''Down to Their Last Yacht'' is a 1934 comic adventure produced and distributed by RKO Pictures.

Plot

After the

stock market crash of 1929 The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...

, the Colt-Stratton family is forced to rent their yacht to the nouveau riche at the behest of Nella Fitzgerald (

Polly Moran Pauline Theresa Moran (June 28, 1883 – January 25, 1952) billed as Polly Moran, was an American actress of vaudeville, stage and screen and comedian. Career Born in Chicago, Illinois, Moran started in vaudeville, and widely toured North A ...

), including gambler Barry Forbes ( Sidney Blackmer) and his sidekick Freddy Finn (

Sterling Holloway Sterling Price Holloway Jr. (January 4, 1905 – November 22, 1992) was an American actor and voice actor who appeared in over 100 films and 40 television shows. He did voice acting for The Walt Disney Company, playing Mr. Stork in '' Dumbo'', A ...

). When Freddy rigs the yacht's roulette wheel to respond to his saxophone, he is caught, but moments later, Captain "Sunny Jim" Roberts (

Ned Sparks Ned Sparks (born Edward Arthur Sparkman, November 19, 1883 – April 3, 1957) was a Canadian-born character actor of the American stage and screen. He was known for his deadpan expression and comically nasal, monotone delivery. Life and career ...

) runs the yacht aground on the South Sea Island of Malakamokolu, ruled by Queen Malakamokalu (

Mary Boland Mary Boland (born Marie Anne Boland; January 28, 1882 – June 23, 1965) was an American stage and film actress. Early years Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Boland was the daughter of repertory actor William Augustus Boland, and his wife M ...

), a white woman, who takes the passengers as forced labor. Tiring them, she offers to release them if Barry stays to marry her. However, once she hears Freddy play his saxophone, she falls in love with him and plans to blow up the yacht with a bomb. Barry manages to rescue the passengers, not the boat, and they accept their new home in the tropics.

Cast

as Queen Malakamokalu *

as Nella Fitzgerald *

as Captain "Sunny Jim" Roberts * Sidney Fox as Linda Colt-Stratton * Sidney Blackmer as Barry Forbes *

as Freddy Finn *

Marjorie Gateson Marjorie Augusta Gateson (January 17, 1891 – April 17, 1977) was an American stage and film actress. Biography Gateson was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Augusta and Daniel Gateson. Her maternal grandfather and brother were clergymen; So ...

as Mrs. Geoffrey Colt-Stratton *

Irene Franklin Irene Franklin (June 13, 1885 - June 16, 1941) was an American actress on stage and screen, vaudeville comedian, and singer. Biography Irene Franklin was born in Saint Louis, Missouri, in 1885. While many sources have suggested her birth year as ...

as Mrs. Gilhooley * Charles Coleman as Sir Guy *

Felix Knight William Felix Knight (stage name: Felix Knight, November 1, 1908 – June 18, 1998), was an American tenor, actor, and vocal teacher, best known for his role as Tom-Tom in the 1934 Laurel and Hardy holiday musical film '' Babes in Toyland''. ...

as Island Singer (uncredited)

Production

Two separate units were used to speed the production, one directed by producer Lou Brock and the other by director Paul Sloane. Sam White was hired to direct retakes, supervised by Brock, which involved re-shooting a quarter of the film. Brock was given carte blanche on the film, which went considerably over budget; it turned out to be his last production for RKO."Notes"
on

TCM.com Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of Atl ...

Reception

''The New York Times'' review of the film called the movie "a sorry melange of Hollywood native dancing, theme-song singing and preposterous comedy." The film was a box-office disappointment for RKO.

References

Notes

External links

''Down to Their Last Yacht'' at IMDb.com''Down to Their Last Yacht'' ; allmovie.com synopsis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Down to Their Last Yacht 1934 films 1934 comedy films American adventure comedy films American black-and-white films Films scored by Roy Webb Films set on islands RKO Pictures films 1930s adventure comedy films Films directed by Paul Sloane 1930s English-language films 1930s American films