Sixteen Fathoms Deep (DVD)

Struggling fisherman Joe Bethel and Theo Savanis both want to marry Rosie, the belle of their small coastal village. Savanis plots to ruin his rival's chances by sabotaging the young man's new boat during an annual competition. One of Theo's henchmen disables the underwater air pump -- a dirty trick that nearly costs Joe his life. Rosie plays up to Savanis in a desperate attempt to seduce him into revealing his plans to do away with Joe, but may be too late to save her sweetheart's life.

One of the best programmers turned out by Monogram Pictures in the early Thirties, Sixteen Fathoms Deep garnered favorable reviews and was touted as being equal to "B" pictures produced by the major studios. A tightly knit script and good production values (which included excellent underwater photography and picturesque shots of beautiful Santa Catalina Island off the California coast) accounted for much of the movie's effectiveness. This was the first feature film to star 27-year-old Creighton Chaney, soon to become much better known to moviegoers as Lon Chaney, Jr. Interestingly, he also appeared in Monogram's 1948 remake of Sixteen Fathoms Deep, alongside Arthur Lake and Lloyd Bridges.

• action
• adventure