August 17, 1940

CAPTAIN CAUTION

Louise Platt achieves stardom, Victor Mature adds prestige in Hal Roach's "Captain Caution"

Loves of the written exploits of John Paul Jones, Stephen Decatur and Admiral Perry, and those who have liked the newly released "The Sea Hawk," will be bound to find the War of 1812 sea-fighting and hand-to-hand cutlass combats of "Captain Caution" thrilling entertainment.

Louise Platt comes into her own as the star and daughter of the captain of the square-rigged trader, the Olive Branch. Victor Mature, as first mate of the ship and suitor for her hand, advances his career several notches with A-1 stripped-to-the-waist fighting scenes in which his powerful physique will be salve to the feminine box-office. Bruce Cabot, as the slippery villain Slade, makes a better than strong comeback for acting honors. Leo Carillo is plenty amusing as Argandeau, a role for which he had to learn French and drop Spanish dialect, and Robert Barrat, in his short-lived role as Captain Dorman, father of Corunna (Miss Platt), renders top support, as do also Miles Mander, Vivienne Osborne, El Brendel, Roscoe Ates, Andrew Tombes and Audrey Mather. Pat O'Malley, of Alec Templeton broadcast fame, has an amusing musical scene in his role as a fish-distributor on a prison ship.

The story concerns Louise Platt, who inherits the trading Olive Branch when her father is killed by an English man-o'-war, and her resolve to have vengeance on the British. Black-ivory trader Cabot hornswoggles Miss Platt for a time, causes her to think Mature, whom she dubs "Captain Caution," a coward and sissy for his "appeasement" attitude, but when he saves her from unreciprocated love after escaping from the prison ship and socks villain Cabot into the briny deep in a lengthy show of fisticuffs, she remembers what she never has quite forgotten-that she really loves him.

Swords and cutlasses vie with fists and pistols to make this a veritable melee of manliness of the most swift-paced variety.