''Underwater!'' is a 1955

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, an ...

directed by John Sturges and starring Jane Russell and Richard Egan.

Plot synopsis

Johnny and his wife Theresa, along with mercenary Dominic Quesada, priest Father Cannon and Gloria, the boat owner, search for sunken treasure in the Caribbean. While on a dive they come across a wreck that they assume holds treasure. When they resurface they are confronted by a local boat of shark hunters with an unhealthy curiosity in their activities. In their effort to find funding to raise the wreck they discover that what they are looking for is a 17th-century ship that contains a life-size solid gold

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

encrusted in precious gems and that it lies in a different underwater location. So they make plans to acquire it. However, it is on the edge of a precipice in shark-infested waters, and they are not the only ones after it.

Cast

* Jane Russell – Theresa Gray * Richard Egan – Johnny Gray * Gilbert Roland – Dominic Quesada * Lori Nelson – Gloria * Robert Keith – Father Cannon *

Joseph Calleia Joseph Calleia ( ; born Joseph Alexander Caesar Herstall Vincent Calleja, August 4, 1897 – October 31, 1975) was a Maltese-born American actor and singer on the stage and in films, radio and television. After serving in the British Transport ...

– Rico Herrera *

Eugene Iglesias Eugene Luis Francisco Iglesias Carrillo (born 3 December 1926) is an American actor from Puerto Rico who was active mainly in 1950s and 1960s. In 1955 Iglesias appeared as Alfredo on the TV western ''Cheyenne'' in the episode "Border Showdown." ...

– Miguel Vega * Ric Roman – Jesus

Production

Partially filmed on location in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, ''Underwater!'' was completed in a newly constructed underwater tank in an

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

soundstage. It was the first RKO film released in Superscope. Lori Nelson claimed Howard Hughes wanted her for the lead and paid

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

for her use; however, Jane Russell owed RKO a film. The lead was given to Russell with a part written for Nelson so she could keep her fee.

Soundtrack

The film contained the songs "

Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" or "Cerezo Rosa" or "Ciliegi Rosa" or "Gummy Mambo", is the English version of "Cerisiers Roses et Pommiers Blancs", a popular song with music by Louiguy written in 1950. French lyrics to the song by Jacq ...

" and " Rhythm Sticks" performed by Perez "Prez" Prado and his Orchestra ("

The King of the Mambo ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

").

Release

For its world premiere on January 10, 1955, the film was projected on a submerged movie screen at Silver Springs,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, and members of the press viewed the film 20 feet underwater while wearing aqualungs. The song "

" featured in the film became a major hit.

References

External links

* {{Howard Hughes 1955 films 1950s action adventure films American action adventure films Films directed by John Sturges Films scored by Roy Webb Films set in the Caribbean Films shot in Hawaii Films shot in Mexico RKO Pictures films Treasure hunt films Underwater action films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films