In Search of the Castaways *** (1962, Hayley Mills, Maurice Chevalier, George Sanders) – Classic Movie Review 8291

‘A Thousand Thrills, And Hayley Mills!’ ‘An Earthquake of Entertainment!’ ‘Only Walt Disney could tell this incredible Jules Verne adventure!’ Walt Disney’s second raid on Jules Verne (after 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) boasts a top cast, myriad thrills (and Hayley Mills!) and decent special effects for the earthquake, shipwreck, flood, giant condor attack and volcano eruption.

The plot has teenage Mary Grant (Hayley Mills), her young brother Robert Grant (Keith Hamshire) and twinkling old French scientist Professor Jacques Paganel (Maurice Chevalier) journeying with titled shipping magnate Lord Glenarvan (Wilfrid Hyde White) to South America in search of the children’s sea captain father, the missing Captain Grant.

Director Robert Stevenson’s 1962 British made In Search of the Castaways is spiffing fantastical adventure entertainment, and there are fun songs too, written by the Sherman brothers (Robert B Sherman and Richard M Sherman), including the catchy ‘Enjoy It’, sung by Maurice Chevalier, Michael Anderson Jr, Keith Hamshere and Hayley Mills.

Also in the cast are George Sanders, Wilfrid Brambell, Michael Anderson Jr, Ronald Fraser, Jack Gwillim, Norman Bird, George Murcell, Inia Te Wiata, Mark Dignam, Roger Delgado, Michael Wynne and Maxwell Shaw.

Lowell S Hawley’s screenplay is based on the novel Captain Grant’s Children by Jules Verne.

Keith Hamshire made only two films, this and Play It Cool both in 1962), but later became a still photographer, starting with Battle of Britain (1969), and then a member of Eon Productions and has done still photography for James Bond films for Eon’s Publicity Department.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8291

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com