Rainbow Island

1944 "PITY THE POOR CASTAWAYS ON THIS TROPICAL ISLE WITH LAMOUR"
7| 1h38m| NR| en
Details

Three merchant seamen fleeing the Japanese take refuge on a Pacific island, where they come across a doctor and his daughter who take care of the natives, a hostile tribe that wants to kill the sailors for trespassing on their sacred ground.

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Reviews

Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?
Borserie it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.
StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
Bergorks If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.
mark.waltz As senseless as an episode of "Gilligan's Island" (and possibly the film where Sherwood Schwartz got some plot ideas for that cult sitcom), this Technicolor Paramount musical focuses on three American pilots shipwrecked on a deserted island who manage to escape after overpowering three Japanese pilots and stealing their plane. Of course, they are shipwrecked once again after the American navy sees the approaching Japanese plane (its painted on American flag dissolved in a rainstorm) where one of them (Eddie Bracken) is believed to be their God after the local natives notice his resemblance to his totem pole likeness (the same thing which happened to Gilligan). Handsome Barry Sullivan falls in love with the not so native girl Dorothy Lamour, still wearing a sarong, but shipwrecked as a child along with her father (Forrest Orr), and every bit as tan as the natives. As for Bracken, his "Godly" identity is questioned by the native queen (Anne Revere), high priest Reed Hadley and warrior Marc Lawrence, and when the queen is given a sleeping poison, Bracken is set for execution, either by being burnt alive or eaten by a huge carnivorous plant, all to see if he really is a God. While my numerical rating indicates the fact that I consider this to be a substandard film, it is still an entertaining piece of nostalgic hokum that has to be seen to believed for really how bad it is, stereotypical in pretty much every way and cast with actors whom you know were embarrassed by their participation in it. Lamour and Bracken could play their parts in their sleep, but I really felt bad for the future Oscar Winning actress Anne Revere who in dark make-up looks ridiculous, even if she gives a very commanding performance. The songs by Burton Lane and Ted Koehler are instantly forgettable, and even if the Technicolor photography is superbly beautiful, the sets are extremely artificial looking. It's obvious to me that the best way to view this is with tongue firmly planted in cheek, but when you compare these with the Road pictures made at Paramount around the same time, you can see why they stand the test of time, even in black and white, while this is much closer to the Universal series of colorful adventures starring Maria Montez.
cynthiahost I got this print from loving the classics, It's a public domain print. It's fair but the color is intact.Mca has yet to release with TCM a compile of Dorothy Lamour's Technicolor sarong classics due to the fact they are greedy, They don't want to include a long term dollar with a quick one. Time warner and TCM Walt Disney are this bad. Time warner is really bad about this against their classic cartoons. Turner hid behind political correctness as an excuse to withdraw all the classic cartoons from cartoon net work ,inspite of the fact adult swim isn't no angel neither. Greed is against free speech if it interferes in their greedy profits. Disney is just a bad they haven't released for the past 7 more years any of their live Acton classics. They are hiding behind political correctness to save money by avoiding the release of song of the south.They don't want to serve the fans of classic films cause we don't give them enough money.This is rotten. Gil Lamb,Barry Sullivan and Eddie Braken are trapped in a Island ,stranded. All of a sudden they see a plane . They thinks is their's,but it's not. Barry tells them that its the Japanese plane. At the time they had sided with Hitler and bombed Pearl harbor. So as soon as the Japanese Soldiers go to in the island the three stranded ambushed them. They take advantage of the plane to get out of the island .They cover the Japanese symbols up with paint. But soon as they are in the air. It starts to rain. This washes the paint off. The naval ship,they are trying to get them the signal to land, Sees their Japanese symbols .The boys see the paint ware off and they realize that they are being attacked because the ship thinks they are the enemy. So they are forced to turn back. They are loosing gas. They end up in an another island. The natives, The queen,played by Ann Revere, an American doctor , who was stranded and taking care of the natives, his daughter played by Dorothy Lamour.The Doctor has convince them accidentally, that they are the Japanese. The queen decides that they will deal with them, by capturing them and putting them to death. But as soon as the native girls go to them to capture them.Instead they find the three ,Sullivan Lam, Bracken, appealing. The native women include Dorothy Lamour ,Elain Verdugo, Olga San Jaun and a small part with Yvonne De Carlo making her debut as an extra.Dorothy Revives Sullivan and starts to fall madly in love with him and realizes that he's not the enemy but The queen shows up and demands their deaths. As soon as they are about to beheaded ,Dottie come up with a quick ideal claiming that Eddie is a god.They believe him. So the three throw confusion to the natives, in this film while they fix the plane to leave. Dorothy want to get back with Sullivan to get her and her father out of the island ,Sullivan refuses but. she makes threats . The scenes have been shorten for some reason.Like Paramounts attempt to make Dottie another Esther Williams in a water ballet sequence.Olga Falls for lam.Their is a boogie Woodie swing dance number that they do. The queen finds out that they are mortal and takes the spark plug and wears them around her neck so they won't leave. But they manage to get them and including the doctor and his daughter leave. It all turns out to be a sailors story told by Bracken cause he is a fan of Dorothy Lamour. Since MCA won't out out better prints this is the only way to get this and other of Dotties Technicolor classics .Loving the classic.com
owenrussell I am working from a very vague and indistinct childhood memory of a film which I think is Rainbow Island, but cannot be certain. My most vivid memory of this film, which I recall as being in technicolor and having a large number of native-type people in it, is of a kind of idol which was worshipped by the natives and had a curious expression on its face - the most distinct feature being an underlip that stuck out. If I recall the scene correctly, the natives never looked at this idol, believing that it caused death. Eddie Bracken (if it was he), not knowing of this custom looked at the idol and found himself assuming the same expression of face, complete with protruding underlip. On seeing this, the natives began to worship him instead of the idol. Was I watching Rainbow Island? Or was it a different film altogether? Does anyone know?
porter77 I was six years old when I first saw this movie in the 40's. Over a period of six months, I saw it 8 times. In the 70's, I happened to catch the last half of the movie on TV as part of a Late/Late Show so I know it's not lost. I don't think it ever came out on VHS but I search the data bases from time to time. I would love to have this movie. In it's time, I think it was one of the best and was enjoyed by both kids and adults.