Swimmer vs. Swimmer

 

 (imdb)

SWAMP FIRE-1946-Johnny Duval (Johnny Weissmuller) returns from the war to his home on the Louisiana delta. Everyone is very happy to see him, especially his girl Toni (Carol Thurston). One guy who doesn't like him is Mike (Buster Crabbe with a Cajun accent). Johnny can't return to his old job as a bat pilot though because during the war he commanded a ship that was lost. He blames himself (though nobody else does) and has lost his confidence as a pilot. He also meets Janet Hilton (Virginia Grey; see my "Dino-Men" entry), the spoiled rich daughter whose father (Pierre Watkin) Duval helps out. Later Janet and Toni have a fight at a dance. 

Then one foggy night Duval's ship is involved in a crash with another ship and Toni's father (Pedro de Cordoba) is killed. Duval hits the bottle. After he's hit by a truck, Janet takes him in, distancing him from Toni by forbidding her phone calls and tearing up her letters. Later, when Duval learns of Janet's treachery (she claims to be in love with him), he leaves her. When Mike sets the swamp on fire, he accidentally shoots Toni. Duval rescues her but there's a final watery fight between the two former Olympic swimmers. Guess who wins? 

Fairly standard love triangle drama with Buster Crabbe in a good villain role and Weissmuller unfortunately proving why this was his only lead movie role outside of Tarzan & Jungle Jim. David Janssen and I. Standford Jolley have uncredited roles. This was one of seven movies Crabbe made in 1946. All the rest were westerns. Director William Pine was better known as a producer (ONE BODY TOO MANY (1944) with Lugosi).

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Filmed On The Bayou

BAYOU-1957- Hi-jinx in the Cajun swamps as crab fisherperson Maria (Lita Milan) is ogled by pervert store owner Ulysses (Timothy Carey; bizarre as usual) while NY architect Martin Davis (Peter Graves; also in Bert I. Gordon's THE BEGINING OF THE END the same year) tries to win a contract to build a “civic auditorium”. His contractor friend (Douglas Fowley) gets him an interview with the city commissioner but Murphy (who calls Cajuns “animals”), his rival for the job embarrass him. Maria's father Emil (also played by Fowley though he doesn't get credit for the dual roles) has no more credit at Ulysses' store but U urges dad to put the hard sell on his daughter and make Maria attend a dance with him. After Davis almost runs Maria down in his speed boat, Ulysses does his greasy best to put the moves on her but when she resists he tries to rape her. Fortunately her father comes home and U scrams. Maria and Davis hook up at a bar and she shows him around the carnival. Ulysses beats Davis in a “pirogue race” and gives Davis a hard time. When Davis backs down from fighting everyone thinks he has no guts. Maria though is stuck on him and Ulysses starts trouble when they go for a boat ride. 

At a wedding “shivaree” Ulysses does a wild dance where he looks like he's being tortured. Again he challenges Davis to a fight but again the future MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE star backs down. When a storm hits, the two lovers decide to elope but dad is killed. After his funeral Davis and Ulysses have their fight and Davis whips his ass. Everyone (even his abused little pal Bos, played by Jonathan Haze) deserts Ulysses. Ed Nelson is also in the cast. 

Director Harold Daniels was later one of the credited directors of HOUSE OF BLACK DEATH. This nonsense, full of bad Cajun accents, played for years on the drive-in circuit under the title POOR WHITE TRASH.

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