Beachcomber, The

1053. THE BEACHCOMBER (193S-ENGLAND). WITH CHARLES LAUGHTON, LISA LANCHESTEK. PRODUCED BY CHARLES LAUGHTON. DIRECTED BY ERICH POMMER. MUSICAL DIRECTOR; MUIR MATHIESON. CHARLES LAUGHTON GIVES A TOUR-DE-FORCE PERFORMANCE AS THE EXTREMELY COLORFUL “GINGER TED,” A DISSOLUTE BUM ON A TROPICAL ISLAND. THUMBING HIS NOSE AT SOCIETY, TED DEVOTES HIS LIFE TO PLAYING WITH HIS DOG, FIRING HIS SLINGSHOT, CREATING CHAOS- OR LYING DEAD DRUNK ON THE BEACH. A PRIM AND PROPER BROTHER-SISTER MISSIONARY SEAM, OUTRAGED AT TED’S DISORDERLY CON- DUCT, CONTEMPT FOR CIVILIZED VALUES, AND UNWILLINGNESS TO REFORM, PETITION THE ISLAND’S GOVERNOR TO HAVE HIM DEPORTED. THE GOVERNOR (ROBERT NEWTON, WHO WOULD PLAY TED IN THE 19S5 REMAKE) ENJOYS THE SCOUNDREL’S COMPANY, AND, RATHER THAN SEND HIM BACK TO ENGLAND, MERELY SENTENCES HIM TO SOME “HARD LABORÓ (I.E. LYING ON A HAMMOCK SURROUNDED BY BEAULIFUL NATIVE WOMEN) ON A NEIGHBORING ISLAND PARADISE. THE REFORMERS ARE OUTRAGED EVEN FURTHER, BUT IN A STRANGE TWIST Of FATE, THE STRAIT-LACED FEMALE MISSIONARY (ELSA LANCHESTER, THE REAL LIFE MRS. LAUGH TON) BECOMES ATTRACTED TO TED! IN AN OVEN STRANGER TWIST, THIS VERY ODD COUPLE END UP ON A MERCY MISSION IN THE DARK JUNGLE, INOCULATING THE NATIVES AGAINST TYPHOID- AND GROWING EVEN CLOSER AS THEY FACE POSSIBLE DEATH AT THE HANDS Of SUPERSTITIOUS SAVAGES! ADVENTURE, COMEDY AND OfFBEAT ROMANCE (ANTICIPATING THE BOGART-HEPBURN PAIRING IN “THE AFRICAN QUEEN”) COMÂBINE TO CREATE ONE Of THE SCREEN’S MOST APPEALING AND ENDURING ENTERTAINMENTS! 87 MINUTES. COMEDY