeVallon Scott (screenplay), Wells Root (screenplay)

Stars:

Jon Hall, John Carradine, Peter Lorre

Cast

Credited cast:
Jon Hall	...	Capt. Jim Knight
John Carradine	...	Malone
Peter Lorre	...	Commissioner Lamoret
Roberta Haynes	...	Princess Mareva
Mike Mazurki	...	Ross
Charles Mauu	...	Tula
Stanley Adams	...	Roxy
Danny Richards Jr.	...	Tatoa
Felix Locher	...	King Parea
Peter Coe	...	Prince Terahi
Michael Barrett	...	Pinky
Salvador Baguez	...	Kuala (as Salvador Bagues)
Salty the Chimp	...	Salty
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pua Almeida	...	Singer

Storyline

Jim Knight is the captain of a ship trading in the South Seas. He runs into trouble when he makes port at an island where crooks Malone and Ross hold the natives under their cruel domination while they seek a fortune in pearls. Knight and his crew are taken prisoners and he falls for native princess Mareva, and her non-plump charms are more than enough motivation for Knight to put an end to Malone and his henchmen, and also the the greedy police commissioner Lamoret.

---

Plot Keywords:

gold treasure | pearl | brandy | south seas | police commissioner | 

---

Taglines:

AN EXCITING STORY!.. Of Passionate Love...and High-Adventure in the South Pacific!

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Romance

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 December 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tema Tangi

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lovina Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

66 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This 1957 release consists of three episodes of the unsold TV series KNIGHT OF THE SOUTH SEAS, completed in 1955 following the demise of Jon Hall's RAMAR OF THE JUNGLE.

---

Soundtracks

Tema-Tangi
(uncredited)
Sung by Pua Almeida
Music by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter
Lyrics by Jon Hall and Lorraine Williams

User Reviews

John Carradine and Peter Lorre

If 1957's "Hell Ship Mutiny" looks like three TV pilots strung together (and with two directors listed) that's because that's exactly what it is, a 1955 unsold series titled KNIGHT OF THE SOUTH SEAS. Jon Hall, his acting career winding down (just two more features ahead), his recent TV series RAMAR OF THE JUNGLE now past, actually helped build up his father's acting career, as Swiss-born Felix Locher went on to do "Curse of the Faceless Man," "Frankenstein's Daughter," "House of the Damned," and STAR TREK's "The Deadly Years." Having opposed each other in "The Hurricane" and "The Invisible Man's Revenge," Hall and John Carradine are nearly the whole show in these poverty stricken circumstances, until Peter Lorre joins them in the third act, as a corrupt French commissioner whose interest in pearls almost equals Carradine's. Still looking fit and trim at 42, Jon Hall makes for a stolid hero, this vehicle designed to show off his underwater cinematography (his production company named after his grandmother Lovina), but its shipboard intrigues remain claustrophobically studio bound, the final battle beneath the sea rendered an unwatchable bore (the multi expensive James Bond film "Thunderball" encountered the same problem). Lorre as usual is underused but amusing, so it's up to the mustachioed Carradine to carry the perfunctory villainy; you can't be very effective if a tired Jon Hall can defeat you three times in the course of a 66 minute excuse for a feature. Carradine had previously crossed swords with Peter Coe in 1944's "House of Frankenstein," going back to the old contract days at 20th Century-Fox with Peter Lorre, equally memorable as hobos in "I'll Give a Million" (together again even in Lorre's last film, 1964's "The Patsy").