Adventure's End

1937 film

December 5, 1937 (1937-12-05)

Running time

60 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget$90,000^[2]

Adventure's End is a 1937 American adventure film directed by Arthur Lubin and starring John Wayne and Diana Gibson. It was distributed by Universal Pictures.^[1]^[3]

Plot

Duke Slade, a Pacific islands pearl diver, signs up to sail on a whaling vessel. Before they sail, Captain Drew marries Slade to his daughter Janet, to protect him against his first mate, Rand Husk. When the crew mutinies at sea, Slade sides with the captain.

Cast

John Wayne as Duke Slade
Diana Gibson as Janet Drew
Montagu Love as Capt. Abner Drew
Moroni Olsen as First Mate Rand Husk
Maurice Black as Blackie
Paul White as Kalo
Cameron Hall as Slivers
Patrick J. Kelly as Matt
George Cleveland as Tom
William Sundholm as Chips
James T. Mack as Hooten
Britt Wood as Hardy, Old Sailor
Ben Carter as Stantul, Black Sailor
Wally Howe as Kierce
Jimmie Lucas as Flench, Black Cabin Boy
Glenn Strange as Barzeck

Production

Adventure's End was the last of six films John Wayne made at Universal.^[4] Four of them were directed by Arthur Lubin who later recalled they usually "had six days to shoot. There was no time schedule, as there is today, where if you go late at night or start early in the morning, you have to pay more. In those days, you could shoot twenty-four hours a day." Lubin says that Adventure's End was "very extravagant", because "we were going to shoot in ten days", and "it was going to be a big picture." He says Wayne films were often inspired by "What sets are up these days that we can make pictures on, that won’t cost us much money". Adventure's End was made because "there was a boat on Universal lot, and they could use that."^[2]^[5]

In November 1936 Trem Carr purchased Maid of Orleans, a 150-foot schooner, one of the last of the whaling ships on the west coast, in Vancouver. He purchased specifically for the film.^[6] Filming was postponed due to a shipping strike (other films affected by this strike include The Hurricane for Sam Goldwyn and Short Haul also starring Wayne at Universal).^[7] By February the strike was over and the film was officially on Universal's production slate; Carr sent a crew to Vancouver to sail the boat to Los Angeles.^[8]

Filming started early July 1937.^[9]

Reception

The New York Times called the film a "pale reflection of several recent Hollywood sea epics."^[10]

References

^ ^a ^b Zmijewsky, Steve; Ricci, Mark (1970). "The Complete Films of John Wayne". Citadel Press. p. 81.ISBN 0-8065-0945-7.
^ ^a ^b Levy, Emanuel (June 12, 2006). "Adventure's End: John Wayne's Feature, Directed by Arthur Lubin". Emanuellevy.
^ "Adventure's End". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 4, no. 37. London. January 1, 1937. p. 269.
^ Vagg, Stephen (September 14, 2019). "The Cinema of Arthur Lubin". Diabolique Magazine.
^ Flynn, Charles; McCarthy, Todd (1975). "Arthur Lubin". In Flynn, Charles; McCarthy, Todd (eds.). Kings of the Bs : working within the Hollywood system : an anthology of film history and criticism. E. P. Dutton. p. 365.
^ "Nino Martini to Star in New Film". Los Angeles Times. November 2, 1936. p. A15.
^ "IRENE DUNNE, RANDOLPH SCOTT JOIN "SHOW BUSINESS" STAR CAST". Los Angeles Times. November 28, 1936. p. A7.
^ "NEWS OF THE SCREEN". New York Times. February 22, 1937. p. 13.
^ "Five films shooting at universal". Los Angeles Times. July 14, 1937. ProQuest 164784668.
^ "THE SCREEN: ' Under Suspician,' With Jack Adventure Films At the Central At the 86th St. Garden Theatre". New York Times. December 20, 1937. p. 23.