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After years abroad, young Chester Tuttle (Jon Hall) arrives back at his family home on Tahiti, to find his vast family as chaotic and happy as ever, and it's really hid dad, patriarch Jonas (Charles Laughton), who seems to be unable to keep things together financially, which is why he owes the good-natured local physician, Dr. Blondin (Victor Francen) a ton of money, a debt he's tricked into signing over as a mortgage on the Tuttle home to local businessman Jensen (Curt Bois). However, Jonas has a fool-proof plan to make all the money he needs and plenty more to pay off all his debts: He challenges his good-natured neighbour Emily (Florence Bates) to a cockfight, being that Chester has brought a prime specimen of fighting cock with him from San Francisco. He's so sure to win that he bets everything - and ultimately loses all when Emily presents her fighting cock from Australia. With almost everything gone, the Tuttles must rely on their skills as the finest fishermen of the island to make enough money to pay the mortgage at least. On one fishing trip, Chester and some of his brothers get into a storm that drives their boat far off the coast, and while back home they're already presumed dead, they actually come across an abandoned cargo ship that carries all kinds of goods, including enough gas to last them a lifetime, and they decide to haul her in and claim ownership after international maritime law. Here businessman Jensen spots an opportunity, and he offers a large amount of money to buy the ship of the Tuttles' hands, which might not be the actual worth of the ship, but it would spare them all legal challenges that are bound to arise. And suddenly the Tuttles are rich, and old Jonas is wise enough to take enough money out of the bank in cash to pay back the mortgage, but for the rest of the amount he opens a joint account for the whole family, and everybody goes on a shopping spree. Plus, Chester's finally rich enough to marry his childhood sweetheart, and Emily's daughter, Tamara (Peggy Drake). But apparently the Tuttles have seriously overdrawn their account, and actually during Chester and Tamara's wedding, all their new furniture is repossessed. On top of that, Jonas has to notice that he has lost the cash he has drawn to repay the mortgage, and now Jensen wants to evict the whole family. But rest assured, everything ends happily ...

Now this movie's core message (if you want to call it that) is a likeable one, claiming you can't buy happiness with money, but that said the film is just too harmless to really deliver and also meanders too much between genres - from romance to exotica, adventure to comedy - while lacking a coherent narrative backbone. That said, while the film's harmless, it's also harmless enough to not be annoying, and Charles Laughton, on a break from his larger-than-life villains, gives a very fine, subdued performance, while the directorial effort is solid Good Old Hollywood style which should attract anyone looking for just a bit of nostalgia.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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