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About the Film

Year

1963

Rating

NR

Genre

Comedy / Action / Adventure

Running Time

109 MIN

Synopsis

Acclaimed director John Ford and screen legend John Wayne team up for what would be their final collaboration in this boisterous, rowdy South Seas escapade. The Duke, Lee Marvin and Jack Warden play World War II navy buddies who have made the French Polynesian island of Haleakaloha their post-war paradise. Local headquarters is Donovan’s Reef, Wayne’s rough-and-tumble watering hole where bragging, brawling, and full-blown misbehavior are the order of the day. But destined to create more turmoil than any barroom fisticuffs is the sudden arrival of Elizabeth Allen, a straight-laced Boston blue blood. She’s hoping to locate her long-estranged father (Warden), affirm that he is “not of good moral character,” and then assume control of the family’s shipping dynasty back home in the States. Suave, debonair Cesar Romero and a sarong-clad Dorothy Lamour add to the laughs – and mayhem – in this tropical comedy treat.

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Where to Watch

Digital

About the Cast

Elizabeth Allen

Amelia Sarah Dedham

Dorothy Lamour

Miss Lafleur

Jack Warden

Dr. William Dedham

Lee Marvin

Thomas Aloysius "Boats" Gilhooley

John Wayne

Michael Patrick "Guns" Donovan

Cesar Romero

Marquis Andre de Lage

Dick Foran

Australian Navy Officer

Jacqueline Malouf

Lelani Dedham

Mike Mazurki

Sgt. Menkowicz

Marcel Dalio

Father Cluzeot

About the Crew

Director

John Ford

Producer

John Ford

Based on Short Story By

Edmund Beloin

Writer

James Edward Grant

Writer

Frank S. Nugent

Music Scoring

Cyril Mockridge

Music Scoring

Irvin Talbot