Double Crossbones (1951)

Who payed the critics

Strong and Moving!

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Shiver me timbers! It's Captain Blood, The Black Swan, etc., in the guise of 'Bloodthirsty Dave', out to expose the corrupt Governor Elden, and win the heart of fair Lady Silvia, in Technicolor, no less. Unlike most of his other films, Don pretty much has to carry this film by himself, in terms of star power. This is not to say that the principal character actors are all faceless. They are all adequate for their roles. However, only Don provides the spark that makes this more than just another pirate story. Like most of the Hollywood pirate films of the '30s and '40s, there is a hero, who became a pirate leader only by default, and a beautiful royal princess who is under the thumb of an unscrupulous governor of one of the British colonies, and falls in love with the hero, necessitating her rescue from the clutches of the governor.Although this is a farcical pirate yarn, with abundant slapstick, in the manner of "The Princess and the Pirate" or "Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd", for example, it incorporates a surprising degree of historical relevancy. The corrupt Governor Elden , of the Carolinas, is based upon the historical governor Eden. As in the film, this governor and his cronies did sometimes have a conciliatory relationship with some pirates, most notably Blackbeard, and the pirate's booty was often disposed of in Charleston. As near the film ending, Eden did extend a conditional pardon offer to Blackbeard. He did accept it, but promptly violated the terms, as in the film. The Caribbean island of Tortuga was an infamous pirate hangout, has been included in a number of Hollywood pirate films, and is correctly located on the map in the film. Even the severing of the main mast of the governor's ship by a lucky cannon shot from Dave's ship might be seen as a transfer from the historical lucky severing of the main sail rope on Blackbeard's ship, crippling its maneuverability, and soon leading to his death. The transport of a ship full of prisoners, mostly debtors, from Charleston to VA is quite plausible, as prisoners and indentured servants were common immigrants to VA and MD in their early histories. These non-piratical prisoners become Dave's crew.Don, as Davey Crandall, initially a mere shopkeeper's assistant, morphs into 'Bloodthirsty Dave', touted as an infamous pirate, after being left with only his friend Tom Botts(Will Geer) on a ship, formerly commanded by 'Bloodthirsty Captain Ben'. The former captain and his crew vacated the ship after Dave shows them supposed smallpox pustules on his face, after drinking much rum and nearly being heaved overboard. Surely, the screenwriters could have come up with a more plausible scenario by which Dave and friend disposed of the pirates!Later, Davey takes on a 3rd guise, as Sir Jeffry Meriweather, with powdered wig, in order to gain entrance to the governor's premarital ball, to warn Lady Silvia that her husband-to-be is in cahoots with the pirates. Eventually, Dave is discovered and jailed to be hung. But, Lady Sylvia saves the day, allowing Dave to escape, while inducing his crew of 'pirates', along with a host of famous pirate captains and piratess Ann Bonney, to duel it out with the governor and his men on his ship. In the end. of course, 'Bloodthirsty Dave' reverts to Davey and presumably marries Lady Sylvia.I found it mostly an entertaining film, with enough, but not too much, slapstick. Yes, some of the scenes were way too far fetched. I disagree with those reviewers who say that Danny Kaye could have done a much more entertaining job than Don in his role. The two men did have remarkably similar entertainment attributes in most respects and looked rather similar. But, I think Danny could not have been significantly better, and perhaps not as good in some ways. He was also a dozen years older than Don, at near 40, thus perhaps not as spry in the more physically demanding scenes.Is this a musical comedy? The only significant musical aspect is Don's virtuoso performance in a Tortuga pirate hangout, entitled "Percy Had a Heart", after some preliminary dancing around on the establishment stage.I RATE THIS AS PERHAPS THE BEST VIRTUOSO PERFORMANCE OF HIS FILM CAREER. Certainly, the lyrics are more interesting than in his famous "Make Em Laugh" routine in "Singing in the Rain", released the following year, and the action, although different,is as interesting. At the end of this performance, we see one of the notable features of his "Make 'Em Laugh" performance: jumping high on a wall and doing a backward flip. This is the last of a series of bits of Don's previous performances that were sometimes modified and stitched together in making much of "Make 'Em Laugh". For example, dancing with a cloth dummy is seen in "Top Man", '44; the behind the couch bit is seen in "Something in the Wind", '47, and the terminal dive through a papery wall is seen in "Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin' ", '48. Even the tune was recycled from the "Be a Clown" performance in the MGM "The Pirate", '48.I'm glad this is now viewable at You Tube, as are most of Don's films. It's also part of a Universal 4 pirate movie DVD package, recommended.

Double Crossbones is directed by Charles Barton and written by Oscar Brodney. It stars Donald O'Connor, Helena Carter, Will Geer, John Emery, Charles McGraw, Hope Emerson and Morgan Farley. Music is by Frank Skinner and cinematography by Maury Gertsman.Davey Crandall (O'Connor) and friend Tom Botts (Geer) are falsely accused by the corrupt Governor Elden of Charleston (Emery) of fencing stolen pirate booty. Bluffing their way onto the ship of local buccaneer Capt. Ben Wickett (McGraw), the pair soon become embroiled in piracy purely by accident and then have to pretend they are in fact pirates just to prove their innocence!Nothing to dislike here, it does exactly what it promises to do, it's avast yee frothy merriment with a little song and dance routine thrown in for good measure. It's comedy satire on the seven seas where everybody seems to be having great fun. There's treachery and trickery, a gorgeous dame to be spared from the villain's plans and a splendid narrative set up that puts all the famed pirates of Tortuga in one "brotherhood" meeting room. O'Connor comes off as a poor version of Danny Kaye, but he is an amiable lead here, with energy unbound and a quip on the lips he makes the most of the standard screenplay. The production design is mightily handsome and Gertsman's Technicolor photography is quite simply stunning. Support cast list is impressive, with McGraw (sadly not in it enough) and Emerson (stealing the film) the highlights.It's all very playful and colourful and not intended for deeper dissection, accept it on its own frothy terms and it becomes a fun 75 minutes of film. 6.5/10

I can't understand how anyone about to watch this movie, knowing it stars Donald O'Connor, can be surprised to discover that it's funny, lighthearted, and contains some dancing. I was thoroughly delighted each time I watched it. Besides the fantastic, under-appreciated Donald O'Connor, the cast includes Will Geer (Grandpa Walton), as well as many other actors fans of classic movies and TV will recognize, by sight if not by name. The plot is no more far-fetched than any other pirate movie, and the acting is very good.If you want to watch a serious pirate movie, by all means put in "Captain Blood." But if you're looking for some upbeat entertainment, I heartily recommend "Double Crossbones."

A very strange movie featuring Donald O'Connor as a pirate-by-mistake who sings, dances and farces his way out of trouble to win the hand of comely Helena Carter. Notable for an outstanding supporting cast of players including Charles McGraw, Hope Emerson- a fearsomely funny Amazonian female pirate- Will Geer, a young Jim Arness and many other familiar faces in glorious Technicolor.I am intensely curious who came up with the idea for this film and successfully got it funded and made by Universal-International. Whoever contrived and made the pitch could have sold the Brooklyn Bridge several times over.An odd attempt that doesn't work due to an over talky, gimmicky script that simply isn't very funny. Director Charles Barton had better luck with Abbott and Costello. Handsome production design and earnest performances just don't click, but how can one resist Charlie McGraw and Hope Emerson in pirate mufti toasting their collective health and prosperity?!