Boy on a Dolphin ** (1957, Alan Ladd, Clifton Webb, Sophia Loren) – Classic Movie Review 11,078

Sophia Loren makes her American film début as a poor sponge diver on the Greek island of Hydra in Boy on a Dolphin (1957).

Director Jean Negulesco’s 1957 CinemaScope and DeLuxe color romantic adventure drama Boy on a Dolphin stars Alan Ladd, Sophia Loren, Clifton Webb, Laurence Naismith and Alexis Minotis, and is filmed on various lovely escapist locations in Greece, as well as in the studio for the interiors photographed at Cinecittá Studios Rome, Italy.

Hooray for the gloriously glossy attractions of skin-diving, Loren, Athens, the Aegean Sea and the Greek islands. Less exciting are Ladd, Webb and this hoary old tale about a clash over art treasure stashed beneath the sea.

Here, Loren makes her American film début, not really well cast as Phaedra, a poor sponge diver on the Greek island of Hydra who accidentally uncovers the said ancient brass and gold statue Boy on a Dolphin underwater old treasure, and is hired by greedy old collector Victor Parmalee (Webb} to raise the statue, but links up with archaeologist Dr James Calder (Ladd) to get the piece for Greece.

Boy on a Dolphin is a film that looks as lovely and alluring as its young star Loren, and the photography by Milton R Krasner and Oscar-nominated music by Hugo Friedhofer (nominee for Best Music, Scoring) help to add lustre.

Ivan Moffat and Dwight Taylor’s screenplay is based on David Divine’s novel.

Lionel Newman is the music conductor.

Also in the cast are Jorge Mistral, Piero Giagnoni, Gertrude Flynn, Margaret Stahl, Charlotte Terrabust and Charles Fawcett.

The film was to star Cary Grant but he withdrew four days into shooting in Greece when he went to support his wife Betsy Drake, who had just survived the sinking of the Andrea Doria ocean liner and her. Producer Spyros Foukas then signed Alan Ladd.

Webb’s real name was Webb Parmalee Hollenbeck, and his character here is called Victor Parmalee.

The 5′ 8½” Loren walked in a trench to give audiences the impression that the 5′ 6¼” Ladd was taller. He clearly steps off a box he is standing on in the museum scene. Loren recalled Ladd’s cold behaviour to her, saying, though she wanted them both to be happy, he remained coolly polite.

Ladd was born on September 3, 1913 and Loren was born on September 20, 1934 so there was a considerable age difference between the romantically paired stars.

Although made in Greece and Rome, it is an American studio production (Twentieth Century Fox), so it counts as Loren’s American film debut, premiered and released in April 1957 before The Pride and the Passion (1957), released in July 1957, where she did get to work with Cary Grant.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,078

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