''Underwater!'' is a 1955

adventure film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, ani ...

directed by

John Sturges John Eliot Sturges (; January 3, 1910 – August 18, 1992) was an American film director. His films include ''Bad Day at Black Rock'' (1955), '' Gunfight at the O.K. Corral'' (1957), '' The Magnificent Seven'' (1960), '' The Great Escape'' (19 ...

and starring

Jane Russell Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011) was an American actress, singer, and model. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s. She starred in more than 20 films. Russell moved from th ...

and Richard Egan.

Plot synopsis

Johnny and his wife Theresa, along with mercenary Dominic Quesada, priest Father Cannon and Gloria, the boat owner, search for sunken treasure in the Caribbean. While on a dive they come across a wreck that they assume holds treasure. When they resurface they are confronted by a local boat of shark hunters with an unhealthy curiosity in their activities. In their effort to find funding to raise the wreck they discover that what they are looking for is a 17th-century ship that contains a life-size solid gold

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

encrusted in precious gems and that it lies in a different underwater location. So they make plans to acquire it. However, it is on the edge of a precipice in shark-infested waters, and they are not the only ones after it.

Cast

– Theresa Gray * Richard Egan – Johnny Gray *

Gilbert Roland Luis Antonio Dámaso de Alonso (December 11, 1905 – May 15, 1994), known professionally as Gilbert Roland, was a Mexican-born American film and television actor whose career spanned seven decades from the 1920s until the 1980s. He was twice no ...

– Dominic Quesada *

Lori Nelson Dixie Kay Nelson (August 15, 1933August 23, 2020), known professionally as Lori Nelson, was an American actress and model mostly active in the 1950s and early 1960s. She had roles in the TV series ''How to Marry a Millionaire (TV series), How to ...

– Gloria * Robert Keith – Father Cannon * Joseph Calleia – Rico Herrera *

Eugene Iglesias Eugene Luis Francisco Iglesias Carrillo (born 3 December 1926) is an American actor from Puerto Rico who was active mainly in 1950s and 1960s. In 1955 Iglesias appeared as Alfredo on the TV western ''Cheyenne'' in the episode "Border Showdown." ...

– Miguel Vega *

Ric Roman Ric R. Roman (September 29, 1916 – August 11, 2000) was an American actor. He was perhaps best known for his roles in the films '' Lone Star'' (1952), ''Shadows of Tombstone'' (1953), '' Lizzie'' (1957) and '' The Wayward Girl'' (1957). He also ...

– Jesus

Production

Partially filmed on location in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, ''Underwater!'' was completed in a newly constructed underwater tank in an

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...

soundstage. It was the first RKO film released in Superscope. Lori Nelson claimed Howard Hughes wanted her for the lead and paid

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

for her use; however, Jane Russell owed RKO a film. The lead was given to Russell with a part written for Nelson so she could keep her fee.

Soundtrack

The film contained the songs "

Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" or "Cerezo Rosa" or "Ciliegi Rosa" or "Gummy Mambo", is the English version of "Cerisiers Roses et Pommiers Blancs", a popular song with music by Louiguy written in 1950. French lyrics to the song by Jac ...

" and " Rhythm Sticks" performed by Perez "Prez" Prado and his Orchestra (" The King of the Mambo").

Release

For its world premiere on January 10, 1955, the film was projected on a submerged movie screen at Silver Springs,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, and members of the press viewed the film 20 feet underwater while wearing aqualungs. The song "

" featured in the film became a major hit.

References

External links

* {{Howard Hughes 1955 films 1950s action adventure films American action adventure films Films directed by John Sturges Films scored by Roy Webb Films set in the Caribbean Films shot in Hawaii Films shot in Mexico RKO Pictures films Treasure hunt films Underwater action films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films