Buccaneer's Girl
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Harold Shumate
Samuel R. Golding
John W. Rogers
| Buccaneer's Girl | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Frederick de Cordova |
| Written by | Joseph Hoffman Harold Shumate |
| Story by | Joe May Samuel R. Golding |
| Produced by | Robert Arthur John W. Rogers |
| Starring | Yvonne De Carlo Philip Friend Robert Douglas Elsa Lanchester Andrea King |
| Cinematography | Russell Metty |
| Edited by | Otto Ludwig |
| Music by | Walter Scharf |
Production company | Universal Pictures |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 77 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | 2,007,030 admissions (France)[1] |
Buccaneer's Girl is a 1950 American Technicolor romantic adventure film directed by Frederick de Cordova and starring Yvonne De Carlo and Philip Friend.[2][3]
Deborah McCoy, a New Orleans singer, is aboard a ship that is captured by the forces of the pirate captain Fredric Baptiste. Deborah escapes in New Orleans and is hired as a singer by Mme. Brizar, the proprietor of a school for young ladies. Deborah is sent to a party held by Captain Robert Kingston, the head of the Seaman's Fund. She learns that Kingston is Baptiste, who uses his piracy activities to subsidize the fund, which supports local sailors. The businessman Narbonne discovers Baptiste's ruse and sets a trap for him. Deborah overhears Narbonne's plan and joins Baptiste on the open seas, where they attack Narbonne's ships. Baptiste is captured by Narbonne but Deborah helps him escape.
Cast
- Yvonne De Carlo as Deborah McCoy
- Philip Friend as Frederic Baptiste
- Robert Douglas as Narbonne
- Elsa Lanchester as Mme. Brizar
- Andrea King as Arlene Villon
- Norman Lloyd as Patout
- Jay C. Flippen as Jared Hawkins
- Henry Daniell as Captain Duval
- Douglass Dumbrille as Captain Martos
- Verna Felton as Dowager
- John Qualen as Vegetable Man
- Connie Gilchrist as Vegetable Woman
- Ben Welden as Tom
- Dewey Robinson as Kryl
- Peggie Castle as Cleo
Production
The film was originally known as Mademoiselle McCoy and the Pirates. In May 1949, Joseph Hoffman was hired to work on the script.[4]
Yvonne De Carlo was cast at the very early stages of the project, and Paul Christian was originally announced as her costar.[5] Christian was replaced by Philip Friend, who was cast on the basis of his performance in another Universal film, Sword in the Desert (1949). Robert Douglas was cast as the lead villain in the film, the first of a three-picture contract he had signed with Universal.[6] The supporting cast included Ethel Ince, widow of John Ince, playing her first role in 30 years.[7]
When asked about the film, De Carlo said, "What a dilly! I had six knock down, drag out fights in that one. And I was just recuperating from an operation."[8]
De Carlo related in her memoirs that while she was touring Argentina, she received a phone call from Eva Perón praising her films, particularly Buccaneer's Girl. De Carlo wrote: "It later dawned on me that she could identify with the character of Deborah McCoy, who capitalized on her position as a prostitute to move up into high society."[9]