Omoo-Omoo the Shark God (1949)

Camp? No! Well made? No! Good acting? No! Competent director? No! In fact this is the only film directed by Leon Leonard. Thrilling screenplay? No! In fact, this is also the only film written by Leon Leonard. Before he surfaced for Omoo, Leonard's only other association with the movies occurred way back in 1930 in which he acted in a Rudy Vallee short called "Campus Sweethearts" and was actually billed ahead of Ginger Rogers. Solid production values? No! Made on a shoestring budget? Definitely! Moody photography? Yes! Thank you, Benjamin H. "Tough Assignment" Kline! Based on the 1847 novel by Herman Melville? Sort of! Other info: Aside from a small, uncredited part in "The Threat" (1949), this is the only film appearance of its female "star", Devera Burton. The male star, however, Australian actor, Ron Randell who played the title role in "Smithy" (1946), went on to have a most distinguished career on the Broadway stage which, oddly enough, ran parallel to an extensive movie (mostly minor films) and TV career (mostly – except for the "O.S.S." series in which he played Captain Frank Hawthorn – "guest" roles). Available on a very good Alpha DVD.

A ship heads to Tahiti in order to recover some hidden pearls. The captain of the ship is sick, a native stowaway insisting that the illness is tied to the captains stealing of two huge black pearls that were the eyes of the natives' shark god statue. Its greed, romance and spliced in nature footage as some of the crew seek to make things right while others are looking for the treasure. Nominally based on a Herman Melville story this is mostly a concoction of Hollywood story telling with a Bengal tiger figuring prominently into the story (wasn't this about a shark god?).Creaky set bound film best known for its unique title rather than for any quality or lack there of. Neither good nor bad the film just sort of is. It's the type of thing that one used to run across at 3am on the Late and then half remember in the daylight. In this case it's the sort of thing that you remember the title of because it sounds so silly. Worth a look only if you need to know what is hidden behind the legendary title of the film. All others are advised to look elsewhere. (and if you do pick this up with the intention of doing so make sure its part of one of the numerous multi-film packs that it appears in so you get maximum bang for your buck)

With a title like "Omoo-Omoo The Shark God" I was making room on my Top Ten Worst Movie List for a possible contender, but you know, this wasn't all that bad. Just goes to show you that initial impressions can be deceiving. The first thing to get my double take reaction was seeing that the picture was based on a Herman Melville novel in the opening credits. If Omoo shares the same heritage as Moby Dick, it can't be all that bad.The story has to do with a pair of stolen black pearls of great wealth; they were the eyes of the shark god on the island of Taviti, just off the tip of Sumatra. The shark god is represented by a large stone statue revered by the island inhabitants, but without it's eyes to distinguish good from evil, the islanders have run up a string of bad luck resulting in a drought and poor crops. The captain of the Schooner Julie is returning to Taviti to finally claim the pearls he tried to steal the first time around, but wound up abandoning when the island drums drove him mad.The story adds intrigue by having the crew of the Julie take sides in the quest, with the Captain (Trevor Bardette) succumbing to an illness that is treated by a stowaway aboard ship. Tembo (Rudy Robles) is the son of the island Chief Tari (Pedro de Cordoba), and uses a combination of native medicine and mumbo jumbo to give the captain a temporary fix to make it to the island. However when the captain succumbs to his malady, the illness is passed on to his daughter by way of the voodoo like curse. It's up to good guy Jeff Garland (Ron Randell) to set things right by convincing Julie (Devera Burton) that the treasured pearls belong to Omoo-Omoo after all.I wasn't expecting all the stock footage the film employs to display island wildlife the way it did, particularly the pair of tigers doing battle about midway through. At first I didn't think it probable that tigers would be part of the landscape, but Sumatra is known for it's own species of big cat, so I guess that wasn't so much of a stretch. Earlier, there was a scene where Julie and Garland observe an underwater battle between an octopus and a moray eel. The logistics of the scene don't work at all, but it was entertaining enough to gloss over the believability factor. If you watch closely though, you'll notice the tentacles of the octopus push up against the side of the aquarium glass that it was filmed in.Anyway, taking the Herman Melville connection and combining it with the "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" flavor of the greed among the participants vying for the black pearls, you have an entertaining enough story for it's mere fifty eight minute length. Say now, Black Pearl, someone might be able to take that concept and really run with it. Hey, wait a minute...

Oh, Man, talk about the effect of advertising. Apparently, all that you have to do to enjoy box office succes is title your movie after a revered 19th century novel. Horrendous acting, directing, and cinematography in this sham of an effort.