The Sea Bat
Encyclopedia
The Sea Bat is a 1930 thriller film directed by Lionel Barrymore
and Wesley Ruggles, starring Raquel Torres
and featuring Boris Karloff
. Part of the movie was filmed on location in Mazatlán
, Mexico.
The film concerns a community of sponge divers who are harassed by a large and hostile manta ray
. In reality, manta rays are gentle creatures, and do not attack humans.
who was too ill suffering from the effects of throat cancer to undertake the project and died on August 26, 1930.
Lionel Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore was an American actor of stage, screen and radio. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in A Free Soul...
and Wesley Ruggles, starring Raquel Torres
Raquel Torres
Raquel Torres was a Mexican-born American film actress. Her sister was actress Renee Torres....
and featuring Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
. Part of the movie was filmed on location in Mazatlán
Mazatlán
Mazatlán is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa; the surrounding municipio for which the city serves as the municipal seat is Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula.Mazatlán is a Nahuatl word meaning...
, Mexico.
The film concerns a community of sponge divers who are harassed by a large and hostile manta ray
Manta ray
The manta ray is the largest species of the rays. The largest known specimen was more than across, with a weight of about . It ranges throughout waters of the world, typically around coral reefs...
. In reality, manta rays are gentle creatures, and do not attack humans.
History
This film was originally intended as a vehicle for Lon ChaneyLon Chaney, Sr.
Lon Chaney , nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema...
who was too ill suffering from the effects of throat cancer to undertake the project and died on August 26, 1930.
Cast
- Raquel TorresRaquel TorresRaquel Torres was a Mexican-born American film actress. Her sister was actress Renee Torres....
as Nina - Charles BickfordCharles BickfordCharles Bickford was an American actor best known for his supporting roles. He was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for The Song of Bernadette , The Farmer's Daughter , and Johnny Belinda...
as Reverend Sims - Nils AstherNils AstherNils Anton Alfhild Asther was a Danish-born Swedish actor active in Hollywood from 1926 to the mid 1950s, known for his beautiful face and often called "the male Greta Garbo"...
as Carl - George F. MarionGeorge F. MarionGeorge F. Marion Sr. was an American stage actor and director, a film actor and director of two silent films. George F. Marion, who was born in San Francisco, California was father of writer George Marion Jr. and he died of a heart attack at the age of 85 years in Carmel, California, USA. Marion...
as Antone - John MiljanJohn MiljanJohn Miljan was an American actor of Serbian origin. He appeared in 201 films between 1924 and 1958.He died from cancer.-Selected filmography:* The Lone Chance * Silent Sanderson...
as Juan - Boris KarloffBoris KarloffWilliam Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
as Corsican - Gibson GowlandGibson GowlandGibson Gowland was an English film actor.Early sources had his birth place place as Newcastle. He started work as a sailor and later became mate of a ship...
as Limey - Edmund BreeseEdmund BreeseEdmund Breese was an American stage and film actor of the silent era. Long on the stage with a varied Broadway career before entering movies he appeared with James O'Neill in The Count of Monte Cristo , The Lion and the Mouse with Richard Bennett, The Third Degree with Helen Ware, The...
as Maddocks - Mathilde ComontMathilde ComontMathilde Comont was a French actress of the silent era. She appeared in 71 films between 1908 and 1937.She was born in Bordeaux, France and died in Hollywood, California from a heart attack.-Selected filmography:...
as Mimba - Mack SwainMack SwainMack Swain was an American actor and vaudevillian, prolific throughout the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s.-Film career:...
as Dutchy