''Mysterious Island'' is a 1951 American 15-chapter
movie serial
A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...
from
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
, the studio's 46th, that stars
Richard Crane,
Marshall Reed
Marshall Jewel Reed (May 28, 1917 – April 15, 1980) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1943 and 1978. He was born in Englewood, Colorado.
Early years
Reed's parents were Walter George Reed and Ruth Dustin. By a ...
, Karen Randle, and Ralph Hodges. It is an adaptation of
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...
's 1874 novel, ''
The Mysterious Island
''The Mysterious Island'' (french: L'Île mystérieuse) is a novel by Jules Verne, published in 1875. The original edition, published by Hetzel, contains a number of illustrations by Jules Férat. The novel is a crossover sequel to Verne's fam ...
'' (''L'Île mystérieuse''). As in the original story, which was Verne's follow-up to ''
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' (french: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers) is a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne.
The novel was originally serialized from March 1869 through June 1870 in Pierre-Ju ...
'', this serial is set in 1865. However, Columbia's screenwriters added alien
Mercurians as an additional set of villains. The serial has been labeled a
space opera
Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soci ...
version of Verne's novel.
Plot
During the siege of
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
, in the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
,
POW
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...
Capt.
Cyrus Harding escapes from his Confederate captors in a rather unusual way – by hijacking
an observation balloon. In his escape, Harding is accompanied by sailor Pencroft, his nephew Bert, writer Gideon, loyal soldier Neb, and a dog. A hurricane blows the balloon off course, and the group eventually crash-lands on a cliff-bound, volcanic, uncharted (and fictitious) island, located in the South Pacific, with very unusual inhabitants. They name it "Lincoln Island" in honour of American President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
.
The castaways soon encounter a group of people that include the local natives (who worship the island's volcano), Rulu (a woman from Mercury trying to extract an unnamed superexplosive element in order to conquer the Earth),
Ayrton (a wild man exiled on the island) and Captain Shard (a ruthless pirate). A mystery man, who possesses great scientific powers, also makes his presence known to the group of people; he is
Captain Nemo
Captain Nemo (; later identified as an Indian, Prince Dakkar) is a fictional character created by the French novelist Jules Verne (1828–1905). Nemo appears in two of Verne's science-fiction classics, ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' ( ...
, who survived the whirlpool in ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'', and unlike the character in the Disney film, was not fatally wounded by military troops from warships. On the way, our quintet of heroes must battle the elements and peoples while trying to figure out a way off the island and back to civilization.
Cast
*
Richard Crane as Capt.
Cyrus Harding
*
Marshall Reed
Marshall Jewel Reed (May 28, 1917 – April 15, 1980) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1943 and 1978. He was born in Englewood, Colorado.
Early years
Reed's parents were Walter George Reed and Ruth Dustin. By a ...
as Jack Pencroft
* Karen Randle as Rulu of Mercury
* Ralph Hodges as Herbert 'Bert' Brown
*
Gene Roth
Eugene Oliver Edgar Stutenroth (January 8, 1903 – July 19, 1976), known profesionally as Gene Roth, was an American film actor and film manager.
Early years
Roth was born in Redfield, South Dakota. He was the son of a German father and ...
as Pirate Capt. Shard
*
Hugh Prosser
Hugh Prosser (March 2, 1907 – November 8, 1952) was a Hollywood actor who appeared in over 90 films between 1936 and 1953.
A native of Illinois, Prosser was a versatile supporting performer particularly adept at playing unscrupulous villain ...
as Gideon Spillett
*
Leonard Penn
Leonard Penn (13 November 1907 – 20 May 1975) was an American film, television and theatre actor.
Early life and education
Penn was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, to parents Marcus Penn and Eva Monson. He majored in drama at Columbia U ...
as
Captain Nemo
Captain Nemo (; later identified as an Indian, Prince Dakkar) is a fictional character created by the French novelist Jules Verne (1828–1905). Nemo appears in two of Verne's science-fiction classics, ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' ( ...
*
Terry Frost
Sir Terence Ernest Manitou Frost RA (13 October 1915 – 1 September 2003) was a British abstract artist, who worked in Newlyn, Cornwall. Frost was renowned for his use of the Cornish light, colour and shape to start a new art movement in ...
as
Ayrton - The Wild Man
*
Rusty Wescoatt
Norman "Rusty" Wescoatt (August 2, 1911 – September 3, 1987) was an American supporting actor who appeared in over 80 films between 1947 and 1965.
Early life
The son of Mr. and Mrs. W.W. Wescoatt, he was born on August 2, 1911, in Maui, Hawai ...
as Moley
*
Bernard Hamilton
Bernard (''Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It is also a surname.
The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern'' "bear" and ''hard'' "brav ...
as Neb (as Bernard Hamilton)
*
Stanley Blystone
William Stanley Blystone (August 1, 1894 – July 16, 1956) was an American film actor who made more than 500 films appearances between 1924 and 1956. He was sometimes billed as William Blystone or William Stanley.
Early years
Blystone was ...
as Confederate Officer (uncredited)
*
Tom Tyler
Tom Tyler (born Vincent Markowski; August 9, 1903 – May 1, 1954) was an American actor known for his leading roles in low-budget Western films in the silent and sound eras, and for his portrayal of superhero Captain Marvel in the 1941 s ...
as Union Rider (uncredited)
Chapter titles
# Lost in Space
# Sinister Savages
# Savage Justice
# Wild Man at Large
# Trail of the Mystery Man
# The Pirates Attack
# Menace of the Mercurians
# Between Two Fires
# Shrine of the Silver Bird
# Fighting Fury
# Desperate Chances
# Mystery of the Mine
# Jungle Deadfall
# Men from Tomorrow
# The Last of the Mysterious Island
Source:
Production
Costumes belonging Western Costume Company were recycled from earlier serials for use in ''Mysterious Island''. The Mercurian soldiers wear shirts from Universal's ''
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' adve ...
'' and masks from Columbia's ''
The Spider's Web''.
Critical reception
Authors
Jim Harmon
James Judson Harmon (21 April 1933 – 16 February 2010), better known as Jim Harmon, was an American short story author and popular culture historian who wrote extensively about the Golden Age of Radio. He sometimes used the pseudonym Judson Gre ...
and
Donald F. Glut
Donald F. Glut (; born February 19, 1944) is an American writer, motion picture film director, and screenwriter. He is best known for writing The Empire Strikes Back (novel), the novelization of the second ''Star Wars'' film, ''The Empire Strikes ...
were largely positive when writing about the serial: "Although fantastic beyond credibility, ''Mysterious Island'' actually contained more elements from the original source than most such adaptations of the sound era".
References
External links
*
*
*
Mysterious Island at Cinefania.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mysterious Island (Serial)
1951 films
1950s English-language films
1950s science fiction films
1950s fantasy films
American fantasy adventure films
American black-and-white films
Films based on The Mysterious Island
Columbia Pictures film serials
Films directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet
Films set in 1865
Fiction set on Mercury (planet)
American fantasy
American science fiction films
Films with screenplays by George H. Plympton
American Civil War films
1950s American films