''She Gods of Shark Reef'' is a 1958 B- adventure film directed by

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

that was partially filmed on location in

Kaua'i Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the List of islands of th ...

back to back with '' Thunder over Hawaii'' in 1956. The film was distributed in 1958 by

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

as a double feature with '' Night of the Blood Beast''.

Plot

A young and reckless criminal, Jim ( Don Durant), stows away on his brother Chris Johnston's (Bill Cord) boat after killing two men interrupting his

gun running Arms trafficking or gunrunning is the illicit trade of contraband small arms and ammunition, which constitutes part of a broad range of illegal activities often associated with transnational criminal organizations. The illegal trade of small ar ...

. As they sail out to the Sulu Sea, they are caught in a terrible storm and are shipwrecked off a beautiful island that is inhabited by a secretive all-female village of pearl divers. Though the lonely and beautiful women of the island are friendly and flirtatious with the two brothers (the only remaining survivors), the village elder Queen Pua (Jeanne Gearson) is cautious and hostile, wanting the two off the island as soon as possible. Chris falls in love with one of the island beauties, Mahia (

Lisa Montell Lisa Janti (born July 5, 1933), known as Lisa Montell when performing as a Hollywood actress of the 1950–60s, later shifted her career to one of advocacy and service to various disadvantaged groups and to her adopted religion, the Baháʼí Fa ...

), while Jim, being a wanted man, seeks to escape before the naval ship sent to rescue them arrives. Terrified of being recognized and executed for his crimes, Jim fixes one of the islanders' broken boats and lets his brother and his forbidden love in on his plan. But before they can leave, the black-hearted criminal is overcome by greed and steals the islanders' precious pearls, injuring a native in the process. Once out to sea, Chris discovers what his sibling has done and tries to stop him in a fight on some jagged rocks. Jim tries to get away, but he gets tangled in the boat's ropes and falls to the sea, where a shark kills him, finally punishing him for his crimes.

Cast

* Bill Cord as Chris, alias Christy Johnston * Don Durant as Jim, alias Lee Johnston *

as Mahia * Jeanne Gerson as Queen Pua * Carol Lindsay as One of the Hula Dancers *

Ed Nelson Edwin Stafford Nelson (December 21, 1928 – August 9, 2014) was an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Michael Rossi in the television series '' Peyton Place''. Nelson appeared in episodes of many TV programs, more than 50 mov ...

as Guard * Beverly Rivera as Island Girl

Production

The film was announced in July 1956 with singer Don Durant to make his acting debut. The film was originally entitled ''Shark Reef'', with the "She Gods" part added at the insistence of

, who picked it up for distribution. It was shot in two weeks back to back with '' Naked Paradise'', with Corman only taking one day off in between. Corman says the experience was his most enjoyable one making movies to date. The film was shot at the

Coco Palms Resort Coco Palms Resort was a resort hotel in Wailuā, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi, that was noted for its Hollywood connections, Hawaiian-themed weddings, torch lighting ceremonies, destruction by a hurricane, and long-standing land disputes. The resort inc ...

with the thatched huts of the hotel grounds being used as the native village. Corman only had one shark to photograph, but obtained stock footage of other sharks Corman left for Hawaii to make it in August 1958. The film was made for an independent, Ludwig H. Gerber, who was hoping for the film to be picked up and released by a major studio. This did not happen. The film was instead sold to AIP in 1958, who released it.

Reception

The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' called it "a poor script, indifferently performed." The ''Los Angeles Times'' said it only had two things to recommend it: "it is in color and it is only 63 minutes long." Film critic Lisa Marie Bowman wrote that the film has a "somewhat haphazard story", that its "low budget is obvious in every frame," and " is is one of those films where the action stops for nearly five minutes so that irectorCorman can film a hula dancer."

References

External links

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''She Gods of Shark Reef''
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