Appointment in Honduras
Cast & Crew
Jacques Tourneur
Glenn Ford
Ann Sheridan
Zachary Scott
Rodolfo Acosta
Jack Elam
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In 1910, in a boat off the coast of Honduras, American passenger Jim Corbett receives a coded message from Prieto, Honduras' recently overthrown ex-president, instructing him to deliver "Lisa" to a spot in the Honduran jungle. Because of political unrest in Honduras, the boat's captain refuses to stop there, so to make Prieto's deadline, Jim steals the captain's gun collection. He then arms five Nicaraguan convicts whom the captain is transporting to prison, promising them safe passage in exchange for helping with a mission in Guatemala. As Jim and the convicts--leader Reyes, Castro, Luis, Jiminez and Bermudez--seize control of the boat, Luis shoots the telegrapher before he can signal for help. Jim then shoots Luis for disobeying his order not to fire any weapons. Before departing in the rescue boat with the others, Reyes takes wealthy American passenger Harry Sheppard hostage. Harry's nightgown-clad wife Sylvia then joins her husband, over Jim's strong objections. By the next morning, Jim has guided the boat from the bay onto a jungle river, along which he plans to travel for several days. While camping that night, Harry hints to Reyes that Jim, who has not revealed the purpose of his mission, is hunting for buried treasure, which he intends to hoard. Before setting off on the river the next day, Jim prepares to release the hostages, but the cowardly Harry bribes Reyes into taking them along. After an exhausting day filled with man-eating tiger fish and alligators, the convicts complain about Jim's unrelenting pace. Harry once again tries to turn Reyes against Jim by suggesting that the convicts send a phony ransom note to the American consulate and collect a large sum for their release. When Reyes and Castro start to argue about Harry's proposition, Jim breaks up the fight and reminds the men that he is the only one who knows the jungle. Meanwhile, the general who usurped Prieto's power has learned of Jim's mission and issues orders to have him stopped. That night in the jungle, as tensions between Reyes and Jim mount, Harry and Sylvia discuss their failing marriage. Sylvia is frustrated by Harry's spinelessness while Harry resents Sylvia's infidelities. Despite their differences, the couple escape together after the others have fallen asleep. Jim and Reyes are wakened by their departure but decide not to pursue them. Soon after, Sylvia and Harry encounter a giant snake and stinging ants, and call for help. Though disgusted, Jim rescues the inept couple, and the next day, saves Sylvia from the tiger fish after she jumps into the river to avoid a swarm of hornets. During the night, a contrite Sylvia discards her nightgown and dons some of Jim's clothes. Although she begs him to take Harry out of the jungle before he loses his mind, Jim remains committed to his mission. Convict Jiminez then steals the boat, forcing the others to continue the journey on foot. Soon after, Jimenez is stopped on the river by police, who demand to know Jim's whereabouts. Unaware that they are being followed, the group hacks their way through the jungle underbrush, halting only when they encounter a puma. Jim shoots the animal before it can attack Sylvia, and Sylvia, crying with fear, kisses Jim in front of Harry. That night, Harry finds Jim's map and realizes that they are not in Guatemala, but Honduras. By the next morning, the police have caught up, and a gunfight ensues. After one officer is wounded, Jim and the group flee deeper into the jungle, but are still pursued by the police. A rainstorm then hits, and following another gun battle, the police are defeated. Jim leads the group into a cave to rest, and while there, Harry confronts him with the map, but Jim still refuses to reveal his mission. Later, Jim succumbs to a malarial fever, and even though Reyes offers him some quinine, falls into unconsciousness. While nursing him, Sylvia discovers "Lisa," Jim's money belt, and hides it. Three strangers then approach, asking for food, and inform Reyes that they are in Honduras. Furious, Reyes is about to shoot Jim when Sylvia offers him the money belt. After the suddenly enriched Reyes takes off with Castro and Bermudez, Jim, who finally admits to Sylvia he is a gunrunner, revives and pursues them. They all end up in the quiet village where Jim is to rendezvous with Prieto, and begin to attack one another in the dark. Reyes shoots Harry, and after Jim kills Castro and Bermudez, he sets several huts on fire. The flames alert Prieto and his band of patriots, who arrive just as Jim has hurled a knife into Reyes. Jim hands the money belt and guns over to Prieto and sets off with the president's men, promising Sylvia he will meet her again in two weeks.
Director
Jacques Tourneur
Cast
Glenn Ford
Ann Sheridan
Zachary Scott
Rodolfo Acosta
Jack Elam
Ric Roman
Rico Alaniz
Paul Zaramba
Stanley Andrews
Stuart Whitman
Robert Brown
John Mansfield
Julian Rivero
Ron Kennedy
Pepe Hern
Steve Conte
Michael Vallon
Paul Marion
Charles Soldani
Henry Escalante
Victor Ottero
Mel Welles
Joey Ray
Crew
Izzy Berne
Joseph Biroc
Benedict Bogeaus
Benedict Bogeaus
Harold Clifton
Jack Cornall
Karen Dewolf
Louis Forbes
Dave Grayson
Charles D. Hall
Howard Jackson
James Leicester
William Orr
Mario Silveira
Ralph J. Slosser
Nate Slott
Alfred E. Spencer
William Stephens
William Travilla
Frank Westmore
Ben Winkler
Lee Zavitz
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working titles of this film were Rage of the Jungle and Jungle Fury. Although Hollywood Reporter production charts state that the film was shot in "Scenic-Scope," no anamorphic process was listed in the onscreen credits or in reviews. A May 28, 1953 Hollywood Reporter news item adds Zarco Carreni to the cast, but his appearance in the final film has not been confirmed. According to modern sources, Ann Sheridan appeared in Appointment in Honduras as part of her settlement with RKO after her dismissal from the studio's 1951 release My Forbidden Past. For more information about Sheridan's grievance, .
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States Fall October 1953
Scenic-Scope
Released in United States Fall October 1953
