Double Crossbones

Double Crossbones is a 1951 American comedy adventure film distributed by Universal International, produced by Leonard Goldstein, directed by Charles Barton, and stars Donald O'Connor and Helena Carter. It was shot in Technicolor and was released on January 22. The story is of shopkeeper apprentice Davey Crandall becoming a pirate after being accused falsely of being involved of selling stolen goods.

Plot

In the late 1700s, Charleston, South Carolina has been overrun by pirates, who use the town as a safe haven to sell their plunder. One day, after a small brawl with two pirates, Davey Crandall (Donald O'Connor) watches with his coworker, Tom Botts (Will Geer), the cargo-laden British ship Liverpool Queen enter the harbor. As soon as the cargo is unloaded and transferred to the shelves of cranky shopkeeper Caleb Nicholas (Morgan Farley), Charleston territorial governor Gerald Elden (John Emery) brings his charge, Lady Sylvia Copeland (Helena Carter), and British aristocrats Lord and Lady Montrose to view the imported treasures.

While Sylvia and Davey flirt innocently, Lord Montrose recognizes a pin stolen from an English friend amid the booty. Although the governor has secretly negotiated with Caleb to sell and profit from the stolen goods, he feigns shock and orders Caleb, Davey, and Tom to be arrested. As the three march through the streets, the soldiers guarding them are attacked by pirates, allowing Davey and Tom to escape. However, Caleb is brought to Elden's home, where Elden shoots him to keep him from talking about their arrangement, and then, shocks Sylvia by proposing to her. When she spurns him, he orders her to accompany him to Virginia and, realizing that she loves Davey, vows to kill him.

That night, Davey and Tom visit a pirate tavern in the hopes of convincing Captain "Bloodthirsty" Ben Wickett (Charles McGraw) to allow them passage on his boat, the Defiance. Although Davey impresses Wickett at first with a clever trick, the pirate refuses to board them without payment. To make money, Davey dances on the tavern's stage but fails to merit attention until he improvises a song about a pirate. Although Wickett takes their newly earned money, he plans with his first mate, Isaac Wells, to throw them overboard when they reach the open sea.

At sea the next morning, Wickett attempts to get the two drunk, but Davey, who is allergic to alcohol, refuses. After Wells sets out the plank for them to walk, Davey grabs a bottle for courage, and when his face breaks out in hives, the pirates fear that he has the pox and abandon ship in a panic. Davey and Tom sail on alone until they spot a ship. the Southern Gypsy. Forgetting and not realizing that the Defiance sports a pirate flag, they set off the ship's cannons as a signal for help. The captain, who is carrying Elden and Sylvia as well as prisoners headed to debtor's jail, assumes he is under attack by pirates and surrenders. Davey sees Elden on-deck and realizes he must disguise himself as pirate "Bloodthirsty Dave."

After he and Tom board the Southern Gypsy and round up the crew, Elden immediately recognizes Davey from Caleb's shop but Tom insists that being a shopkeeper's apprentice was merely a ruse and that Davey is actually a pirate captain. Sylvia appears out onto the deck and hears Davey's "threats" to the crew if his demands are not met. She denounces him and informs Elden that she will marry him in Virginia. Dave is given Elden's prisoners to ensure that Dave and his "crew" will not attack and hereturns to his ship, despondent. He announces to the prisoners that he will free them if they help him sail to the pirate capital, the Isle of Tortuga. The grateful prisoners, many of whom are sailors, agree, and within days, they reach the island.

On Tortuga, Davey is brought before a pirate tribunal, which includes Henry Morgan (Robert Barrat), Captain Kidd (Alan Napier), Mistress Ann Bonney (Hope Emerson), Captain Long Ben Avery (Glenn Strange), and Blackbeard (Louis Bacigalupi). They test Davey's supposed killer instinct by pitting him against Blackbeard, and after Davey cuts off the pirate's belt, he wins the fight and is accepted into the brotherhood. He learns that they are funded by a mysterious American, whose messenger Davey quickly recognizes as Elden's valet. Realizing the depth of the governor's corruption, he begs the pirates to help him attack Elden in Charleston, but they refuse and he is forced to go alone.

Back in Charleston, Davey disguises himself as a British aristocrat in order to infiltrate a costume ball Elden is holding for Sylvia. He spirits Sylvia away and, by describing the wedding gown that Elden bought from a pirate, convinces her of her fiancé's unscrupulousness. However, Elden recognizes Davey and jails him. That night, Sylvia sneaks out to the Defiance and plans with Tom to paint a miniature armada on the lens of a telescope, which will trick Elden into thinking he is being attacked by pirates. She brings Davey the telescope, and when Elden seizes it, he is fooled by the picture long enough for Davey to force him to sign a confession.

Davey then races to Lord Montrose's ship, but Elden gets there first and shoots him. Afterwards, Tom and Davey's crew arrive and a sword fight breaks out on the ship. Just as Davey chases Elden up a sail, the Pirate Brotherhood arrives to help. Panicked, Elden drops his sword and falls into the ocean. In Tortuga months later, Davey is married to Sylvia and is revered as a powerful pirate. He arranges for a pardon for his fellow pirates, and although they swear to go straight, news of a nearby ship loaded with gold quickly ends their reformation.

Cast

• Donald O'Connor as Davey Crandall
• Helena Carter as Lady Sylvia Copeland
• Will Geer as Tom Botts
• John Emery as Governor Gerald Elden
• Stanley Logan as Lord Montrose
• Kathryn Givney as Lady Montrose
• Hayden Rorke as Malcolm Giles
• Morgan Farley as Caleb Nicholas
• Robert Barrat as Henry Morgan
• Alan Napier as Captain Kidd
• Glenn Strange as Captain Ben Avery
• Louis Bacigalupi as Blackbeard
• Hope Emerson as Mistress Ann Bonney
• Charles McGraw as Captain "Bloodthirsty" Ben Wickett

Production

The film was known as Half a Buccaneer.^[1]

Some of the shots involving the ships at sea were taken from the Universal International 1950 film Buccaneer's Girl.

O'Connor dances and sings a song in the film, "Percy Had a Heart", during the tavern scene and performs throughout the entire song.

Famous Universal-International actor Jeff Chandler narrates the very opening of the film^[2], talking about the history of the world's most vicious pirates and introducing viewers to O'Connor's character.

Reception

In an interview in 2003, O'Connor later described the film as "one of the worst pictures ever made," as a part of a backhand comment when he was mentioning him running up a wall.^[3] Despite this comment from the star himself, many viewers enjoy the film.^[4]

The film currently has a 5.9/10 rating on IMDb, based off on 159 votes, and a 2.5/5 rating on AllMovie.

Home media availability

Universal released this film on DVD on May 8, 2007 as part of the Pirates of the Golden Age Movie Collection, a 2-disc set featuring three other films (Against All Flags, Buccaneer's Girl, and Yankee Buccaneer).^[5] This film was re-released on August 28, 2014 as a stand-alone DVD as part of the Universal Vault Series.^[6]

References

External links

• Double Crossbones on IMDb
• Double Crossbones at the TCM Movie Database
• Double Crossbones at AllMovie