''Hell Ship Mutiny'' is a 1957 American

South Seas Today the term South Seas, or South Sea, is used in several contexts. Most commonly it refers to the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of the equator. In 1513, when Spanish conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa coined the term ''Mar del Sur'', ...

adventure film directed by

Lee Sholem Lee Tabor Sholem (May 25, 1913 in Paris, Illinois, – August 19, 2000 in Los Angeles, California) was an American television and film director. Nicknamed ""Roll 'Em" Sholem", he is identified more than anyone else in the industry with speed a ...

and

Elmo Williams James Elmo Williams (April 30, 1913 – November 25, 2015) was an American film and television editor, producer, director and executive. His work on the film ''High Noon'' (1952) received the Academy Award for Best Film Editing. In 2006, Williams ...

starring Jon Hall who also produced and narrated the film. It is a compilation of a 1955 unsold

television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distr ...

''Knight of the South Seas''. Hall's father Felix Locher plays the role of a native chief. This film is now in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

Plot

Captain Jim Knight, and his crew Roxy, Tula, and a chimp named Salty sail the

in search of adventure. They discover a criminal gang has taken over a small island, forcing the native pearl divers to dive beyond safe limits. After capturing the three-man gang, Knight takes them to

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...

for trial where the men escape and force Knight to sail them to New Zealand. Knight subdues them again but this time a minor French magistrate is sent to the island to try them there. The magistrate joins the criminals when a native boy locates the wreck of a lost ship containing a Burmese king's treasure.

Cast

Production

In October 1955 Jon Hall, who had just finished starring in ''

Ramar of the Jungle ''Ramar of the Jungle'' is an American television series that starred Jon Hall as Dr. Tom ReynoldsMcNeil, Alex (1996). ''Total Television''. Penguin Books USA, Inc. . P. 683. (the titular "ramar" being an African title for a white medicine man). ...

'', announced he would play a sea captain in a new TV series ''Knight of the South Seas''. It would be made by his own production company, Lovina. In December Hedda Hopper reported that Hall had already shot footage in the south seas and signed his first co-star, John Carradine. Filming started 15 December 1955 at Fox Western Avenue studios. Two episodes were filmed. In May 1956 Hall announced the series would premiere in Tahiti, where Hall grew up. The pilot was not picked up so Hall combined the episodes for a feature film.

Reception

The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' said "apart from the fights and good underwater shots this juvenile adventure film sadly lacks vitality."HELL SHIP MUTINY Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 26, Iss. 300, (1 Jan 1959): 19.

References

External links