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Wake of the Red Witch (1948)

During the 1860s in the South Pacific, Capt. Ralls, skipper of the Red Witch, has a series of adventures involving sunken gold bullion, pearls, natives, an unscrupulous ship owner and a giant octopus.

Director:

Edward Ludwig

Writers:

Harry Brown (screen play), Kenneth Gamet (screen play) | 1 more credit »
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Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Wayne ... Capt. Ralls
Gail Russell ... Angelique Desaix
Gig Young ... Samuel 'Sam' Rosen
Adele Mara ... Teleia Van Schreeven
Luther Adler ... Mayrant Ruysdaal Sidneye
Eduard Franz ... Harmenszoon Van Schreeven
Grant Withers ... Capt. Wilde Youngeur
Henry Daniell ... Jacques Desaix
Paul Fix ... Antonio 'Ripper' Arrezo
Dennis Hoey ... Capt. Munsey
Jeff Corey ... Mr. Loring
Erskine Sanford ... Dr. van Arken
Duke Kahanamoku ... Ua Nuke
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Storyline

Captain Ralls fights Dutch shipping magnate Mayrant Sidneye for the woman he loves, Angelique Desaix, and for a fortune in gold aboard the Red Witch. Written by Jim Beaver <[email protected]>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

Romance! Adventure!...as wild as the RAGING SEAS!


Certificate:

See all certifications »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 1949 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

A Lenda do Bruxa Vermelha See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,343 (estimated)
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I) See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Stock footage was used from Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and The Sea Hawk (1940). See more »

Goofs

When Capt Ralls explains to Capt Munsey how the Melbourne Queen exploded he says they were shipping dynamite. The story takes place in 1860-1861 but dynamite was not patented until 1867. See more »

Quotes

Mayrant Ruysdaal Sidneye: I'm not one of those 'eye for an eye' men. No! I always take two eyes.
See more »

Alternate Versions

Also available in a computer colorized version. See more »

Connections

Featured in That's Action (1977) See more »

Soundtracks

Nocturne in E Flat Major, Opus 9, No. 2
(uncredited)
Music by Frédéric Chopin
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

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User Reviews

 
A little-known and unusual Wayne film
29 January 2010 | by MarlburianSee all my reviews

I enjoy most John Wayne films, notably his Westerns, and a long time ago read several books about him, but Wake of the Red Watch was all but unknown to me. (British TV frequently screens his better-known films butI can't recall "Wake" being shown before.)

It wasn't at all bad, if one overlooks some of the clichés and limited production values, and Wayne portrays a character more complex and less sympathetic than in any other of his films, even Red River and The Searchers.

Some of the plot twists were a bit hard to follow, and I'm still not sure about the relationship between Ralls and Sidneye - it seemed to mellow towards the end.

Before watching the film I hadn't bothered to note its date and, going on Wayne's youthful appearance and the unsophisticated aspects of filming and plotting, I guessed it was early 1940s. I was a little surprised to see that it was 1948, just as Wayne was about to film some of his greatest Westerns.


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