Director: ROBERT D. WEBB. Screenplay: Jack Andrews, Leonard Praskins. Additional dialogue: Nicholas Ray. Adapted by W. Scott Darling from the 1933 novel "Murder in Trinidad" by John W. Vandercook. Photography: Clyde De Vinna. Film editor: John McCafferty. Art directors: Lyle Wheeler and George Dudley. Set decorators: Thomas Little, Fred J. Rode. Costumes: Bonnie Cashin. Make-up: Ben Nye. Music director: Emil Newman. Dialogue director: Nicholas Ray. Special photographic effects: Fred Sersen. Assistant director: Eli Dunn. Sound recording: Harry M. Leonard, George Leverett. Producer: William Girard.
Copyright 13 June 1945 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Victoria: 19 August 1945. U.K. release: 19 November 1945. Australian release: 1 November 1945. 5,832 feet. 65 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: A former Brooklyn cop now works as special investigator who is assigned by an oil company to find out what happened to a team of geologists who were sent to the islands of the Caribbean in search of oil deposits.
NOTES: Third re-make of Vandercook's novel, originally filmed by Fox under its original title in 1934 with Nigel Bruce as the detective, up against Victor Jory and Heather Angel. And then in 1939, the book served as the basis for "Mr Moto on Danger Island".
COMMENT: Dialogue of incredible banality ("Smith's assistant has been murdered!"-"Great Scott!"), for the most part poorly acted (with the notable exception of Roy Roberts' soft-spoken villain).
Good production values fortunately lift the film up a fair bit, thanks especially to fine photographic work from DeVinna and smooth direction from Robert D. Webb, whose first film this is. What a pity he had to work with such unpromising material - and with a cast that knew it!
Copyright 13 June 1945 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Victoria: 19 August 1945. U.K. release: 19 November 1945. Australian release: 1 November 1945. 5,832 feet. 65 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: A former Brooklyn cop now works as special investigator who is assigned by an oil company to find out what happened to a team of geologists who were sent to the islands of the Caribbean in search of oil deposits.
NOTES: Third re-make of Vandercook's novel, originally filmed by Fox under its original title in 1934 with Nigel Bruce as the detective, up against Victor Jory and Heather Angel. And then in 1939, the book served as the basis for "Mr Moto on Danger Island".
COMMENT: Dialogue of incredible banality ("Smith's assistant has been murdered!"-"Great Scott!"), for the most part poorly acted (with the notable exception of Roy Roberts' soft-spoken villain).
Good production values fortunately lift the film up a fair bit, thanks especially to fine photographic work from DeVinna and smooth direction from Robert D. Webb, whose first film this is. What a pity he had to work with such unpromising material - and with a cast that knew it!