The Secret of the Purple Reef
Encyclopedia
The Secret of The Purple Reef is a 1960 - 20th Century Fox film based on a novel by Dorothy Cottrell
entitled The Silent Reefs. It starred soon-to-be-famous actors, Richard Chamberlain
and Peter Falk
.
, the CinemaScope
formatted production is a caribbean
based mystery involving the disappearance of a ship called the "Cloud". Two brothers (Chamberlain and Richards) show up in a mid '50s four door
Citroen Traction Avant
in early era San Juan, Puerto Rico
. They arrive to solve the mystery. The action begins to perk up as the two brothers run up against a gang of unruly pirates who seem to know more than they reveal. One of the film's highlights are several scenes of an E.G. Van de Stadt designed 35 foot sailing yacht, the "Starwright". The vessel adds to the Caribbean charm and plays an integral part of moving the pirates to other parts of the island.
to moviegoers and appears as part of their early film career.
Dorothy Cottrell
Ida Dorothy Ottley Cottrell , better known as Dorothy Cottrell, was an Australian writer. Born in Picton she contracted infantile paralysis as a child and spent the rest of her life in a wheelchair. Her first novel, The Singing Gold, was published in 1928...
entitled The Silent Reefs. It starred soon-to-be-famous actors, Richard Chamberlain
Richard Chamberlain
George Richard Chamberlain is an American actor of stage and screen who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show Dr. Kildare .-Early life:...
and Peter Falk
Peter Falk
Peter Michael Falk was an American actor, best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the television series Columbo...
.
Cast
- Jeff RichardsJeff Richards (baseball player/actor)Jeff Richards , was an American minor league baseball player with the Portland Beavers who later became an actor. He was sometimes credited as Dick Taylor and Richard Taylor.-Early life and career:...
as Mark Christopher - Margia Dean as Rue Amboy
- Peter FalkPeter FalkPeter Michael Falk was an American actor, best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the television series Columbo...
as Tom Weber - Richard ChamberlainRichard ChamberlainGeorge Richard Chamberlain is an American actor of stage and screen who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show Dr. Kildare .-Early life:...
as Dean Christopher - Terence De MarneyTerence De MarneyTerence De Marney was a British film, stage, radio, and television actor, as well as theatre director and writer.-Actor:...
as Ashby - Robert EarleRobert EarleRobert Earle was a host of G.E. College Bowl, an American game show that was broadcast first by CBS, later by NBC...
as Tobias - Gina Petrushka as Grandmere
- Larry Markow as Kilt
- Philip Rosen as Twine
- Frank Ricco as Henri
- Jerry Mitchell as Jerry
Plot
Filmed in color by DeluxeDeLuxe Color
DeLuxe color is a brand of colour process for motion pictures.Among the movies that used the DeLuxe colour process are:* Toy Story 3 , Disney and Pixar, 2010...
, the CinemaScope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
formatted production is a caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
based mystery involving the disappearance of a ship called the "Cloud". Two brothers (Chamberlain and Richards) show up in a mid '50s four door
Citroen Traction Avant
Citroën Traction Avant
The Citroën Traction Avant is an automobile which was produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1934 to 1957. About 760,000 units were produced.-Impact on the world:...
in early era San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. They arrive to solve the mystery. The action begins to perk up as the two brothers run up against a gang of unruly pirates who seem to know more than they reveal. One of the film's highlights are several scenes of an E.G. Van de Stadt designed 35 foot sailing yacht, the "Starwright". The vessel adds to the Caribbean charm and plays an integral part of moving the pirates to other parts of the island.
Legacy
Although considered a B film, it is notable in that The Secret of The Purple Reef introduces Richard Chamberlain and Peter Falkto moviegoers and appears as part of their early film career.