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''Naked Paradise'' (sometimes credited as ''Thunder Over Hawaii'') is a 1957
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
directed by
Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...
. It stars
Richard Denning Richard Denning (March 27, 1914 – October 11, 1998) was an American actor who starred in science fiction films of the 1950s, including ''Unknown Island'' (1948), ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' (1954), '' Target Earth'' (1954), ''Day the ...
and
Beverly Garland Beverly Lucy Garland (née Fessenden; October 17, 1926 – December 5, 2008) was an American actress. Her work in feature films primarily consisted of small parts in a few major productions or leads in low-budget action or science-fiction movie ...
. Corman later asked Charles Griffith, who worked on the script, to reuse his screenplay for ''
Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...
'' (1960), ''
Beast from Haunted Cave ''Beast from Haunted Cave'' is a 1959 horror/ heist film directed by Monte Hellman and starring Michael Forest, Frank Wolff and Richard Sinatra. It was produced by Gene Corman, Roger Corman's brother. Filmed in South Dakota at the same time a ...
'' (1960) and ''
Creature from the Haunted Sea ''Creature from the Haunted Sea'' is a 1961 horror comedy film directed by Roger Corman. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the film is a parody of spy, gangster, and monster movies (mostly ''Creature from the Black Lagoon''), concerning a secret a ...
'' (1961).


Plot

Duke Bradley's boat is hired to sail a group to the
Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...
. His passengers include Zac Cotton, alcoholic girlfriend Max McKenzie and a pair of thugs, Mitch and Stony, who following a
lūʻau A lūʻau ( haw, lūʻau, also anglicized as "luau") is a traditional Hawaiian party or feast that is usually accompanied by entertainment. It may feature food such as poi, ''kālua puaʻa'' (kālua pig), poke, lomi salmon, ʻopihi, and hau ...
, without Duke's knowledge, rob a plantation of its payroll. The gang intends to continue on to another island in the South Pacific, but tempers flare after Max is struck by Zac, which causes Duke to quit, demanding payment. As he is about to set sail, Max asks to go with him, determined to change her life. A hurricane hits, however, forcing Duke to turn back. On arrival, he is beaten unconscious by Mitch and Stony while the woman is roughed up by Zac. Zac intends to make off with Duke's schooner and takes a local girl, Lanai, as a hostage, shooting Stony, who objects to this. A fight ensues in which Duke triumphs after Zac is killed by the boat's propeller. Duke and Max sail away.


Cast

*
Beverly Garland Beverly Lucy Garland (née Fessenden; October 17, 1926 – December 5, 2008) was an American actress. Her work in feature films primarily consisted of small parts in a few major productions or leads in low-budget action or science-fiction movie ...
as Max *
Richard Denning Richard Denning (March 27, 1914 – October 11, 1998) was an American actor who starred in science fiction films of the 1950s, including ''Unknown Island'' (1948), ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' (1954), '' Target Earth'' (1954), ''Day the ...
as Duke *
Dick Miller Richard Miller (December 25, 1928 – January 30, 2019) was an American character actor who appeared in more than 180 films, including many produced by Roger Corman. He later appeared in the films of directors who began their careers with Corm ...
as Mitch *
Jonathan Haze Jonathan Haze (born Jack Schachter; April 1, 1929) is an American actor, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work in Roger Corman films, especially the 1960 black comedy cult classic, ''The Little Shop of Horrors'', in which he p ...
as Stony *
Leslie Bradley Leslie Ernest Bradley (1 September 1907 – 20 July 1974) was an English actor. He died in Desert Hot Springs, California. Filmography * '' The Way of Youth'' (1934) as Lieut. Burton (film debut) * ''Play Up the Band'' (1935) as Jack Heck ...
as Zac *
Lisa Montell Lisa Janti (born July 5, 1933), known as Lisa Montell when performing as a Hollywood actress of the 1950–60s, later shifted her career to one of advocacy and service to various disadvantaged groups and to her adopted religion, the Baháʼí Fa ...
as Lanai


Production

In early July 1956 it was announced Beverly Garland would star in ''Naked Paradise'' by R. Wright Campbell directed by Roger Corman. Garland had made several films for Corman, including '' Not of This Earth'', ''
It Conquered the World ''It Conquered the World'' is an independently made 1956 American black-and-white science fiction film, produced and directed by Roger Corman, starring Peter Graves, Lee Van Cleef, Beverly Garland, and Sally Fraser. ''It Conquered the World'' was ...
'', and ''
Gunslinger Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the t ...
''. A few days later it was announced
John Ireland John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in ''All the King's Men'' (1949), making him the first Vancouver-born actor to receive an Oscar nomina ...
, who had just made ''Gunslinger'' for Corman under a two-picture deal, would be Garland's costar. Filming was to begin on September 12. In August it was announced the film would star Lisa Montell, who had been in ''
Shark Reef Shark Reef Aquarium is a public aquarium on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is located at and owned by the Mandalay Bay resort. The attraction opened on June 20, 2000. Its main tank is , one of the largest in North America.Robert Wright Campbell Robert Wright Campbell (June 9, 1927–September 21, 2000), often credited as R. Wright Campbell or Robert Campbell, was an American screenwriter, author and occasional actor. He was the brother of actor William Campbell and brother in law o ...
's script was rewritten by
Charles B. Griffith Charles Byron Griffith (September 23, 1930 – September 28, 2007) was an American screenwriter, actor and film director, son of Donna Dameral, radio star of ''Myrt and Marge'', along with Charles' grandmother, Myrtle Vail, and was best known ...
.Aaron W. Graham, 'Little Shop of Genres: An interview with Charles B. Griffith', ''Senses of Cinema'', 15 April, 2005
accessed 25 June 2012 Filming started 2 September 1956. The film was shot in two weeks on location in
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 ...
, back-to-back with ''
She Gods of Shark Reef ''She Gods of Shark Reef'' is a 1958 B- adventure film directed by Roger Corman that was partially filmed on location in Kaua'i back to back with '' Thunder over Hawaii'' in 1956. The film was distributed in 1958 by American International Picture ...
''.
Samuel Arkoff Samuel Zachary Arkoff (June 12, 1918 – September 16, 2001) was an American producer of B movies. Life and career Arkoff was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, to Russian Jewish parents. He was the son of Helen (Lurie) and Louis Arkoff, who ran his ...
of AIP has a small role in the movie. Arkoff later recalled:
We went over to Hawaii — me, my two kids and my wife, Jim Nicholson with his wife and three kids. Roger told me to come over to where he was shooting, and he gave me this one line to read to Richard Denning: “It’s been a good harvest, and the money is in the safe.” Now that's a key line (laughs)! That was my first and last role; I’ve never been asked back into any of ’em since!
The Cocoa Palms Hotel received an on screen credit in exchange for housing the films stars at a reduced rate. Garland recalled "We filmed on the island of Kauai, stayed at the Coca Palms Hotel and had great accommodations. Roger really did this one up the right way. I don't know if it was because we were at this beautiful location and Roger simply felt like spending more, but it was one of the best locations ever, especially for a Roger Corman film." However it would be the last film Garland made for the director.


Release

The film was initially released as a
double feature The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown. Opera use Opera ho ...
with ''
Flesh and the Spur ''Flesh and the Spur'' is a 1956 Western film directed by Edward L. Cahn. The film stars John Agar as Lucius Random, Marla English as Wild Willow and Mike Connors (billed here as Touch Connors) as Stacy Tanner. The film was released by American ...
'' It was re-released in 1960 under the title ''Thunder over Hawaii''.


Reception

''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' found the film colorful, with interesting action and a well-knit story. ''
Monthly Film Bulletin ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with ''Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a ...
'' found the picture beautifully shot but average in other facets. The ''Los Angeles Times'' said "some beautiful Hawaiian scenery, an excellent performance by Richard Denning... and a very believable characterisation by Beverly Garland make the picture quite tolerable."Variety of Violence Found in Double Bill G M W. Los Angeles Times 22 Mar 1957: A8.


Notes


External links

*
Review of film
at Variety {{Roger Corman 1957 films 1950s adventure drama films American black-and-white films 1950s English-language films Films directed by Roger Corman Films set in Hawaii Films shot in Hawaii American International Pictures films American adventure drama films Films produced by Roger Corman Films with screenplays by Charles B. Griffith Films with screenplays by Robert Wright Campbell Films scored by Ronald Stein 1957 drama films 1950s American films