Russell Hardie and Ann Rutherford in Down to the Sea (1936)

Russell Hardie

Ben Lyon

Ann Rutherford

Wellyn Totman

Eustace L. Adams

William A. Ullman Jr.

This vintage drama from Republic Pictures features a colorful cast, headlined by Ann Rutherford (Gone With The Wind), Russell Hardie (Fail Safe), and Fritz Leiber (The Hunchback of Notre Dame). Director Lewis D. Collins, whose car...

Lewis D. Collins

Down to the Sea

Some Nicely Observed Script Points

It&apos;s conflict in the Florida sponge-diving industry, with top-billed Russell Hardie representing the &apos;hookers&apos; -- sponge divers who stay in shallow waters and free dive for the sponges -- and second-billed Ben Lyon representing the deep divers who use diving dresses. When bad weather forces the second group into the shallows, third-billed Ann Rutherford is the prize.

Writers Robert Lee Johnson and Wellyn Totman wrote a script that captures the immigrant Greek culture pretty well, from Greek Orthodox practices to dealing with the bends through cupping. Although the movie falls into standard two-friends-fighting-over-one-girl tropes, some fine actors, including Irving Pichel and Fritz Leiber take the senior roles. There&apos;s also Vince Barnett for his weak-tea brand of comic relief; I don&apos;t understand the fascination he held for Poverty Row producers in the period.

Director Lewis D. Collins apparently took the cameras and some of the cast down to Florida for location shooting. It was a good idea, but there didn&apos;t seem to be anything that couldn&apos;t have been done in California.

It's conflict in the Florida sponge-diving industry, with top-billed Russell Hardie representing the 'hookers' -- sponge divers who stay in shallow waters and free dive for the sponges -- and second-billed Ben Lyon representing the deep divers who use diving dresses. When bad weather forces the second group into the shallows, third-billed Ann Rutherford is the prize.

Writers Robert Lee Johnson and Wellyn Totman wrote a script that captures the immigrant Greek culture pretty well, from Greek Orthodox practices to dealing with the bends through cupping. Although the movie falls into standard two-friends-fighting-over-one-girl tropes, some fine actors, including Irving Pichel and Fritz Leiber take the senior roles. There's also Vince Barnett for his weak-tea brand of comic relief; I don't understand the fascination he held for Poverty Row producers in the period.

Director Lewis D. Collins apparently took the cameras and some of the cast down to Florida for location shooting. It was a good idea, but there didn't seem to be anything that couldn't have been done in California.

This vintage drama from Republic Pictures features a colorful cast, headlined by Ann Rutherford (Gone With The Wind), Russell Hardie (Fail Safe), and Fritz Leiber (The Hunchback of Notre Dame). Director Lewis D. Collins, whose career dates back to the westerns of the silent era, filmed exclusively in Florida locations for this feature, including Crystal Springs.

bappamtv

Down to the Sea

🎭 Top Cast

🎬 Technical Specs

🎯 Categories

⭐ Featured Review

💡 Did You Know?

📖 Synopsis