Four Frightened People (1934)

Director:

Cecil B. DeMille

Writers:

Lenore J. Coffee (writer)
Bartlett Cormack (writer)

Release Date:

26 January 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Four passengers escape their bubonic plague-infested ship and land on the coast of a wild jungle. In order to reach safety they have to trek through the jungle, facing wild animals and attacks by primitive tribesmen. |

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Cast

Claudette Colbert	...	Judy Jones
Herbert Marshall	...	Arnold Ainger
Mary Boland	...	Mrs. Mardick
William Gargan	...	Stewart Corder
Leo Carrillo	...	Montague
Nella Walker	...	Mrs. Ainger
Tetsu Komai	...	Native Chief
Chris-Pin Martin	...	Native boatman
Joe De La Cruz	...	Native
Minoru Nishida	...	Native
Teru Shimada	...	Native
E.R. Jinedas	...	Native
Delmar Costello	...	Sakais
Ethel Griffies	...	Mrs. Ainger's mother

Runtime:

95 min | USA:78 min (1935 re-release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Filming Locations:

Hawaii, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by MCA ever since.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008) (TV)

Incredibly unknown - and even more engaging!

This bizarre, hideously ignored Cecil B. Demille comedy has a bit of everything! Sarcastic/ironic humor, adventurous action, sex, melodrama, romance and camp shift in and out of focus, giving way to each other throughout.

Without going into much plot detail, four passengers (Claudette Colbert, Herbert Marshall, Mary Boland and William Gargan) escape a plagued ship and come ashore only to find they must travel through miles and miles of jungle area in order to reach help. Gargan turns in a memorable performance as a determined journalist just dying to re-reach civilization to share the latest, greatest news story. Marshall and Boland are equally adept. However, this picture ultimately belongs to Demille's unique directional touches and the dynamic, versatile skill of Colbert. Fans of films fitting this description will likely find 'Four Frightened People' to be a delightful, forgotten treasure.