Captain Hurricane
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
John Robertson
James Barton
Helen Westley
Helen Mack
Gene Lockhart
Henry Travers
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
After many years at sea, Captain Zenas Henry Brewster, a crusty Cape Cod fisherman, sells his boat and settles down in Wilton Junction. Soon bored with life on land, however, he drops in on his neighbor, spinster Abbie Howland, and proposes to her for the fifteenth time in as many years. Because of his fiery temper, Abbie again rejects him, but offers to work as his daytime housekeeper, and after an intense cleaning, Zenas' old house is transformed into a cozy home. In spite of Abbie's admonishments, Zenas opens his door to his raggedy seamates, Captain Jeremiah Taylor and Captain Ben, who quickly become part of Abbie's tidy, well-fed household. Later, during a brutal storm, the captains rescue a shipwrecked girl, Susan Ann, the teenaged daughter of the doomed ship's skipper. Zenas adopts Susan Ann as his own and worries when she becomes involved with Jimmy Howell, the son of a Boston millionaire. Prejudiced against Jimmy because he is "summer folk," Zenas discourages Susan Ann from seeing him until he makes a public proposal of marriage. Abbie, meanwhile, frets over Zenas' dwindling finances and pushes him to buy the cranberry bog that he has been talking about for months. Cajoled by a salesman, Zenas uses all of his savings and takes a mortgage on his house to buy the land, which turns out to be a worthless swamp. Broke, he is then forced to take a job as a second mate on an old freighter. When the freighter's boiler explodes off the Mexican coast, Zenas saves twelve of his seamates, but is badly injured during the rescue. Hospitalized for months, Zenas is unaware of the sacrifices that Abbie and the others make to pay his medical bills. Jimmy, who has read about Zenas' heroism, buys the swamp as part of an elaborate development plan and prevents the foreclosing of Zenas' house. When Zenas finally returns, he receives a hero's welcome and, after learning of Jimmy's deed, gives Susan Ann his blessing.
Director
John Robertson
Cast
James Barton
Helen Westley
Helen Mack
Gene Lockhart
Henry Travers
Douglas Walton
Otto Hoffman
Nydia Westman
Lon Chaney Jr.
Harry Stubbs
J. Farrell Macdonald
Forrester Harvey
Stanley Fields
Crew
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Cape Cod. James Barton, a noted stage actor, made his film debut in this film. According to a Hollywood Reporter news item, Otto Hoffman replaced Donald Meek in the role of "Silas Coffin." Motion Picture Herald's "The Cutting Room" includes Jed Prouty in the cast, and Hollywood Reporter production charts and news items add George Cooper and Tex Phelps to the cast. The participation of these actors in the final film has not been confirmed. Lon Chaney, Jr. changed his professional name from Creighton Chaney to Lon Chaney, Jr. in 1935. Some reviews for this film, which was the first feature in which he appeared on screen as Lon Chaney, Jr., list him as Creighton Chaney.
