Thunder Below
Cast & Crew
Richard Wallace
Tallulah Bankhead
Charles Bickford
Paul Lukas
Eugene Pallette
Ralph Forbes
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In Central America, oil man Walt returns early from an expedition in the jungle to the camp base of the Petroleum Corporation of New York. With Walt at the base are his wife of nine years, Susan, and his best friend, Ken, whom Susan loves. At Walt's suggestion, Ken takes Susan to the ocean, where she tells him she can no longer stand the separation they imposed on themselves after giving in to their desires four months before. Although they had been unwilling to betray their loyalty to Walt, they promise to confess their love to him that afternoon. When they arrive home, however, they learn that Walt returned early from the jungle to meet a doctor who has diagnosed him as going blind. Ken and Susan convince Walt to stay on at the base and stick by him as he completely loses his sight. When a group of company men go to a local cafe, Ken goes along and stays out late with a strange woman. Although Walt tells Ken he needs a woman, when Susan gives Ken an ultimatum to choose between Walt and her, he chooses Walt. A stranger named Davis then passes through the base, and Susan, desperate for a diversion, befriends him. After Susan and Davis compete together in a horse-riding contest, Walt accuses Davis of trying to steal his wife, and Davis and Susan run away together. While at the coast, Susan tells Davis she loves Ken, and Davis leaves without her. Walt, sorry for his accusations, asks Ken to retrieve Susan, and the lovers finally spend the night together. In the morning, Ken and Susan vow once again to tell Walt, but when he arrives and, unaware Susan is in the room, tells Ken how much he feared losing Susan to Davis, Ken doesn't have the heart to tell him. Susan promises to go back to Walt, but after the men leave, she writes a goodbye note to Ken and jumps to her death into the sea.
Director
Richard Wallace
Cast
Tallulah Bankhead
Charles Bickford
Paul Lukas
Eugene Pallette
Ralph Forbes
Leslie Fenton
James Finlayson
Carlos Salazar
Edward Van Sloan
Mona Rico
Enrique Acosta
Gabry Rivas
Crew
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The prologue to this film states that "thunder below," words used to describe earthquakes, are also words to describe love.
