The Secret of the Purple Reef
| The Secret of the Purple Reef | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | William Witney |
| Produced by | Gene Corman |
| Written by | Harold "Yabo" Yablonsky |
| Based on | novel by Dorothy Cottrell |
| Starring | Richard Chamberlain Peter Falk Robert Earle Jeff Richards |
| Music by | Buddy Bregman |
| Cinematography | Kay Norton |
| Editing by | Peter C. Johnson |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | 1960 |
| Running time | 81 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $86,000 |
The Secret of The Purple Reef is a 1960 - 20th Century Fox film based on a novel by Dorothy Cottrell entitled The Silent Reefs. It starred soon-to-be-famous actors, Richard Chamberlain and Peter Falk.
Contents |
[edit] Cast
- Jeff Richards as Mark Christopher
- Margia Dean as Rue Amboy
- Peter Falk as Tom Weber
- Richard Chamberlain as Dean Christopher
- Terence De Marney as Ashby
- Robert Earle as Tobias
- Gina Petrushka as Grandmere
- Larry Markow as Kilt
- Philip Rosen as Twine
- Frank Ricco as Henri
- Jerry Mitchell as Jerry
[edit] Plot
Filmed in color by Deluxe, the CinemaScope formatted production is a caribbean based mystery involving the disappearance of a ship called the "Cloud". Two brothers (Chamberlain and Richards) show up in a mid '50s four door Citroen Traction Avant in early era San Juan, Puerto Rico. They arrive to solve the mystery. The action begins to perk up as the two brothers run up against a gang of unruly pirates who seem to know more than they reveal. One of the film's highlights are several scenes of an E.G. Van de Stadt designed 35 foot sailing yacht, the "Starwright". The vessel adds to the Caribbean charm and plays an integral part of moving the pirates to other parts of the island.
[edit] Legacy
Although considered a B film, it is notable in that The Secret of The Purple Reef introduces Richard Chamberlain and Peter Falk to moviegoers and appears as part of their early film career.
[edit] References
- Cottrell, Dorothy.(1952) The Silent Reefs. Curtiss Publishing Company. New York.
- Halliwell, Leslie. (1977) The Filmgoers Companion 6th Ed. Avon Books. New York. pp. 135, 249
- Katz,Ephraim. The Film Encyclopedia (1979) HarperCollins Publishing. New York. pp. 222,400
- The Films of 20th Century Fox 1st Edition. (1979) Citadel Press. New Jersey. pp. 322
