The Tuttles of Tahiti (1942) User Reviews

Tuttle Family Values

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 7 November 2010]

In his third trip to the South Seas Charles Laughton plays the head of the Tuttle clan in The Tuttles Of Tahiti. This was definitely a more pleasant time than the first trip.

Laughton as we know was the infamous Captain Bligh in Mutiny On The Bounty the first time he was in the Pacific. His second role was as a lazy beachcomber reformed somewhat by missionary Elsa Lanchester in the film of the same name.

But if Elsa thought Charles was a challenge in The Beachcomber she'd flee back to England if she had to deal with The Tuttles Of Tahiti. Imagine a whole family of Ginger Teds, Laughton's character from The Beachcomber. This is a family of them, but even for them Laughton is a trial.

Even in the idyllic life of the South Seas there is a minimum amount of work to be done. In fact at one point the Tuttles are doing just that, fishing, and not just for everyone's individual dinner. But as they come upon a school of fish, their boat runs out of gasoline they thought they had. It seems as though Laughton emptied the tank and sold the gas to bet on a cock fight.

That scene also illustrated to me the inevitable tide of civilization even in small ways. For myself I was wondering why the Tuttle clan just didn't revert to the outrigger canoes of their culture and fish from them? Maybe in fact they'd lost the ability to use them though I find that hard to believe.

A certain ring of authenticity was present in the film with the casting of Jon Hall as the young scion of the Tuttle clan whose return home opens the film. Hall was in fact of Polynesian ancestry on his mother's side. And in the Dorothy Lamour role probably because RKO couldn't borrow Lamour from Paramount is Peggy Drake.

Laughton's best scenes are with Florence Bates who is the dowager queen of another clan which has a good natured rivalry with the Tuttles. They seem however to be grounded a bit more in reality. Bates while good might also have been a second choice as probably RKO would have wanted Elsa Lanchester.

Curt Bois has an interesting part as a local merchant and a real sneak besides, a typical role for him. He seems to delight in keeping the Tuttles consistently in his debt.

The Tuttles Of Tahiti flopped badly at the box office. Probably because in 1942 the South Seas was being invaded and America was sending its young people to chase the invaders away. Such fantasy films like The Tuttles Of Tahiti would have no place that year. Two years earlier and RKO and Charles Laughton might have had a hit.

Still viewed today it's a nice work and Laughton is brilliant as usual.

Two Tuttles Doves.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 7/10 · 19 December 2016]

With the 1939 adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame being one of my favourite films,I keep a look out for lesser-known Charles Laughton movies appearing on TV. Checking what films were about to be taken off BBC iPlayer,I was delighted to find an obscure Laughton title,which led to me getting set to meet the Tuttles.

The plot:

Returning home from the high seas Chester Tuttle finds that his family has not changed one bit,with his dad Jonas still borrowing money from Dr. Blondin. Wanting help his family out,Chester gets a fighting chicken to take part in rooster fights. Believing that Tulltles are onto a winner, businessman Jensen gets Blondin to transfer the debt,which leads to Jensen writing a mortgage for the family,and putting all his savings on them winning. Going to the fight confident,the Tuttles are taken aback when the bird flies off from the match,and takes the roof above their heads with it.

View on the film:

Joining Chester on his return to the family,director Charles Vidor & cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca melt light Comedy with an Adventure atmosphere baked in scorching hot light beaming down on each of the Tuttles get rich quick adventures. Disappointingly making a $170,000 loss, Vidor elegantly displays the lavish treats of the Tuttles,with Vidor wisely trimming the most negative aspects (such as the rooster fighting) down.

Landing from the pages of Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall's book No More Gas,the screenplay by Lewis Meltzer/Robert Carson and James Hilton smoothly make the Tuttles rush for cash one that heightens the Adventure mood,via each attempt to pay Blondin leading to a new "adventure." Despite the threat of homelessness being something that most folk would take seriously,the writers impressively find paths to keep the easy-going Comedy breezy,by giving the exchanges between the Tuttles a Screwball Comedy zest. Made when Hollywood was a lot less racial/culturally sensitive, Charles Laughton gives a great performance as Jonas,thanks to Laughton giving Jonas a hilarious gruffness,as the people of Tahiti welcome another member of the Tuttles in.

Charles Laughton is lovably flawed

[HotToastyRag · 7/10 · 21 August 2020]

Anyone want to see Charles Laughton in a comedy that's also incredibly sad? I did, so I rented The Tuttles of Tahiti. He plays a member of a large, unruly family living on Tahiti. The matriarch is Charles's mother, Adeline De Walt Reynolds, and through the generations, no one has learned very much responsibility or forward-thinking. Charles summarizes their life view by saying they'd rather be happy than rich, and he soon gets to put his theory to the test.

To me, this movie only works because of Charles Laughton. He's so lovable, and when he pouts, it just makes you want to cry and hug him. If he's flawed, you feel sorry for him; but if he knows he's flawed, it's so much sadder. He could have just played his character as an irresponsible beach bum, but since he's a great actor, he lets a bit of self-awareness show through to the audience. He knows he could have a better life, but he also knows he won't.

Family Values, Island Style.

[oscar-35 · 20 August 2003]

I wanted to see this film because my grandfather acted in it. His name is James Spencer. I found this nostalgic look at the "Island Life" to be very satisfying. It clearly showed the very important polynesian element of "Family". Watching these many and talented actors work in their scenes was like watching real life. Quite a pleasure!

Wow, times sure have changed!

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 20 January 2013]

Here in the 21st century, it's very hard to imagine a mainstream family movie whose plot involves cock fighting! But, very oddly, this is a major plot element in "The Tuttles of Tahiti"--a very strange film from 1942. Times sure have changed and I am pretty sure PETA-types won't appreciate this movie.

The casting of "The Tuttles of Tahiti" is quite strange--though in the 1940s, such odd casting was not unusual. While you might expect French-speaking (or at least French-accented) actors since the islands are French, there are none. While you might expect Polynesian-looking actors, many are just white guys who are painted a bit dark to look kinda Tahitian! As I said, this was the norm in the good 'ol days. So, don't be too surprised when you see Charles Laughton in this inappropriate role.

The story is about the Tuttles--sort of like the Waltons set in Polynesia. The patriarch of the family (Laughton) seemed like a bit of a schemer and lazy guy. After all, gambling everything he has on a cock fight! And, throughout the course of the film it gets worse--but you'll have to see to that yourself. All I know is that I had a hard time liking or connecting with any of them. And so, when he gets himself into serious trouble, I just didn't care. However, I noticed the other reviewers did like the film--so maybe you will, too. Well made but the script just didn't wow me at all.

A Spiritual Sibling to 'You Can't Take It With You'.

[the_match_maker · 5/10 · 2 August 2015]

Like the Capra film, this one is all about the maxim of, "Work to Live, don't Live to Work".

In today's parlance, the Tuttles would be considered 'white trash'. Working only enough to get by, 'mooching' off of their friends, wasting their money on fun and games. In truth, they live the sort of life that everyone secretly wishes that they themselves could live. Fortunately for them (and the film), instead of envying them, others around them love them for it.

While their home may be run down, and their credit is no good, the Tuttles themselves are rock solid people who have their values straight. Family, Fun, and Fishing. That's about as fundamental as it gets.

The plot is thin, but that's OK. It's the characters that carry this movie.

Frankly, it's the sort of film one doesn't see anymore. What with the breakdown of the family unit, and the now foreign idea of large family's living under a single roof, the setup alone may be one that modern audiences no longer understand. It very much perpetuates the matriarchal/patriarchal social dynamic that one used to find in the U.S.A. While the setting may be in the far flung south pacific, no doubt that Midwestern families back when this movie premiered could see certain of themselves in the Tuttles.

It's an ode to a slower (and richer) pace of life that too many people in our 'go-go-go' world have lost touch with these days.

So, get a little money, get a little gasoline, do a little fishing, and then have a party with your friends. Life is all about the living of it.

Laughton, Hall, et. al.

[artzau · 9/10 · 11 December 2000]

This film has two of the great ones, Charles Laughton and Florence Bates. She was one of the great character actors and he was just great. However, when you add a Nordhoff and Hall story to the mixture, you get a delightful story about a ne'er-do-well dreamer whose sons salvage a ship and Papa, Laughton, spends the prize money. I especially loved it when Papa Tuttle has spent all the money and gets a note from the bank that he's overdrawn and sends one of his kids with a check to cover the checks he's been writing. How many times have we all wanted to do that? The story is a bit too romantic and commonplace for today's audiences who demand slice 'n dice bloody scenes along with spectacular eye-dazzling effects. It's still a wonderful tale and has a great deal of charm about a lost time and place before it all turned to modernity. If that sounds too maudlin or nostalgic, I guess that's just how it is. Check it out. Bates and Laughton are great as is Hall out of his usual sarong roles with Dottie Lamour.

Little Socially Redeeming Value, but Fun - The Tuttles of Tahiti

[arthur_tafero · 5/10 · 17 May 2022]

Even Charles Laughton cannot save this severely flawed comedy about a large family that seems to not understand the basics of capitalism. This, and several other families on this part of the island are primarily concerned with cocks. Cockfighting seems to be the primary entertainment and sport on the island. No one dances sexier than Tahitian women, but they cannot save the film either. This family has very little in the way of socially redeeming value. Except for the grandmother, who is an honest, hard-working woman, the rest of the family doesnt seem to have a clue about money. Laughton plays a neer-do-well who loves cocks, drinking to excess, eating, sleeping, and leering at dancing Tahitians, is a thoroughly unappealing personality. Add a star if you are a Laughton fan.

A special gem

[normledgin · 9/10 · 23 May 2018]

If Pacific Islanders can be considered a race, and in some questionnaires they seem to be, then The Tuttles of Tahiti may be considered a pioneering (for its time) film representation of a racially integrated family. But there's not a bit of preaching to shove race mixing down anyone's throat. The Tuttles are naive and incompetent in their attempts to maintain financial solvency. They are also materialistic and fun-loving. The clan's females are impressively hip-swinging in dance, and the males offer seemingly authentic Polynesian grunts to the music. Charles Laughton is, of course, an acting genius as the doltish elder on whom dozens of family members depend for leadership. His spectacular failures are the stuff of which this charming comedy is made. I first saw this film when it was released in 1942, when I was 14 and too young to appreciate its subtle qualities. (After all, Lost Horizon author James Hilton was one of the writers.) But seeing it again at age 89 was a fulfilling experience. Nobody makes movies like this anymore, so we've got a special gem here.

No more gas! Plenty here!

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 18 May 2018]

As the result of an exchange deal, director Charles Vidor found himself working at RKO on the Lewis Meltzer-Robert Carson screenplay of James Hilton's adaptation of Nordhoff and Hall's novel, No More Gas, - a title which was changed to The Tuttles of Tahiti (1942).

For several generations, the Tuttles, once of New England, have been vegetating with a vengeance under softer skies. Impecunious, irresponsible and amazingly prolific, these quasi-Polynesians are a problem to the community, but a constant source of amusement to themselves. They have also amused even a hardened critic like me.

Sol Lesser's production is a minor field day for Charles Laughton, who obviously enjoys disporting himself as the sloppy, whimsical Jonas Tuttle of this Tahitian Tobacco Road. His best scene: Bug-eyed over the neat, crisp 400,000-franc salvage check in his trembling hand, he asks huskily, "Do you think it would be all right if I fold it?"

There are some beautiful shots of a storm and a hilarious wedding party. But all in all, instead of a glamorous Hollywood Tahiti, director Charles Vidor shows us a cheap, realistic South Seas locale that would astound the grass-skirt hula school.

Although fondly remembered as one of Laughton's most beguiling characterizations, The Tuttles of Tahiti seems to have slipped off the planet. Only six reviews here at IMDb, and this will make seven!