The Prisoner of Shark Island

"Based on the life story of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd"

1936 1h 33m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 63

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After healing the leg of the murderer John Wilkes Booth — responsible for the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln — Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, considered part of the atrocious conspiracy, is sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to the sinister Shark Island Prison.

“Based on the life story of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd”

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Cast

Warner Baxter
Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd
Gloria Stuart
Mrs. Peggy Mudd
Claude Gillingwater
Colonel Dyer
Arthur Byron
Mr. Erickson
O. P. Heggie
Dr. Mac Intyre
Harry Carey
Commandant
Francis Ford
Corporal O'Toole
John McGuire
Lieutenant Lovett

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Ford
Writers: Nunnally Johnson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

90 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Ford, shot by Bert Glennon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by R. H. Bassett. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jack Murray shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Warner Baxter and Gloria Stuart and Claude Gillingwater carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Based on the life story of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0028141 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 63 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Ford directs. Bert Glennon behind the camera. R. H. Bassett scores. Jack Murray cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by John Ford, shot by Bert Glennon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by R. H. Bassett. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Jack Murray shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Warner Baxter and Gloria Stuart and Claude Gillingwater carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Based on the life story of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd".
7IMDB entry: tt0028141 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 63 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "yellow fever", "based on true story", "historical figure", "conspiracy".

The technical file

Cinematography: Bert Glennon
Original score: R. H. Bassett
Editing: Jack Murray
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

John Ford

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Steve2022-01-09
★ 8/10
Don't know how I missed this one but it's a great thriller. From the title you'd never guess it's an historical drama about Dr. Samuel Mudd who infamously helped set Lincoln's killer's broken leg. The history goes from suspect to flat out wrong -- and it's almost pro-slavery -- but if you can look past that it's a hell of a tall tale. Warner Baxter is put through the ringer and he does very well in this a very physical role -- much more entertaining that his smiling lover roles he usually did. Also a standout is the lean, terrifying John Carridine. Not to be forgotten is some thrilling scenes in the prison. And, yes, there are sharks!

Production companies