In Search of the Castaways (1962)

In 19th century England, young Mary Grant and her brother, Robert, embark on a dangerous quest to find their missing father, a sea captain who vanished somewhere along the Chilean coast.

Director:

Robert Stevenson

Writer:

Lowell S. Hawley (screenplay)

Stars:

Hayley Mills, Maurice Chevalier, George Sanders

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maurice Chevalier	...	Jacques Paganel
Hayley Mills	...	Mary Grant
George Sanders	...	Thomas Ayerton
Wilfrid Hyde-White	...	Lord Glenarvan (as Wilfrid Hyde White)
Michael Anderson Jr.	...	John Glenarvan (as Michael Anderson Jnr.)
Antonio Cifariello	...	Chief Thalcave
Keith Hamshere	...	Robert Grant
Wilfrid Brambell	...	Bill Gaye
Jack Gwillim	...	Captain Grant
Ronald Fraser	...	Guard at Dockyard Gate
Norman Bird	...	Senior Yacht Guard
George Murcell	...	Ayerton's Assistant
Inia Te Wiata	...	Maori Chief (as Inia Wiata)
Mark Dignam	...	Rich Man at Yacht Party
Michael Wynne	...	Crooked Sailor

Storyline

An earthquake, a flash flood, an avalanche, a volcano, alligators, jaguars, mutineers, and a man-eating Maoris dog the steps of a shipping company owner, a scientist, and the two children of a lost sea captain as they circle the earth along the 37th parallel per instructions in a bottled note the scientist has recovered from a shark's stomach. Only certain facts are discerned from the stained note, especially the words "37 parallel." Teen-age Mary Grant (Hayley Mills), her younger brother, Robert Keith Hamshere, and the scientist, French Professor Jacques Paganel (Maurice Chevalier), trick their way aboard the grand yacht, "Persevero," during a bon-voyage party to see the owner of the shipping company, Lord Edward Glenarvan (Wilfrid Hyde-White), the epitome of British aloofness. With the urging of his own son, John (Michael Anderson Jr.), Glenarvan's luxurious side-wheeler sets sail for the coastal town of Concepcion, Chile in the search for the missing Captain Grant.

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Plot Keywords:

intergenerational friendship | biblical quote | english | insanity | dry riverbed | 

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Taglines:

Only Walt Disney could tell this incredible Jules Verne adventure!

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Official Sites:

Disney's Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

21 December 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Search for the Castaways

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Gross USA:

$21,745,500

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One day on set, Hayley Mills almost accidentally burned down her dressing room. After filming a scene in which her clothes became soaked, without thinking, she put a pair of wet trousers on top of an electric heater before leaving the room. If it had not been for a crew member noticing the smoke which began to billow out of the room, Mills' dressing room, and possibly part of the set itself, could have been destroyed.

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Goofs

During their time in the tree, certain camera shots show Hayley Mills wearing a chain at her throat, while at other times, it's gone.

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Quotes

Jacques Paganel: Merci merci merci beaucoup, merci milord Glenarvan!
[the group starts to dance around Glenarvan]
Jacques Paganel, Mary Grant, Robert Grant, John Glenarvan: Merci merci merci beaucoup, merci milord Glenarvan!
Jacques Paganel: Hooray!

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Connections

Version of The Children of Captain Grant (1996)

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Soundtracks

Enjoy It
(uncredited)
Written by Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman
Sung by Maurice Chevalier, Michael Anderson Jr., Keith Hamshere, and Hayley Mills

User Reviews

A thousand thrills...and Hayley Mills!

Wonderful Jules Verne fantasy via Walt Disney has jolly, ne'er-do-well Frenchman Maurice Chevalier helping two children convince a ship's captain that the kids' father, a captain lost at sea, is shipwrecked on an island near South America. The journey begins, and soon the whole gang faces every form of a raging Mother Nature trying to reach the castaway. Hayley Mills is near the peak of her ladylike charms here, never lovelier than when singing "Castaway" under the stars by guitar or cooking breakfast with Chevalier in a treetop. Maurice himself is a wily coot, and Wilfred Hyde-White is brusquely amusing. Well-produced yarn with fine effects does tail off in the second-half, but there are many requisite Disney-adventure pleasures to be had. Enjoy it! *** from ****