As senseless as an episode of "Gilligan's Island" (and possibly the film where Sherwood Schwartz got some plot ideas for that cult sitcom), this Technicolor Paramount musical focuses on three American pilots shipwrecked on a deserted island who manage to escape after overpowering three Japanese pilots and stealing their plane. Of course, they are shipwrecked once again after the American navy sees the approaching Japanese plane (its painted on American flag dissolved in a rainstorm) where one of them (Eddie Bracken) is believed to be their God after the local natives notice his resemblance to his totem pole likeness (the same thing which happened to Gilligan). Handsome Barry Sullivan falls in love with the not so native girl Dorothy Lamour, still wearing a sarong, but shipwrecked as a child along with her father (Forrest Orr), and every bit as tan as the natives. As for Bracken, his "Godly" identity is questioned by the native queen (Anne Revere), high priest Reed Hadley and warrior Marc Lawrence, and when the queen is given a sleeping poison, Bracken is set for execution, either by being burnt alive or eaten by a huge carnivorous plant, all to see if he really is a God.
While my numerical rating indicates the fact that I consider this to be a substandard film, it is still an entertaining piece of nostalgic hokum that has to be seen to believed for really how bad it is, stereotypical in pretty much every way and cast with actors whom you know were embarrassed by their participation in it. Lamour and Bracken could play their parts in their sleep, but I really felt bad for the future Oscar Winning actress Anne Revere who in dark make-up looks ridiculous, even if she gives a very commanding performance. The songs by Burton Lane and Ted Koehler are instantly forgettable, and even if the Technicolor photography is superbly beautiful, the sets are extremely artificial looking. It's obvious to me that the best way to view this is with tongue firmly planted in cheek, but when you compare these with the Road pictures made at Paramount around the same time, you can see why they stand the test of time, even in black and white, while this is much closer to the Universal series of colorful adventures starring Maria Montez.
While my numerical rating indicates the fact that I consider this to be a substandard film, it is still an entertaining piece of nostalgic hokum that has to be seen to believed for really how bad it is, stereotypical in pretty much every way and cast with actors whom you know were embarrassed by their participation in it. Lamour and Bracken could play their parts in their sleep, but I really felt bad for the future Oscar Winning actress Anne Revere who in dark make-up looks ridiculous, even if she gives a very commanding performance. The songs by Burton Lane and Ted Koehler are instantly forgettable, and even if the Technicolor photography is superbly beautiful, the sets are extremely artificial looking. It's obvious to me that the best way to view this is with tongue firmly planted in cheek, but when you compare these with the Road pictures made at Paramount around the same time, you can see why they stand the test of time, even in black and white, while this is much closer to the Universal series of colorful adventures starring Maria Montez.