''Mystery Island'' is a 1937 Australian film shot almost entirely on location near

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland P ...

. It is best remembered for the mysterious disappearance of two of its cast after filming completed.

Plot

Two women and eight men are shipwrecked on a South Pacific island. There is a murderer amongst them. Only the murderer and the ship's captain knows his identity but the captain has lost his memory.

Cast

Brian Abbot Brian Abbot (1911– disappeared October 1936), real name George Rikard Bell, was an Australian actor best known for playing the male lead in ''Orphan of the Wilderness'' (1936) and the circumstances of his death. Biography George Rikard Bell (k ...

as Morris Carthew * Jean Laidley as Audrey Challoner * W. Lane-Bayliff as Captain Druce * William Carroll as Chief Officer Vowels * George Doran as Reverend Abel * Edward Druitt as Seabright * Desmond Hay (Leslie Hay-Simpson) as Packer * Mollie Kerwin as Miss Fortescue * Moncrieff Macallum as Green * Douglas Mackinnon as Cook

Production

The movie was mostly funded by Jack Bruce, who was the managing director of Commonwealth Film Laboratories. It was shot almost entirely on one of the Admiralty Inlets near

. A production unit of 20 sailed from Sydney in September 1936, taking £10,000 worth of equipment. Shooting went for a month and was marked by a number of difficulties, including constant rain, poor sound, the loss of 2,000 feet of exposed film which had to be reshot. The female lead, Jean Laidley (real name Jean Mort), had experience in amateur theatre. She was great-granddaughter of

Thomas Sutcliffe Mort Thomas Sutcliffe Mort (23 December 18169 May 1878) was an Australian industrialist who improved the refrigeration of meat. He was renowned for speculation in the local pastoral industry as well as industrial activities such as his Ice-Works in ...

. The unit returned to Sydney on 6 October. The shipwreck scene was completed in the studio of Commonwealth Film Laboratories in Sydney, being staged with models. Early newspaper reports that the film was based on a story by

Bruce Bairnsfather Captain Charles Bruce Bairnsfather (9 July 188729 September 1959) was a prominent British humour, humorist and cartoonist. His best-known cartoon character is Old Bill (comics), Old Bill. Bill and his pals Bert and Alf featured in Bairnsfather's ...

were scotched by his less famous brother, Captain T. D. Bairnsfather (died 18 April 1949), an employee of Sydney radio station 2KY, who claimed the credit (or took the blame). The screenplay was written by Harry Lauder, a nephew of

Harry Lauder Sir Henry Lauder (; 4 August 1870 – 26 February 1950)Russell, Dave"Lauder, Sir Henry (1870–1950)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online edition, January 2011, accessed 27 April 2014 was a S ...

, the great Scottish comedian.

Disappearance

Actors

and Leslie Hay-Simpson elected to stay on the island for a few weeks after filming, intending to sail back to the mainland together in a 16-foot open boat, called the ''Mystery Star'', which Abbot brought over with him. They left for Sydney on 6 October 1936 expecting to take 10–14 days. By 14 October a search had been launched. They were never heard of again.Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Reception

The film was released as a supporting feature. Reviews praised the scenery but were less fulsome about its dramatic qualities. Brian Abbot's (real name George Rikard Bell) widow later sued his life assurance company for £1000, the amount payable on his death but refused by the company. The insurers' defence, led by

Clive Evatt Clive Raleigh Evatt (6 June 1900 – 15 September 1984) was an Australian politician, barrister and raconteur. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1939 until 1959. At various times he sat as a member of the Industri ...

, KC, pointed out that the trip was a risky endeavor not disclosed to the insurers. The case was settled out of court.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0335306, title=Mystery Island
''Mystery Island''
at

Australian Screen Online The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

''Mystery Island''
at Oz Movies
Article written by Abbot on the island shortly before his death
1937 films Australian black-and-white films 1930s English-language films