Mysterious Island (serial)

Mysterious Island
Directed by	Spencer Gordon Bennett
Produced by	Sam Katzman
Written by	Screenplay: Lewis Clay Royal K. Cole George H. Plympton
Based on	The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne
Starring	Richard Crane Marshall Reed Karen Randle Ralph Hodges
Music by	Mischa Bakaleinikoff (musical director) Gerard Carbonara Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (uncredited)
Cinematography	William Whitley
Editing by	Earl Turner
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	August 23, 1951 (1951-08-23)
Running time	15 chapters (252 minutes)
Country	United States
Language	English

Mysterious Island is the 46th serial released by Columbia Pictures. It is an adaptation of the 1874 novel by Jules Verne, The Mysterious Island (L'Île mystérieuse). As in the original story, which was a follow-up to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, this serial is set in 1865. However, the serial has alien Mercurians as an additional set of villains and it has been labelled as a Space Opera version of the Verne novel.^[1][2]

Plot

During the siege of Richmond, Virginia, in the American Civil War, POW Capt. Cyrus Harding escapes from his Confederate captors in a rather unusual way – by hijacking an observation balloon. In his escape, Harding is accompanied by sailor Pencroft, his nephew Bert, writer Gideon, loyal soldier Neb, and a dog. A hurricane blows the balloon off course, and the group eventually crash-lands on a cliff-bound, volcanic, uncharted (and fictitious) island, located in the South Pacific, with very unusual inhabitants. They name it "Lincoln Island" in honour of American President Abraham Lincoln. With the knowledge of the brilliant engineer, the five are able to sustain themselves on the island, producing fire, pottery, bricks, nitroglycerine, iron, a simple electric telegraph, and even a seaworthy ship. They also manage to find their geographical location.

The castaways soon encounter a group of people that include the local natives (who worship the island's volcano), Rulu (a woman from Mercury trying to extract an unnamed superexplosive element in order to conquer the Earth), Ayrton (a wild man exiled on the island) and Captain Shard (a ruthless pirate). A mystery man, who possesses great scientific powers, also makes his presence known to the group of people. On the way, our quintet of heroes must battle the elements and peoples while trying to figure out a way off the island and back to civilization.

Cast

• Richard Crane as Capt. Cyrus Harding
• Marshall Reed as Jack Pencroft
• Karen Randle as Rulu of Mercury
• Ralph Hodges as Herbert 'Bert' Brown
• Gene Roth as Pirate Capt. Shard
• Hugh Prosser as Gideon Spillett
• Leonard Penn as Capt. Nemo
• Terry Frost as Ayrton (the wild man)
• Rusty Wescoatt as Moley
• Bernard Hamilton as Neb
• William Fawcett as Mr. Jackson
• George Robotham as Mercurian
• Anthony Ross as Confederate lieutenant
• Sid Ross as Mercurian
• Pierre Watkin as Southern officer

Production

Costumes from earlier serials, belonging to the Western Costume Company, were recycled for Mysterious Island. The Mercurian soldiers wear shirts from Flash Gordon and masks from The Spider's Web.^[1]

Critical reception

Harmon and Glut were largely positive about this serial: "Although fantastic beyond credibility, Mysterious Island actually contained more elements from the original source than most such adaptations of the sound era."^[1]

Chapter titles

1. Lost in Space
2. Sinister Savages
3. Savage Justice
4. Wild Man at Large
5. Trail of the Mystery Man
6. The Pirates Attack
7. Menace of the Mercurians
8. Between Two Fires
9. Shrine of the Silver Bird
10. Fighting Fury
11. Desperate Chances
12. Mystery of the Mine
13. Jungle Deadfall
14. Men from Tomorrow
15. The Last of the Mysterious Island

_Source:^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Harmon, Jim; Donald F. Glut. "13. The Classics "You Say 'What Dost Thou Mean By That?' and Push Him Off the Cliff"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge. pp. 332–336. ISBN 9780713000979. 
2. ^ Cline, William C.. "2. In Search of Ammunition". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc.. pp. 11. ISBN 078640471X. 
3. ^ Cline, William C.. "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc.. pp. 252. ISBN 078640471X. 

External links

• Mysterious Island at the Internet Movie Database
• Mysterious Island at AllRovi
• Mysterious Island at Cinefania.com