Long John Silver (film)
| Industry | Film production |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1954 |
| Founder | Joseph Kaufman |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
Key people | Joseph Kaufman (principal investor and majority shareholder), Byron Haskin (director and equity stakeholder), Martin Rackin (screenwriter and equity stakeholder), Robert Newton (lead actor and equity stakeholder) |
| Products | Films, Television series |
Long John Silver, alternatively titled Long John Silver's Return to Treasure Island, is a 1954 adventure film produced as an American-Australian collaboration. It features Robert Newton reprising his iconic portrayal from Walt Disney's 1950 Treasure Island. Newton is billed as "Robert Newton as Robert Louis Stevenson's immortal," a nod to the movie’s alternate name that references the legendary character created by Stevenson.
The cast includes Kit Taylor in the role of Jim Hawkins, alongside Connie Gilchrist portraying Purity Pinker, Lloyd Berrell as Captain Mendoza, and Grant Taylor—Kit’s father—playing Patch. Significantly, 24-year-old Rod Taylor, credited as Rodney Taylor, appears as Israel Hands, the blind pirate antagonist who relentlessly pursues Jim.
Filmed in CinemaScope and color at Sydney’s Pagewood Studios, the production had a budget of US$1 million and attracted 754,745 viewers in France. The studio subsequently created The Adventures of Long John Silver, a television series consisting of 26 episodes featuring much of the same ensemble. Direction was handled by Byron Haskin, who also directed the 1950 Disney adaptation and at least one episode of the TV series.
This feature should not be confused with the contemporaneous 1954 American film Return to Treasure Island, which starred Tab Hunter and Dawn Addams.
Plot
Taking place after the events of Treasure Island, Long John Silver and his crew find themselves penniless in Portobello, a fictional harbor in the British West Indies. Long John possesses a map indicating a second treasure on Treasure Island but requires a special medallion to decipher it. Meanwhile, pirate Mendoza has abducted Elizabeth, daughter of Governor Strong, demanding ransom. Jim Hawkins is also captured after being forced into service as a cabin boy. Secretly, Jim assists Dod Perch in escaping to seek out Long John for assistance. Perch manages to locate Long John but is killed by Mendoza’s men after disclosing critical names. Long John suggests paying the ransom to the governor before setting out to capture Mendoza.
Long John allies with Billy Bowlegs to confront Mendoza, leveraging knowledge of Mendoza’s scheme to hoard the ransom for blackmail. He proposes leaving Elizabeth ashore as bait to draw warships away so Mendoza can plunder royal warehouses. Mendoza acts on this plan, but Long John discovers that Jim holds the medallion. When Mendoza attempts betrayal, Long John's men ambush him, seizing both Mendoza and the loot, allowing Jim and Elizabeth to escape.
Back at the governor’s residence, Jim is offered passage back to England; however, Long John intends to take him on another expedition to Treasure Island. After his crew and treasure are captured, Long John commandeers Captain MacDougall’s slave ship bound for Bristol. He narrowly avoids confrontation and detection by local sentries.
A mutiny plot unfolds aboard MacDougall’s vessel led by Long John; Jim exposes this scheme to the strict captain, resulting in Long John and his men being marooned on Mendoza’s secret island base. Jim then burns down Mendoza’s warehouse so that Long John can seize Mendoza’s ship. As Long John sets sail for Treasure Island, Mendoza awaits reinforcements from another ship.
Upon reaching Treasure Island, Long John's party takes refuge within a stockade from Israel Hands, who survived previous injuries but has become blind. Israel traps and kills several men before Mendoza arrives. He offers an alliance with Long John for passage back to Cornwall and revenge against Jim; they escape together as Mendoza sets fire to the stockade.
Following the treasure map leading to hidden caves, Israel attempts to kill Jim but falls to his death during their chase. Mendoza captures Jim intending to use him as bait for Long John; however, Long John surrenders deliberately so his men can attack and strand Mendoza’s forces. Returning rich to Portobello, Long John dines with Governor Strong, suggesting he has been pardoned and has contributed funds toward arming the harbor against pirates. He and Jim depart before Purity Pinker can enforce a shotgun wedding.
Production
After the commercial triumph of Walt Disney's 1950 Treasure Island, producer Joseph Kaufman initiated a follow-up project, bringing back Robert Newton in the role of Long John Silver. The production was handled by Treasure Island Pictures Pty. Ltd., with Kaufman acting as the principal investor and majority shareholder, while director Byron Haskin, screenwriter Martin Rackin, and lead actor Newton held smaller equity stakes.
To minimize expenses, filming was set in Australia, capitalizing on English-speaking crews—a common approach during the 1950s for American and British productions. Financing was partially provided by Wall Street financier Louis Wolfson. Upon arriving in February 1954, Byron Haskin encountered financial challenges as Kaufman depleted funds during the course of production.
Several Australian performers from His Majesty O'Keefe (1953), such as Grant Taylor, Muriel Steinbeck, and Guy Doleman, were cast. Doleman declined the role of Israel Hands due to appearance considerations and was replaced by Rod Taylor. Apart from Newton and Connie Gilchrist, who were brought in from abroad, the role of Jim Hawkins was portrayed by Kit Taylor, son of Grant Taylor.
The shooting took place around Sydney in 1954, mainly at Pagewood Studios where expansive sets represented a pirate vessel, a harbor town, and a waterfront street. A galleon was constructed on a barge at Botany Bay; miniature ships measuring six feet were utilized for sea battle sequences filmed in Port Hacking. Additional locations included Jenolan Caves (serving as Treasure Island caves), Garie Beach (standing in for Portobello coast), and Waterfall (doubling as Treasure Island).
Production commenced on 3 May 1954 and spanned 63 working days. This marked Australia's inaugural CinemaScope film and the first to be shot in DeLuxe Color outside the United States. Cinematographer Alex Phillips Jr. became only the second Mexican cinematographer involved in a CinemaScope project.
During filming, Robert Newton faced bankruptcy proceedings in England due to outstanding debts.
Reception
The film generally received unfavorable critical reviews. Nevertheless, it led to the creation of a color television series titled The Adventures of Long John Silver, which aired for one season comprising 26 episodes. Significantly, this was Australia's first television series production, preceding the nation's television broadcasting launch by two years. Production began in 1954, with broadcasts occurring in the United States (1955–56), United Kingdom (1957–58), and Australia (1958–59).
A novelisation based on the screenplay was written by Kylie Tennant.
Producer Kaufman secured an option on Pagewood Studios for an additional two years and announced intentions to develop more Australian films, including Come Away, Pearler, adapted from Colin Simpson's novel; however, these plans never came to fruition.
Both the film and its star Robert Newton were referenced multiple times within the UK television comedy series Hancock's Half Hour (1956–1961).
Further reading
- "US Copyright Office: Form GATT"
- List of Films as Public Domain at Peter Rodgers Organization website
External links
- The Adventures of Long John Silver on Classic Australian Television
- Long John Silver featured on the Rod Taylor Site
- Long John Silver available at Oz Movies
- Film review published in Variety