Wallaby Jim of the Islands
Cast & Crew
Charles Lamont
George Houston
Ruth Coleman
Douglas Walton
Mamo Clark
Juan Torena
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
At a port in the tropics, Wallaby Jim, owner of a sailing ship, bests his friend, Buck Morgan, with whom he has been fighting for years, in a barroom brawl and vows to return for their next fight in a couple of weeks. On Jim's ship, the Kestrel , Jim's monkey Maggie surprises a hiding woman, Allison, the fiancée of Jim's friend and employee Norman, whom she has not seen in three years. Jim convinces his crew to sail to Raihoa, where Norman is stationed, before they go to Makassar to file a claim on a pearl bed they have discovered on the Island of Moreau. On the voyage, Allison witnesses Jim whip Pascal, a new crew member, for attempting to steal money from Jim's cook Limey, and she is unnerved by the violence. At Raihoa, Adolph Rickter, a monocled, autocratic competitor of Jim's, shoots his native pearl divers when they refuse his orders. Norman is distressed that he gambled and lost money that Jim left for the Kestrel , while trying to win enough to return to Allison. He now agrees to cooperate with Rickter in order to get money to pay Jim back. When Jim learns about the loss of money, he disgustedly pushes Norman to the floor. Allison sees this and calls Jim a brute. Jim plans to sail the next day to Makassar to file the claim so that he won't lose the boat. After he orders Rickert to leave the island, Rickert learns about the pearl bed from Pascal. Rickert then convinces Norman to send Allison on Jim's boat to file the claim before Jim by telling Norman that Jim is cheating him out of his share. In the meantime, Rickert plans to sail to Moreau and harvest the pearls. When the Kestrel sets sail, Lana, a native girl in love with Jim, who has ignored her advances, swims to the boat and, by removing her sarong and locking herself in a room, coerces Jim to allow her to remain. Jealous because she thinks that Jim is attracted to Allison, Lana goes to Allison's room to find the "charm" she uses on Jim and sees Allison hiding an envelope she received from Norman. Lana takes it, thinking it to be a love charm, and after Jim retrieves it and gives it back to Allison, she discovers Rickert's name on it and shows it to Jim. They set sail for Moreau, where Rickert and his men see them and hide. When Jim and his men row ashore, Rickert and his men row to the Kestrel with their pearls. On board, Norman tries to cut the sail, but Rickert knocks him out. Allison then succeeds in cutting it, as Lana struggles to keep Rickert from her. Jim and his men climb aboard and fight the others. As Rickert points a gun at Jim, Maggie knocks the gun from his hand. The monkey then climbs the rope and drops a club on one of Rickert's gang, who is attacking Jim's friend Jake. As Rickert is about to shoot Jim, Norman pushes Jim away, and he is wounded himself. Jim bandages Norman, who apologizes, and later gives him pearls, as Norman and Allison row away with Limey and Jake, who plan to open a pub in Picadilly. Jim is left alone with Maggie and Lana, and soon he fights his friend Buck again, before shoving off on another adventure.
Director
Charles Lamont
Cast
George Houston
Ruth Coleman
Douglas Walton
Mamo Clark
Juan Torena
Wm. Von Brincken
Syd Saylor
Colin Campbell
Warner Richmond
Nick Thompson
Edward Gargan
Wilson Benge
Chris Martin
Crew
Sidney Algier
Edward L. Alperson
Bud Barsky
Bud Barsky
Felix Bernard
Irving Bibo
Joe Boyle
Houston Branch
Bennett Cohn
Arthur Kay
A. E. Kaye
Harold Lewis
Ira Morgan
Paul Palmentola
Jim Spencer
Guy V. Thayer Jr.
William Wilmarth
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
According to news items, this was to be the first of a series of four films based on short stories by Albert Richard Wetjen; however, no others were produced. In March 1937, Hollywood Reporter reported that George Hirliman's Condor Pictures were going to make the film for Grand National, but as neither Condor nor Hirliman were listed in reviews or in the onscreen credits, which said that the film was a Bud Barsky Production, it is unlikely that Condor was actually involved with the production. News items note that location scenes were shot at Lancaster Lake in Sunland, CA and at Catalina Island, CA, where the barquentine Lottie Carson, which was used in Slave Ship, was used. The pressbook lists Kenneth Harlan in the role of "Haage," while the screen credits list Warner Richmond. The pressbook noted that South Sea Island authority Jim Spencer served as technical advisor, and that over 100 "real natives" were used, including Tahitians, Polynesians and Hawaiians.
