Byron Haskin
Men steal for it. Nations go to war for it. The it is oil – and it grows on trees. Coconut oil is the precious lifeblood of 1870s South Seas traders. And lots of real blood will be spilled to get it! Screen royalty Burt Lancaster ist His Majesty O’Keefe in this last of three adventures that (along with The Flame and the Arrow and The Crimson Pirate) blew a revitalizing wind into the sails of the swashbucker genre. Action, cunning and derring-do are watchwords of the title seafarer as he befriends, defends and ultimately rules the islanders of exotic Yap. Lensed on gorgeus Fiji locations, grandly scored by Robert Farnon and rousingly directed by Byron Haskin, His Majesty O’Keefe delivers heroics of regal proportions.
The residents of a small town are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills, but their joy is short-lived when they discover it has passengers who are not very friendly.
Stranded on Mars with only a monkey as a companion, an astronaut must figure out how to find oxygen, water, and food on the lifeless planet.
One night on a lonely highway, a speeding car tosses a satchel of money, meant for somebody else, into Jane and Alan Palmer’s back seat. Alan wants to turn it over to the police, but Jane, with luxury within her reach, persuades him to hang onto it “for a while.” Soon, the Palmers are traced by one Danny Fuller, a sleazy character who claims the money is his. To hang onto it, Jane will need all the qualities of an ultimate femme fatale…and does she ever have them!
Frankie Madison returns to New York after 14 years in prison. Noll Turner, Frankie’s former partner in bootlegging, is now a wealthy nightclub manager, and Frankie is expecting him to honor a verbal ’50:50′ agreement they made when he was caught and Noll got away. Fat chance! Can Frankie, who knows only the strong-arm methods of Prohibition, win out against Big Business? It’ll be tough…even with the unlikely alliance of torch singer Kay (Noll’s ex-girlfriend).
