User reviews

Double Crossbones finds Donald O'Connor as a poor shop apprentice who finds himself nabbed for piracy quite innocently. But before the film's over, O'Connor is the greatest buccaneer of them all, Bloodthirsty Dave.

During the course of his incarceration O'Connor learns that the shop that he and Will Geer worked at was a front for the selling of pirate loot and the guy behind the piracy none other than the governor of the Carolinas, John Emery. In fact Emery has all the pirates of legend that you can name, Henry Morgan, Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, and the famous female pirate Anne Bonney all working for him. And he's getting the best of the deal. They clearly need a better deal and O'Connor puts himself forth as the guy to give it to them. And incidentally win the heart of the beautiful Helena Carter who is Emery's fiancé.

As she usually does, Hope Emerson as Anne Bonney steals the film when she's in it. As Donald O'Connor says, she's best man of the lot of them.

Double Crossbones is a nice satire of pirate movies and O'Connor does fine in the title role. But this seemed to be a film crying for Danny Kaye and I wouldn't be surprised if he was originally offered the lead.

A very strange movie featuring Donald O'Connor as a pirate-by-mistake who sings, dances and farces his way out of trouble to win the hand of comely Helena Carter. Notable for an outstanding supporting cast of players including Charles McGraw, Hope Emerson- a fearsomely funny Amazonian female pirate- Will Geer, a young Jim Arness and many other familiar faces in glorious Technicolor.

I am intensely curious who came up with the idea for this film and successfully got it funded and made by Universal-International. Whoever contrived and made the pitch could have sold the Brooklyn Bridge several times over.

An odd attempt that doesn't work due to an over talky, gimmicky script that simply isn't very funny. Director Charles Barton had better luck with Abbott and Costello. Handsome production design and earnest performances just don't click, but how can one resist Charlie McGraw and Hope Emerson in pirate mufti toasting their collective health and prosperity?!

Double Crossbones is directed by Charles Barton and written by Oscar Brodney. It stars Donald O'Connor, Helena Carter, Will Geer, John Emery, Charles McGraw, Hope Emerson and Morgan Farley. Music is by Frank Skinner and cinematography by Maury Gertsman.

Davey Crandall (O'Connor) and friend Tom Botts (Geer) are falsely accused by the corrupt Governor Elden of Charleston (Emery) of fencing stolen pirate booty. Bluffing their way onto the ship of local buccaneer Capt. Ben Wickett (McGraw), the pair soon become embroiled in piracy purely by accident and then have to pretend they are in fact pirates just to prove their innocence!

Nothing to dislike here, it does exactly what it promises to do, it's avast yee frothy merriment with a little song and dance routine thrown in for good measure. It's comedy satire on the seven seas where everybody seems to be having great fun. There's treachery and trickery, a gorgeous dame to be spared from the villain's plans and a splendid narrative set up that puts all the famed pirates of Tortuga in one "brotherhood" meeting room.

O'Connor comes off as a poor version of Danny Kaye, but he is an amiable lead here, with energy unbound and a quip on the lips he makes the most of the standard screenplay. The production design is mightily handsome and Gertsman's Technicolor photography is quite simply stunning. Support cast list is impressive, with McGraw (sadly not in it enough) and Emerson (stealing the film) the highlights.

It's all very playful and colourful and not intended for deeper dissection, accept it on its own frothy terms and it becomes a fun 75 minutes of film. 6.5/10

Dave : Donald O'Connor, is a shopkeeper who is falsely framed by the corrupt governor Elden : James Emery, then he embarks, along with his friend Tom Botts : Will Geer, on a pirate ship commanded by the local buccaneer Bloodthirsty Ben . Along the way, they avoid being murdered by faking a case of pox, the reason for the crew quickly flee . Later on, at Tortuga island he joins the feared and famous pirates Henry Morgan, Blackbeard, Anne Boney, all of them lay siege Charleston where the nasty governor resides and has his impregnable fortress. Soon after, Dave is deemed to be the bravest pirate of the seven seas.

Amusing and fun adventure comedy movie, being especially made for enhance the hilarious and musical qualities of the always likeable actor Donald O'Connor who finds himself mistaken for a pirate. Furthermore, there are two musical numbers performed by Donald O'Connor himself. This is a funny and bewildering flick with a disconcerting and little credible story shot as a fun festival of gags. There are enjoyable appearance of notorius pirates as Henry Morgan played by Roger Barrat, Captain Kidd performed by Alan Napier, Anne Boney by Hope Emerson, Ben Avery by Glenn Strange and Ben Wickett interpreted by Charles McGraw.

The motion picture was profesionally directed by Charles Barton , mixing comedy, adventure and pirate genres. He was an acceptable filmmaker, shooting several movies as cinema as TV, such as : The shaggy dog, Dance with me Henry, Ma and Pa at the fair, Africa screams, Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein, Abbot and Costello meet Boris Karloff, Mexican hayride, The noose hangs high, Buck privates go home, The time of your lives, Helltown, Forlorn river, Thunder pass, Thunder trail, Desert gold, Wagon wheels, among others. Rating 6/10. Passable and acceptable.

Swashbuckling comedy, not as bad as I had anticipated but clearly no more than a footnote within the annals of this colorful action genre (here in its heyday). Donald O'Connor is an amiable and undeniably energetic lead (obviously, he gets to sing and dance too) – playing a shop-keeper's assistant who wants to make good for love of heroine Helena Carter. She, however, is coveted by her much older guardian…who also happens to be the (actually treacherous) Governor of the colony in which events are set.

Immediately falling foul of pirate Charles McGraw, O'Connor eventually finds himself serving under him – after he, his pal and their employer are accused (by none other than the Governor himself) of accepting and selling stolen goods. The villain, in fact, is in cahoots with a society of legendary pirates comprising Sir Henry Morgan, Blackbeard, Ann Bonney (Anne Of The Indies – whose story, incidentally, was being told contemporaneously in a much more satisfying film by that title), Captain Kidd, etc.; apparently, this Governor's so mean that even they are no more than his mere underlings!

Anyway, O'Connor eventually captures a ship practically single-handed (and sets free the convicts within, among them James Arness, on their way to Debtors' Prison), which wins him the moniker "Bloodthirsty Dave" and – naturally – a place in the pirate brotherhood. Recognizing the Governor's right-hand man as the courier of his message to them, the hero realizes the statesman's dual nature and determines to meet Carter in order to stop her impending marriage (she had earlier shunned O'Connor for his own buccaneering activity!).

This he does by impersonating a foppish aristocrat at a ball (whose presence causes a snobbish lady to enquire "Who is that weird creature?"), though his ruse is discovered soon after and lands him once again in jail. Needless to say, everything comes out right by the end: the villain receives his come-uppance after engaging in a fencing duel with O'Connor on a ship's mast, hero and heroine marry, and the pirates – given a royal pardon – turn respectable…or do they?

Remember The Court Jester, the hilarious spoof where Danny Kaye pretends to be a medieval assassin but is really a bumbling fool? Remember when he made Double Crossbones, where he pretends to be a pirate but is really a bumbling fool? Wait, a minute, Donald O'Connor was in Double Crossbones. I always got the feeling Donald O'Connor wanted Danny Kaye's fame, especially since he had infinitely more talent, but I hope he wasn't too disappointed by his career. He made it, after all, and making it as a dancer at the same time when Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly were around is quite an accomplishment!

Double Crossbones is so similar to The Court Jester, and when you watch it afterwards, it'll pale in comparison. Donald tries to keep up with his pirate-y companions to become worthy of his lady love, but he's not really pirate material. Instead, for most of the movie, he sings and dances, making Danny-Kaye-faces and perfecting his bumbling, stumbling routine. Remember in The Court Jester when Danny drops his sword in a duel and runs around waving his hands in the air screaming? Can't you just imagine him fighting in a duel, forced to keep one end of a handkerchief in his mouth, while his pirate opponent holds the opposite end in his mouth? Well, you can watch Donald do that instead. At one point, Donald says "Hey, I'm dancing!" to get people's attention, then does his classic backflip-off-the-wall dance move. Was he trying to get people to realize he was more talented than Danny Kaye, or was that just my imagination?

Those of you who like pirate spoofs can check this one out, but it's really not very good. The best part about it is Frank Skinner's rousing score, but you don't have to watch the entire movie to hear it. Everyone loves trying to imitate Robert Newton; there's even International Talk Like a Pirate Day! So, if you want to see Donald O'Connor trying to do it, rent Double Crossbones.

"You stand on one edge of this cloth, and I on the other" is amusing ( won't spoil it for you ) & there are quite a few other amusing moments that make this worth watching.

Unfortunately there are also many other gags that do not work that were left in & the storyline becomes ridiculous at times which then takes away from the comedy & story.

In order for great comedy to work best the basic story has to be very serious & make enough sense to the viewers to keep you engaged in the story ( suspension of disbelief ) then when the good comedy comes it comes across that much more funnier especially if you catches you off guard.

I personally enjoy pirate movies so feel this was worth watching once, but won't be looking to add it to my movie collection ( as only films worth watching again do I buy ).

The actor who plays the butler in TV's popular show "Batman" ( Adam West TV series that is ) is in this film, as see if you can spot him ( you may recognise others too ).

I can't understand how anyone about to watch this movie, knowing it stars Donald O'Connor, can be surprised to discover that it's funny, lighthearted, and contains some dancing.

I was thoroughly delighted each time I watched it. Besides the fantastic, under-appreciated Donald O'Connor, the cast includes Will Geer (Grandpa Walton), as well as many other actors fans of classic movies and TV will recognize, by sight if not by name. The plot is no more far-fetched than any other pirate movie, and the acting is very good.

If you want to watch a serious pirate movie, by all means put in "Captain Blood." But if you're looking for some upbeat entertainment, I heartily recommend "Double Crossbones."

Don't know why this has such a low rating. Gorgeous Technicolor, rousing Frank Skinner score, top-notch model and process work, fast run time. The fist-fight scenes are well staged and bully for Donald O'Conner's action work, he actually looks like a real fencer! Add Helena Carter's captivating beauty and the tried-and-true mistaken identity plot and I think it's terrific entertainment.

Through a strange series of circumstances a menual, inoffensive shop assistant (Donald O'Connor) becomes feared as a pirate called "Bloodthirsty Dave."

A few familiar faces show up (mostly rising talent) but O'Connor is the only bona fide movie star in sight. He lacks the insoucuant edge he'd later adopt in "Singin' in the Rain" but he's likeable enough.

It seems to be an attempt to turn O'Connor into the next Danny Kaye, especially in the one song in the piece, performed by O'Connor in a tavern early on. The movie's not really a musical and it could use a few songs and dancing. As it is, O'Connor's atheletic body is impressive, little though it is.

The comedy is in the mode of Danny Kaye and Bob Hope (without their overplayed cowardice). Though in his upper twenties, O'Connor looks barely out of adolescence.

Lots of light-hearted adventure crammed into a movie that certainly doesn't overstay its welcome. A fun time for anyone who isn't too demanding.