Blackbeard the Pirate

Blackbeard the Pirate
Blackbeard the Pirate
	DVD cover for French film version
Directed by	Raoul Walsh
Written by	DeVallon Scott
Screenplay by	Alan Le May
Produced by	Edmund Grainger
Starring	Robert Newton; Linda Darnell; William Bendix; Keith Andes; Torin Thatcher
Cinematography	William E. Snyder
Edited by	Ralph Dawson
Music by	Victor Young
Production; company	RKO Pictures
Distributed by	RKO Pictures
Release dates	24 December 1952 (Premiere-Los Angeles); 25 December 1952 (US);
Running time	99 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1.25 million (US)

Blackbeard the Pirate is a 1952 Technicolor swashbuckler directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Robert Newton, Linda Darnell, William Bendix, Keith Andes, and Torin Thatcher. The film was made by RKO Radio Pictures and produced by Edmund Grainger from a screenplay by Alan Le May based on the story by DeVallon Scott.

Plot

The film follows British Navy Lieutenant Robert Maynard (Keith Andes), who sets out to earn a reward by proving that privateer Henry Morgan (Torin Thatcher) also engages in piracy.

Maynard poses as a surgeon on board the ship of pirate Charles Bellamy, who he believes is in league with Morgan. Once Maynard and fellow spy Briggs come on board, they discover that the pirate Blackbeard (Robert Newton) has murdered Bellamy and taken over as captain.

Also on board is Edwina Mansfield, a pirate's daughter, who was going to marry Bellamy. Blackbeard knows that Morgan loves Mansfield and will pursue her.

Blackbeard orders Maynard to remove a bullet from his neck, and demands sailor Gilly watch him. Gilly slips Maynard a note begging him to slit the pirate's throat, but Maynard declines.

Maynard slips into the Blackbeard's quarters and finds Bellamy's logbook, which he hopes will contain evidence that Bellamy gave Morgan stolen goods.

Maynard then defends Edwina against the unwanted advances of a lecherous pirate, killing him with his dagger. She tells Maynard that she agreed to marry Bellamy to escape from Morgan, from whom she has stolen treasure, which is now hidden in a clothes chest.

Blackbeard breaks open one of Edwina's chests but discovers only letters in which Edwina implicates Morgan as Bellamy's ally. Maynard tries to steal the letter, but Blackbeard stops him, noting that if Morgan were arrested, all of his loot would go to the King.

Blackbeard finally identifies the treasure chest and claims it. Maynard purposely sabotages the ship's water supply, flooding the hold and forcing Blackbeard to beach the ship for repairs. Blackbeard sees this as a good opportunity to bury the treasure. But while his crew pursues a drifting rowboat; he murders the only witness and hides the treasure under a large rock instead of burying it. On the Island, they find a derelict who bears a strong physical resemblance to Blackbeard. The pirate orders him protected, sensing he may be useful.

Henry Morgan and his men have sneaked ashore at night and kill 20 members of Blackbeard's crew. But Blackbeard switches clothes with the derelict and leaves him to be killed by Morgan. Edwina and Maynard arrive in port on their own, only to discover the man who gave Maynard his assignment is in jail and Morgan is now the Governor. Morgan puts a price on Maynard's head so he won't reveal Morgan is playing both sides of the street.

The two lovers have only one recourse---steal Blackbeard's captured ship and sail away in it. But the real Blackbeard has arrived and raided the local jail for fresh crew members. When the lovers board the boat, they find themselves prisoners once more.

Morgan quickly gets a captured Spanish galleon into seaworthy condition, figuring Blackbeard won't be able to resist attacking it. After a fierce battle at sea, Blackbeard uses Edwina as a human shield and Morgan breaks off the fight.

But there have been heavy casualties, and first mate Worley demands they go back and dig up the treasure. Blackbeard has to agree, But when they find the treasure they return to the ship with it---and Blackbeard has Worley killed. The rest of the crew are locked in the hold, but the undersized Gilly knows secret passages Blackbeard does not. Blackbeard is captured and buried up to his neck on the beach; to be drowned by the rising tide. Maynard and Edwina steal a dinghy and escape while the crew is occupied with their vengeance; stating that anywhere is better than where they were.

Cast

Robert Newton as Captain Edward Teach
Linda Darnell as Edwina Mansfield
William Bendix as Ben Worley
Keith Andes as Robert Maynard
Torin Thatcher as Sir Henry Morgan
Irene Ryan as Alvina, a lady in waiting
Alan Mowbray as Noll
Richard Egan as Briggs
Skelton Knaggs as Gilly
Dick Wessel as Dutchman
Anthony Caruso as Pierre La Garde
Jack Lambert as Tom Whetstone
Noel Drayton as Jeremy
Pat Flaherty as Job Maggot

Production

The film was based on an original story by DeVallon Scott. It was on the schedule at RKO for 16 months before being taken over by producer Edmund Grainger for his independent unit. It originally conceived as a vehicle for Faith Domergue. It was going to be filmed under the title Buccaneer Empire by director Robert Stevenson.^[3]^[4]^[5] Several months later RKO announced the lead would be played by Robert Newton, who had just enjoyed success playing Long John Silver in Treasure Island (1950).^[6] Production took a while to begin; for a time it seemed Newton might be replaced by Charles Laughton.^[7] Alan Le May was hired to rewrite the script shortly before filming began on 15 May 1952.^[8]

Reception

In his December 26, 1952 review in The New York Times, Howard Thompson wrote: “…This R. K. O. swashbuckler offers a lusty rogues gallery in opulent Technicolor, with little occasion for rejoicing, however. For while this piracy package streamlines history with salty good-naturedness, the material afforded Robert Newton, Linda Darnell, William Bendix and Keith Andes holds few pattern deviations… director Raoul Walsh does succeed in projecting some brisk, pictorial animation. As the agent, Mr. Andes brings muscular conviction to a fairly standard role. So, too, does the beauteous Miss Darnell, who looks fully capable of galvanizing a crew of her own. … But Mr. Newton, who is the whole picture, must be seen to be believed. Sporting a beehive chin growth that transmits a volume gamut of roars and even belches, the actor wallows through an outrageously flamboyant caricature of his Long John Silver part in Disney's Treasure Island.”^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b "Blackbeard the Pirate: Detail View". American Film Institute. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
^ 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1953', Variety, 13 January 1954
^ Brady, Thomas F. "Ballerina will do role for Goldwyn". The New York Times, 14 November 1950, p. 38
^ Brady, Thomas F. (29 December 1950). "R. K. O. TO DO FILM OF OLD CRIME PLAY: Studio Will Remake 'Racket,' Bartlett Cormack's '27 Hit, With Robert Ryan in Cast". p. 15.
^ Weiler, A.H. (24 December 1950). "BY WAY OF REPORT: Kaye and Disney Consider A Proposal--Addenda". The New York Times. p. 43.
^ .Schallert, Edwin (27 February 1951). "Drama: Robert Newton to Play Blackbeard; 'Bickersons' Video Show Likely Film". Los Angeles Times. p. 17.
^ Pryor, Thomas M (1 January 1952). "MOVIE ON FIGHTING TO BEGIN ON COAST: Jack Broder Will Screen 'Kid Monk Baroni' -- Its Author to Share in Picture's Profits". The New York Times. p. 21.
^ Pryor, Thomas (10 April 1952). "SCREEN EXTRAS WIN GENERAL WAGE RISE: Increase Retroactive to Oct. 25 -- Contract, Based on Cost of Living, Runs Until 1958". The New York Times. p. 37.
^ T, H. H. (26 December 1952). "At Loew's State". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 30 July 2024.