Blackbeard, the Pirate (1952)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

Alan Le May (screenplay)
DeVallon Scott (story)

Release Date:

25 December 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure

Tagline:

The thunder of their plundering shook the earth, the seas, the sky!

Plot:

Honest Edward Maynard finds himself serving as ship's surgeon under the infamous pirate Blackbeard.

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Officer | Swashbuckler | Double Cross | Hostage

Cast

Robert Newton	...	Edward Teach aka Blackbeard
Linda Darnell	...	Edwina Mansfield
William Bendix	...	Ben Worley
Keith Andes	...	Robert Maynard
Torin Thatcher	...	Sir Henry Morgan
Irene Ryan	...	Alvina, a lady in waiting
Alan Mowbray	...	Noll
Richard Egan	...	Briggs
Skelton Knaggs	...	Gilly
Dick Wessel	...	Dutchman
Anthony Caruso	...	Pierre La Garde
Jack Lambert	...	Tom Whetstone
Noel Drayton	...	Jeremy
Pat Flaherty	...	Job Maggot

Also Known As:

Blackbeard the Pirate (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf) | USA:Approved (certificate #15976) | Finland:K-16 | UK:U | Iceland:12

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After a duel, the pirates heave the dead body of the loser over the side. When the "corpse" is released, his arms clearly move on their own as he clears the rail.

Quotes:

Morgan's Aide: Sir Henry! I've just come from the jail, and all the prisoners have been liberated!
Sir Henry Morgan: What?! When did this happen?
Morgan's Aide: The jailer said, Blackbeard did it.
Sir Henry Morgan: Blackbeard? Blackbeard's dead.
Morgan's Aide: He ran a cutlass through the jailer, and he swears it was Blackbeard, with the eyes of a devil!
Sir Henry Morgan: [pounds the desk and jumps up] When did this happen?
Morgan's Aide: About three hours ago. The jailer's died.
Sir Henry Morgan: Blackbeard...
[almost to himself]
Sir Henry Morgan: Suppose Blackbeard, why should he want to enter the jail?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Yellowbeard (1983)

The Most Entertaining Pirate Film

Between the opening credits and the first scene of "Blackbeard, the Pirate" viewers encounter the following verse:

The meeker the man, the more pirate he Snug in his armchair, far from the sea, And reason commends his position: He has all of the fun and none of the woes, Masters the ladies and scuttles his foes, And cheats both the noose and perdition!

It's called "The Armchair Pirate" and it serves as notice that what you're about to see isn't the true story of Blackbeard, but rather an everyman's fantasy of life on 18th Century seas.

Real pirate life must have been nasty, brutish, and short, but here it's spirited, colorful, and often uproarious. Most of the credit for this goes to Robert Newton who delivers a wonderfully unrestrained performance as Blackbeard. Critics routinely dismiss Newton's work as hamming, but it's the choicest, most savory ham acting you'll ever see.

Newton is ably supported by Keith Andes, Linda Darnell, William Bendix, and especially Skelton Knaggs as Blackbeard's henchman, Gilly. Well paced, cleverly plotted, and brimming with action, "Blackbeard" is the most entertaining pirate film of all. Just settle back in your armchair and enjoy the fun.