JohnHowardReid Lon Chaney, Jr. (Dimitri), Arthur Lake (Pete), Lloyd Bridges (Douglas), Eric Feldary (Alex), Tanis Chandler (Simi), John Qualen (Athos), Ian MacDonald (Nick), Dickie Moore (George), Harry Cheshire (Miki), John Bleifer (Captain Briaeos), Grant Means (Joe), John Gonatos (Johnny), Allen Mathews (bus driver).Director: IRVING ALLEN. Screenplay: Max Trell. Adapted by Forrest Judd. Based on the American Magazine story, "Sixteen Fathoms Under", by Eustace L. Adams. Photographed in Ansco Color by Jack Greenhalgh. Film editor: Charles Craft. Music director: Lud Gluskin. Art director: Dave Milton. Special effects: Ray Mercer. Music: Lucien Maroweck, Renee Garriguene. Production manager: Belmont S. Gottlieb. Assistant director: Charles S. Gould. Sound recording: Josh Westmoreland, Tom Lambert. Executive producer: Arthur Lake. Photographed in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Underwater sequences photographed at Rainbow Springs, Florida, and at Marineland Studios, St Augustine, Florida. Producers: James S. Burkett, Irving Allen. An Arthur Lake Production. Copyright 25 July 1948 by Monogram Pictures Corp. New York opening at the Rialto: 6 October 1948. U.S. release: 25 July 1948. U.K. release through Pathé: 4 September 1950. No Australian theatrical release. 82 minutes.NOTES: This re-make of the previous "Sixteen Fathoms Deep", with Lon Chaney switching roles from hero to villain, is historically important as the first motion picture to be photographed in Ansco Color. Needless to say, it has rarely, if ever, been shown in color on TV, but was repeatedly broadcast in black-and-white, even though a color print could easily have been obtained. COMMENT: The movie was produced by Arthur Lake, taking time out from his domestic duties as Dagwood Bumstead.It might well be asked, "What does an executive producer do?" Needless to say, his duties and responsibilities varies from movie to movie, but in this particular case we know what Lake did: He bankrolled the production! And he cast himself in a major role not only because he wanted to throw off the Dagwood image, but to alert Hollywood producers to the fact that he could play other roles than Dagwood Bumstead! Although the film was shot in color, I have never seen a color print. It was broadcast on my local TV station in black-and-white!

kapelusznik18 ***SPOILERS*** Excellent underwater photography in the waters off Tarpon Springs Florida not in an giant fish tank or with stock footage like you would have expected in a movie like this. With the future "Sea Hunt" star Lloyd Bridges as ex-navy diver Ray Douglas doing the narrating as well as diving in the movie that makes it more then worth watching. There's also the former "Our Gang Comedy" child star Dicky Moore in what I think is his second adult role, after playing a deft mute in the movie "Out of the Past", as young 22 year old sponge diver George Athos. It's George who tragically dies when he gets his foot caught in a giant clam while trying to rescue his father Capt. Athos, John Qualen, who was trapped underwater. That's when his air hose was cut by Nick,Ian McDonald, who was under orders to do it by his boss the head of the sponge exchange Mr. Demitri, Lon Cheney Jr, in order to keep Alex's, Eric Feldary,sponge boat from making it to shore for the important sponge auction. That would have Alex pay off Mr. Demitri the money that he owes him.It was in fact Mr. Demitri the president of the Tarpon Springs Sponge Exchange who planned to sabotage Alex's boat to both put him out of business and at the same time steal his girl Simi,Tanis Chandler, whom despite promising her the world -including all the undersea sponges that she can handle- wanted to have nothing at all to do with him. Like she told a dejected and jealous Mr. Dimitri her heart as well as soul belonged to Capt. Alex! This had Mr. Dimitri go haywire in doing everything he could in destroying Alex's life as well as sponge boat together with his entire crew to the point of sinking it with all on board to achieve his aims.****SPOILERS**** It's after George drowned trying to save his dad that the person who was responsible for it Nick in seeing he now has nothing to lose-but his life- confessed, after being belted by Alex, to sabotaging George's father's, Capt Athos, lifeline or air hose. Thus having his entire crew sail back to shore to confront Mr.Dimitri for what he's done. That just in time to save Alex's sponge boat that if he didn't come back in time with a load of sea sponges would be taken from him by Mr.Dimitri . Seeing the writing on the wall, and facing life behind bars, Mr. Dimitri makes a run for it with Alex and his fellow sponge divers hot on his tail. In a knock down drag out fight on the docks Mr. Dimitri gets everything that's coming to him ending up with a back scratch-er stuck in his back as he soon ended up, like they say in Mafia talk, sleeping with the fishes.

kasel1 When I was a kid, I would come home and this movie would be on. I loved every minute of it. But here's the worst thing. As life would have it, I wound up buying a house just a couple of miles from Tarpon Springs, sponge capital of the world. Yet no one mentions this movie. I was So disappointed. The scene with Lon Chaney Jr. falling on the sponge rake is forever etched in my memory. I think tomorrow, I'll go down to the sponge docks and demand they show this movie!!!! This movie remains one of my favorites. And I just don't understand why it is not mentioned more often. I've asked the people in Tarpon Springs, but they don't seem to know what I'm talking about. Come on, people, the sponge capital of the world should know and publicize this movie.

kevin olzak 1948's "16 Fathoms Deep" is a remake of a 1933 title of the same name, from the same poverty row Monogram studios, but using the number 16 instead of the original spelling. Plotwise it's virtually identical, with the youthful hero (Eric Feldary) buying his first vessel on loan from the local villain (Lon Chaney), racing against time to make the annual auction to pay off the debt, unaware of the presence of a saboteur (Ian MacDonald) aboard. Among the differences are two additional characters, navy man Lloyd Bridges and comic relief cook Arthur Lake (channeling Jerry Lewis), who dives for a single sponge. The 1933 original was an exciting, fast paced 57 minutes with no unnecessary footage, while this version features 20 additional minutes of drawn out padding and little drama. The location footage of Tarpon Springs Florida is the most noteworthy aspect of this production, produced, oddly enough, by actor Arthur Lake himself (prominently advertised as being in Ansco Color, but today available only in black and white). Lon Chaney has the distinction of playing the villain here, in a much smaller role than his top billing would suggest, after playing the second billed hero in the original. Narrating from beginning to end is Lloyd Bridges, reunited with Chaney after 1945's "Strange Confession," in what appears to be a dry run for his upcoming 1950s TV series SEA HUNT. Ian MacDonald went on to play Frank Miller in Chaney's 1952 "High Noon," before appearing in Lon's final Universal feature, 1958's "Money, Women and Guns."