City Beneath the Sea (1953 film)

1953 film by Budd Boetticher

April 21, 1953 (1953-04-21)

Running time

87 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBox office$1.25 million (US)^[1]

City Beneath the Sea is a 1953 American technicolor adventure film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Robert Ryan, Mala Powers, Anthony Quinn and Suzan Ball. The film is based on the book Port Royal: The Ghost City Beneath the Sea by Harry E. Rieseberg.^[2]

Plot

In Jamaica, salvage divers Brad and Tony are hired by Dwight Trevor to find The Lady Luck, a ship that supposedly sank with all hands and $1,000,000 in gold bullion. There is no trace of the sunken ship, but there is a sunken city, the city of Port Royal that was destroyed in an earthquake in 1692. The gold bullion was actually lost in a modern-day quake and is part of an insurance fraud perpetrated by Trevor. He does not want the divers to find the gold and will stop at nothing to ensure the success of his plan.

Cast

Robert Ryan as Brad Carlton
Mala Powers as Terry McBride
Anthony Quinn as Tony Nartlett
Suzan Ball as Venita aka Mary Lou Beetle
George Mathews as Capt. Meade aka Ralph Sorensen
Karel Štěpánek as Dwight Trevor
Hilo Hattie as Mama Mary
Lalo Ríos as Calypso
Woody Strode as Djion
John Warburton as Captain Clive
Peter Mamakos as Captain Pedro Mendoza
Barbara Morrison as Madame Cecile
LeRoi Antoine as Calypso singer
Leon Lontoc as Kip
Marya Marco as Half caste woman

References

^ 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1953', Variety, January 13, 1954
^ Budd Boetticher: The Last Interview Wheeler, Winston Dixon. Film Criticism; Meadville Vol. 26, Iss. 3, (Spring 2002): 52-0_3.