''Omoo-Omoo the Shark God'' is a 1949 American

exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that seeks commercial success by capitalizing on current trends, niche genres, or sensational content. Exploitation films often feature themes such as suggestive or explicit sex, sensational violence, drug use, nudi ...

directed by Leon Leonard. Loosely based on the

Herman Melville Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works ar ...

novel ''

Omoo ''Omoo: A Narrative of Adventures in the South Seas'' is the second book by American writer Herman Melville, first published in London in 1847, and a sequel to his first South Seas narrative '' Typee'', also based on the author's experiences in ...

'', it is about the curses that befall a ship following the removal of pearls from an island

shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...

. The film is also known as ''The Shark God'' in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Plot

A sea captain has violated the tabu of a South Sea Island by removing some pearls that are the eyes of an idol of the Shark God. The captain is killed by two crew members who want the pearls.

Cast

Ron Randell Ronald Egan Randell (8 October 1918 – 11 June 2005) was an Australian actor. After beginning his acting career on the stage in 1937, he played Charles Kingsford Smith in the film '' Smithy'' (1946). He also had roles in '' Bulldog Drummond ...

as Jeff Garland * Devera Burton as Julie Guy *

Trevor Bardette Trevor Bardette (born Terva Gaston Hubbard; November 19, 1902 – November 28, 1977) was an American film and television actor. Among many other roles in his long and prolific career, Bardette appeared in several episodes of ''Adventures of Su ...

as Capt. Roger Guy *

Pedro de Cordoba Pedro de Cordoba (September 28, 1881 – September 16, 1950) was an American actor. Biography De Cordoba was born in New York City to parents who were French and Cuban in origin. He was a classically trained theatre actor who confessed h ...

as Chief Tari *

Richard Benedict Richard "Pepe" Benedict (born Riccardo Benedetto, January 8, 1920 – April 29, 1984) was an Italian-American television and film actor and director. He was born in Palermo, Italy. Career He appeared in dozens of television programs and movies ...

as Mate Richards * Michael Whalen as "Chips" * Rudy Robles as Tembo *

George Meeker George Meeker (March 5, 1904 – August 19, 1984 ) was an American Character actor, character film and Broadway theatre, Broadway actor. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Meeker made several films such as ''Crime, Inc.'' (1 ...

as Dr. Godfrey Long * Lisa Kincaid as Tala

Reception

''Variety'' called it "an unpretentious jungle picture" in which the action sequences "seldom achieve an aura of realism" and "performances are generally listless with Randell turning in the most credible job."Review of film
at Variety

References

External links

* * * ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'
review''Omoo Omoo the Shark God''
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...

''Omoo Omoo the Shark God''
at BFI 1949 films 1949 drama films American drama films American independent films American black-and-white films 1940s exploitation films Films based on American novels Films based on works by Herman Melville Films scored by Albert Glasser Films set in Oceania 1940s independent films Films set on islands 1940s English-language films 1940s American films {{exploitation-film-stub