The Boy and the Pirates

Keep in mind this film was released in 1960 and the target audience were families, especially young boys and girls who had an innate fear of Pirates and/or Indians. At my now senior citizen age I was bored very early with young Jimmy but when I saw the fearful pirate Morgan (Timothy Carey) my boyhood fear was brought to the forefront.

If you enjoyed The Boy and the Pirates I suggest you try and catch the subsequent 1961 Ray Harryhausen's Mysterious Island. Ray Harryhausen's classic visual effects lead the way for many a fine adventure films that followed which is why I have to give some credit to The Boy and the Pirates which led the way for many a great adventure films to follow.

I give it a decent 5 out of 10 IMDb rating but it is meant for children between the ages of 5 and 15.

This is actually quite an amiable little kids adventure film that sees the young "Jimmy" (Charles Herbert) find a bottle on the beach - next thing he and his friend "Katrina" (Susan Gordon) have been miraculously transported aboard the pirate ship of "Blackbeard" (Murvyn Vye) and adventures galore lie ahead... Paul Gilfoyle is quite good as the pirate's sidekick "Snipe" and it has quite a bit of light-heartedness to it - "Blackbeard" tries to light his cigar with some safety matches! - and plenty of jolly japes for the youngsters. It has been produced in the style of the Disney action films of the time, but to nowhere near the same standard. That said, though, the kids are clearly up for it, it has plenty of low-budget swash and buckle and though probably fifteen minutes too long, might still have been enjoyable for younger eyes.

This is another film that was regularly shown on the Chicago-area television program "Family Classics," remembered fondly on other posted for other films ("Snowfire" and "Journey to the Beginning of Time," to name a couple.) I am certain that re-watching it at my age would be a real mistake; even though it makes the occasional TCM appearance, I think I'll pass on it. But when I was six, boy, what a film! I looked forward to it every year. The old WGN, in it's pre-superstation days, was a haven for fans of movies, classic and otherwise, between Frazier Thomas's "Family Classics," the Saturday night "Creature Features," and the Sunday night "When Movies Were Movies." Those were the days when local programming was important. I am thankful to WGN TV for filling my childhood fantasies with these films. For now, Though, with this particular film, I'll let sleeping dogs lie.

A young boy (Charles Herbert) is magically transported back in time to a pirate ship on the high seas.

I have something of a fondness for Bert Gordon. While his films are hit and miss, probably more miss, and often cheesy, he does hail from Kenosha, Wisconsin and attended UW-Madison. So I like to consider him a kindred spirit, even if we have never met.

This is actually among his better films, though not one of the more well-known. Of course, he may be best known for the films that appeared on "Mystery Science Theater", so that would tend to skew how people see him. Here the plot, effects and even the scenery and costumes are good. The story seems to be a kid's adventure but is dark enough that people of all ages may appreciate it.

Shockingly, no monsters! And no large animals (though we do have a genie who appears very small, so at least we have that).

I well remember this film, seeing it in the movie theater when I was 12 years old. But viewing it now I wonder how producer/director Bert Gordon could credit himself with an original script. It's so obviously borrowed from A Connecticut Yankee in the Court of King Arthur. I guess since Mark Twain was long dead they didn't have to credit him.

Charles Herbert is having a lot of issues at home and school because of his obsession with pirates. Finding a lost bottle washed up from the sea, he makes a wish to be a pirate with Blackbeard and the genie Joseph Turkel makes it happen. Turkel also says unless that bottle is returned to the exact spot he found it, Herbert takes his place in the bottle.

On board ship Herbert becomes cabin boy and meets Blackbeard himself played by the always menacing Murvyn Vye who curiously enough was Bing Crosby's adversary Merlin in A Connecticut Yankee In The Court Of King Arthur. Archie Duncan, Timothy Carey, and Paul Guilfoyle play other pirate types.

Then there's Susan Gordon who was also the producer's daughter who Herbert rescues from a plundered Dutch ship and who looks strangely enough like the girl next door back in modern times.

Herbert and Gordon are a nice pair of youthful leads and Gordon certainly was a pretty thing back in the day. The Boy And The Pirates holds up well as a nice piece of children's entertainment with or without deserved credit to Mark Twain.