The Mystery of the Mary Celeste ** (1935, Béla Lugosi, Shirley Grey, Arthur Margetson, Edmund Willard, Dennis Hoey) – 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,167

Béla Lugosi goes crazy on the sailing ship Mary Celeste, as Hammer Film Productions solve The Mystery of the Mary Celeste (1935). 

The 1935 British mystery film The Mystery of the Mary Celeste is one of the early films from Hammer Film Productions and stars Béla Lugosi, Shirley Grey and Arthur Margetson.

Based on the famous 1872 abandoned-ship mystery that still puzzles historians, the early 1935 Hammer production Mystery of the Mary Celeste imagines what might have caused the Mary Celeste’s disappearance in the Atlantic.

Co-writer/ director Denison Clift suggests that a single seaman, one-armed Anton Lorenzen (Béla Lugosi), went crazy as an act of revenge against his mistreatment at the hands of the first mate Toby Bilson (Edmund Willard), slaughtered all the other sailors and then jumped to his own death into the briney.

Not the likeliest answer and, unfortunately, not a very entertaining one, with only Lugosi keeping his head above the script’s choppy waters. Meanwhile, Captain Benjamin Briggs (Arthur Margetson) is best friends with Captain Jim Morehead (Clifford McLaglen), who is in love with Sarah (Shirley Grey). It is worth a look for Lugosi and the air of over-the-top Grand Guignol.

It is an imaginary explanation of the disappearance of the crew and passengers on the sailing ship Mary Celeste, found adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean in 1872. The famous ‘Q’ ship Mary B Mitchell stands in as the ship Mary Celeste.

The version released in the US as Phantom Ship is about 18 minutes shorter than the original Mystery of the Mary Celeste, running 80 minutes. But apparently only the cut Phantom Ship version survives.

The cast are Béla Lugosi as Anton Lorenzen, Shirley Grey as Sarah Briggs, Arthur Margetson as Captain Benjamin Briggs, Edmund Willard as first mate Toby Bilson, Dennis Hoey as Tom Goodschard, George Mozart as Tommy Duggan, Johnnie Schofield as Peter Tooley, Gunner Moir as Ponta Katz, Ben Welden as ‘Sailor’ Hoffman, Clifford McLaglen as Captain Jim Morehead, Tom Bastable as Olly Deveau, Matt Ramage as Andy Gilling, Terence De Marney as Charlie Kaye, Edgar Pierce as Arian Harbens, Herbert Cameron as Volkerk Grot, Wilfred Essex as Horatio Sprague, James Carew as James Winchester, Monti DeLyle as Portunato, Alec Fraser as Commander Mahon, and Mary B Mitchell as the ship Mary Celeste.

Writers: Denison Clift (story) and Charles Larkworthy (scenario).

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,167

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