The Ghost Ship (1943)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

Donald Henderson Clarke (screenplay)
Leo Mittler (story)

Release Date:

27 July 1944 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

MYSTERY TERROR! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

Tom Merriam signs on the ship Altair as third officer under Captain Stone. At first things look good...

Plot Keywords:

Ship | Captain | Authority | Murder | Merchant Marine

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Richard Dix	...	Captain Will Stone
Russell Wade	...	Tom Merriam, 3rd Officer
Edith Barrett	...	Ellen Roberts
Ben Bard	...	First Officer Bowns
Edmund Glover	...	Jacob 'Sparks' Winslow, Radioman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Bice	...	Raphael, the Steward (uncredited)
Eddie Borden	...	Crew Member (uncredited)
John Burford	...	Crew Member (uncredited)
Tom Burton	...	William Benson (uncredited)
Harry Clay	...	Tom McCall (uncredited)
Alec Craig	...	Blind Beggar (uncredited)
Boyd Davis	...	Charles Roberts, Dunhan Line Agent (uncredited)
George DeNormand	...	John (uncredited)
Steve Forrest	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Skelton Knaggs	...	Finn, the Mute (uncredited)
Mike Lally	...	Crew Member (uncredited)
Sir Lancelot	...	Billy Radd (uncredited)
Nolan Leary	...	Stenographer (uncredited)
Charles Lung	...	Long Jim (uncredited)
Paul Marion	...	Peter, the Greek (uncredited)
Norman Mayes	...	Carriage Driver (uncredited)
Charles Norton	...	German Sailor (uncredited)
Shirley O'Hara	...	Silhouette Girl (uncredited)
Russell Owen	...	Crew Member (uncredited)
Charles Regan	...	Crew Member (uncredited)
Dewey Robinson	...	Boats (uncredited)
Robert R. Stephenson	...	German Sailor (uncredited)
Lawrence Tierney	...	Seaman Louie Parker (uncredited)
Herb Vigran	...	Chief Engineer (uncredited)
Steve Winston	...	Ausman (uncredited)

Directed by
Mark Robson

Writing credits
Donald Henderson Clarke		(screenplay)
Leo Mittler		(story)

Produced by
Val Lewton	....	producer

Original Music by
Roy Webb

Cinematography by
Nicholas Musuraca		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John Lockert

Art Direction by
Albert S. D'Agostino
Walter E. Keller

Set Decoration by
Claude E. Carpenter		(as Claude Carpenter)
Darrell Silvera

Costume Design by
Edward Stevenson		(gowns)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ruby Rosenberg	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Francis M. Sarver	....	recorded by
Terry Kellum	....	sound (uncredited)
James G. Stewart	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Vernon L. Walker	....	special effects

Music Department
C. Bakaleinikoff	....	musical director

Production Companies

• RKO Radio Pictures (presents) (as RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.)

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1943) (USA) (theatrical) (as An R K O Radio Picture)
• C&C Television Corporation (1955) (USA) (TV)
• Image Entertainment (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Ghost Ship (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

69 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:TV-PG | UK:A (original rating) (passed with cuts) | Finland:K-16 (1986) | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #9567) | Spain:13

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

RKO had built an expensive ship set for their 1938 production Pacific Liner (1939). Val Lewton was given instructions to come up with a film that could use the still existing set.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: One shot of the boat traveling toward camera shows the name of the boat on the bow is backwards. The backwards name reads Venture, indicating it's a shot reused from King Kong (1933) that has been horizontally flipped.

Quotes:

Captain Will Stone: You know, there are some captains who would hold this against you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows (2007) (TV)

Underrated Lewton

Tom Merriam is a third mate on the Altair, a cargo ship headed by Captain Stone, who Merriam looks to as a father figure, since Stone has the experience and the full loyalty of the crew. Merriam's opinion of his commanding officer is changed after a series of events (including the death of a mate due the captain's interference) and Merriam believes that Stone is unfit to command the ship. A hearing at the ship's port has the crew and line agent side with Stone, and Merriam is relieved of his duties as third mate. While on shore, Merriam is knocked out for trying to stop a fight, and is put back on the Altair much to his and Stone's disapproval. Stone says Merriam is now a guest on the ship, but the crew shuns him and Merriam believes that Stone is going totally insane and plans to kill Merriam, who now has to find someone to believe him before its too late. Underrated (and for a long time, unseen) classic from the Lewton-RKO 9, with above average script, camera-work, cinematography, but highlighted by probably Dix's best performance as Stone, as a man who is insane try to fool himself and those around him by acting normal. Excellent moments of suspense (especially for me when Merriam notices the lock missing from his door) make this a film one to get a hold of. Rating, 8.