Tonight's Movie: Double Crossbones (1951) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

DOUBLE CROSSBONES (1951), a comedy-adventure from Universal Pictures, was just released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

It's not a great film, but it's a mildly amusing 76 minutes thanks to a great cast and Universal's typically colorful production values.

The fun begins with opening narration by Jeff Chandler. Donald O'Connor plays Davey, a store clerk in the Carolinas who's sweet on Lady Sylvia (Helena Carter), ward of the governor (John Emery).

Long story short, Davey ends up an accidental pirate; meanwhile it turns out that the governor, who wants to marry Sylvia, is actually the mastermind behind a series of pirate attacks at sea.

Will Davey thwart the governor and win the fair Sylvia? What do you think?

The movie, scripted by Oscar Brodney, is on the slight side, but there's a wonderful cast, starting with Charles McGraw as a pirate frequently annoyed with Davey. Brassy Hope Emerson (WESTWARD THE WOMEN) is a lady pirate, and Will Geer is Davey's loyal pal Tom.

When Davey and Tom set free some men in debtor's prison, one of them just happens to be a young James Arness. Also in the cast are Alan Napier, Glenn Strange, Robert Barrat, Stanley Logan, and Frank Puglia.

I don't find O'Connor a particularly romantic hero, but he handles the physical antics well and manages to work in a little dancing as well.

I enjoy Helena Carter, who only made 13 films; I've now seen six, the next most recent being INVADERS FROM MARS (1953), and I'd like to see the rest. INVADERS FROM MARS was her final film. She passed on in 2000, at the age 76.

DOUBLE CROSSBONES was directed by Charles Barton and filmed by Maury Gertsman. The jaunty musical score was by Frank Skinner.

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray print is absolutely lovely, showing off Universal's trademark candybox Technicolor at its best.

Disc extras consist of a gallery of five trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber, and a commentary track by Lee Gambin and actor Gary Frank (FAMILY).

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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