ISLE OF FORGOTTEN SINS (1943) Gale Sondergaard & Sidney Toler| Adventure| B& W | Cinema Gem

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Isle of Forgotten Sins is an American South Seas adventure film released on August 15, 1943 by PRC, with Leon Fromkess in charge of production, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer (also credited with original story) and featuring top-billed John Carradine and Gale Sondergaard, whose performance in one of 1936's Academy Award for Best Picture nominees, Anthony Adverse, earned her the first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Isle of Forgotten Sins was subsequently reissued in a version cut from 82 to 74 minutes and retitled Monsoon. It proved to be the final film role for German-American actress Betty Amann as well as the last feature for producer Peter R. Van Duinen's Atlantis Pictures, a unit whose films had a higher budget then most of PRC's releases.[1] Third-listed supporting actor Sidney Toler worked on this PRC title between the finish of his Charlie Chan films at 20th Century Fox and just before their resumption at Monogram Pictures. The film features several songs (with Carradine singing "Whiskey Johnny"), an underwater sequence using a marionette and a tropical monsoon climax. The pre-release working title was Island of Forgotten Sins.

Synopsis

Marge is the owner of a gambling hall and brothel called "Isle of Forgotten Sins" on a South Sea island. Her staff includes Olga, Bobbie, Mimi, and Christine. One morning, deep-sea diver Mike Clancy wakes up on a boat to find his partner Jack Burke has tied him to the bed and stolen all his money. When Clancy confronts him, Burke insists on seeing the cash first, takes it, and leaves without untying him.

Burke later arrives at Marge's place and attempts to charm her, but she is in love with Clancy. The two men get into a fight when Clancy accuses Burke of treachery. During the fight, Clancy recognizes two men in the room—Krogan and Johnny Pacific—as the captain and purser of the Tropic Star, a steamship that vanished six months earlier with three million dollars in gold. Clancy suggests that the gold is hidden somewhere.

A violent incident occurs when a shot is fired, a customer is killed, and Olga is seen fleeing with a gun. In the chaos, the group of people, including Marge and the women, flee to Burke's boat, intending to escape to Marana Island.

Upon reaching the island, they seek refuge with Krogan, who runs a plantation. He agrees to give them asylum, though he secretly plans to use them to recover the sunken gold from the Tropic Star. While Clancy and Burke search Krogan's house, they find a map that leads to the sunken ship, confirming Krogan's plan to have them do the dangerous work of retrieving the gold, which he intends to steal for himself.

Clancy and Burke take turns diving to recover the gold, but a confrontation occurs over the loot. Krogan and his men, watching from the island, seize the opportunity to trap Clancy and Burke. A fight ensues, and Clancy and Burke manage to escape before Krogan's boat is blown up in a staged explosion.

As a storm rages, Krogan and Johnny argue over the gold. Both men end up shooting each other dead. Clancy and Burke reappear, victorious, as the storm destroys the island. The film ends with Clancy and Marge sitting together at a café, where Clancy humorously asks her for money, hinting at a future together, as they discuss a bungalow on the Riviera.

This noir-style adventure film blends mystery, crime, and romance, with a tense story centered around treasure hunting, betrayal, and survival.

Cast & Crew

John Carradine as Clancy
Gale Sondergaard as Marge
Sidney Toler as Krogan
Frank Fenton as Burke
Veda Ann Borg as Luana
Rita Quigley as Diane
Rick Vallin as Johnny Pacific
Tala Birell as Christine
Patti McCarty as Bobbie
Betty Amann as Olga
Marian Colby as Mimi
William Edmonds as Chief

Directed by: Edgar G. Ulmer
Screenplay by: Raymond L. Schrock
Based on an original story by: Edgar G. Ulmer
Produced by:
Leon Fromkess (in charge of production)
Peter R. Van Duinen (producer)

Cinematography: Ira Morgan, A.S.C.
Edited by: Charles Henkel Jr.
Music by: Leo Erdody

Production Company: Atlantis Pictures Corporation
Distributed by: PRC (Producers Releasing Corporation)

Release Date: August 15, 1943
Running Time: 82 minutes (or 74 minutes, depending on the version)
Country: United States
Language: English