Long John Silver (1954) — Action Adventure Pirates Color / Robert Newton, Rod Taylor

Plot (may contain spoilers): The movie is set some time after the events of Treasure Island. Long John Silver and crew are broke and bumming around Portobello (a fictional port in the British West Indies). Long John has a map to a second treasure cache on Treasure Island; but needs a special medallion to decode it. The pirate Mendoza has kidnapped Governor Strong's daughter Elizabeth and is holding her ransom. Also captured is Jim Hawkins, who has been press ganged into serving as cabin boy. Hawkins has secretly helped Dod Perch escape, and sent them to track down Long John Silver for help. Perch manages to find Long John, but is beaten to the punch and killed by two of Mendoza's men. Perch is able to mention Mendoza, Strong and Hawkins before perishing. Long John visits Governor Strong and his wife and proposes to deliver the ransom before they pursue Mendoza.

During the pickup of the ransom, Long John goes with Billy Bowlegs to Mendoza's ship and blackmails Mendoza over their plan to hoard the ransom money. Long John suggests to Mendoza that he leave Elizabeth on shore and lure the governor's warships away in order to sack the king's warehouses. As Mendoza carries out the plan, Long John finds that Jim possesses the pirate medallion indicating the second treasure's location. Mendoza begins to double cross Long John, but Long John has his men ambush and capture Mendoza along with the warehouse fortune, while Jim and Elizabeth make their escape.

Back at the governor's house, Jim is offered the chance to go back to England, but Long John has plans to take Jim with him on the second voyage to Treasure Island. After his crew has been captured along with the warehouse loot, Long John seizes an opportunity to crew Captain MacDougall's ship, the same slave ship carrying Hawkins back to Bristol. Long John sets off, avoiding becoming engaged to Purity Pinker, and barely escaping the alert local sentries.

Long John plots a mutiny on Captain MacDougall's ship. Hawkins discovers Long John's plan and tells the puritanical MacDougall, who decides to maroon Long John and his men on an island that is the secret hideout of Mendoza. Jim sets fire to Mendoza's warehouse so that Long John and his crew can capture Mendoza's ship. As Long John sails for Treasure Island, Mendoza awaits his next ship.

Once on Treasure Island, Long John and his men take shelter in the stockade from Israel Hands, who had survived Jim's shot some time ago, but is blind. Israel keeps Long John and his men trapped, killing them a few at a time. Soon, Mendoza's men arrive, and Israel offers to side with Long John in return for a passage to Cornwall and vengeance against Jim. After they flee, Mendoza burns down the stockade.

Long John follows the trail of the map to the caves where the treasure is buried. Israel tries to kill Jim, but Jim leads him to the coast, where Israel plunges to his death. As Jim heads back to the caves, he is taken by Mendoza, who is going to use him as bait to get Long John, but Long John surrenders to Mendoza, giving his men the opportunity to make an attack, cutting down Mendoza's forces and leaving the rest marooned. Long John returns to Portobello as a rich citizen and dines with the Governor, during which it is implied that Silver received a pardon for his past crimes for the role he played in saving his daughter's life, and for a "generous donation to Government House" that served to "arm the habor against pirates." He and Jim ride off before Purity Pinker can pull a shotgun wedding.

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Long John Silver, also known as Long John Silver's Return to Treasure Island, is a 1954 American-Australian adventure film about the eponymous pirate Long John Silver, with Robert Newton repeating his starring role from Walt Disney's 1950 feature Treasure Island.

Kit Taylor plays Jim Hawkins, Connie Gilchrist is Purity Pinker, Lloyd Berrell is Capt. Mendoza, Kit Taylor's father Grant Taylor plays Patch and 24-year-old Rod Taylor, credited under his early stage name, Rodney Taylor, has the showy role of the blind bearded pirate Israel Hands who murderously pursues Jim.

Long John Silver's Return to Treasure Island should not be confused with another 1954 American film, Return to Treasure Island, released in June, with stars Tab Hunter and Dawn Addams. Hunter plays a researcher of secrets hidden within Stevenson's Treasure Island and Addams is "Jamie" Hawkins, a descendant of Jim Hawkins.

Cast
Robert Newton as Long John Silver
Connie Gilchrist as Purity Pinker
Lloyd Berrell as Capt. Mendoza, 'El Toro'
Grant Taylor as Patch
Rodney Taylor as Israel Hands
Harvey Adams as Governor Sir Henry Strong
Muriel Steinbeck as Lady Strong
Henry Gilbert as Billy Bowlegs

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[robertbihn]

wonderful memories from my childhood !