BATTLING BEAUTIES OF THE SOUTH SEAS & SOUTH OF THE BORDER:

THE CAMILLA BELLAMY & JESSICA D’ALBA FILMS 1942-44

    CAMILLA BELLAMY                                             JESSICA D'ALBA 

PART I: SOUTH SEAS: CATFIGHTERS IN PARADISE

Let it never be said that Double-Action Pictures didn’t get the most out of their product. A classic example of this may be in the adventure films of Camilla Bellamy & Jessica D’Alba made by D-A between 1942 and 1944. The series began with SOUTH SEAS SHIPWRECK (1942) which seems to have been made to employ as background footage an extensive library of well-shot Pacific Island scenes, part of the library of a travelogue film company that had gone bankrupt. There was also the expensive “ocean tank” created to film the company’s 1941 feature PIRATE QUEENS OF PORT ROYAL. The tank was used to film scale model sailing ships and the “tidal wave” scene at the end of PIRATE QUEENS as an earthquake generated wave wipes out the pirate haven of Port Royal, Jamaica

As may be deduced from the title SOUTH SEAS SHIPWRECK (sometimes called by it’s re-release title SOUTH SEAS SHOWDOWN), the story involves 18^th Century American  two seamen (this allowed for re-use of those PIRATE QUEEN model ships) being cast upon the sands of a lovely South Seas island. The survivors are pleasantly surprised to find quite a number of beautiful native girls, chief of who are CAMILLA BELLAMY and her jealous rival JESSICA D’ALBA. (Sharp-eyed fans have spotted D-A newcomers NADIA BORLANDT & MEG FOXWOOD in a smaller roles as friends of Camilla and Jessica respectively) who speak English thanks to an elderly Englishman who was shipwrecked here years ago and now is a respected elder.

Unfortunately for the islanders, although one of the new castaways is a good fellow, the other one is not. Especially when he learns that the original castaway brought a chest of gold ashore with him, but has hidden it away. The bad guy enlists the help of Jessica after her attempts to seduce the good guy get her defeated in a  wrestling match by Camilla. The bad guy is helped when a passing ship stops at the native’s signal turns out to have a captain who agrees to help the bad guy get away with the gold once he finds it.

So bad guys force the old man to reveal he hide the gold chest in a sacred underwater cave. They leave the old man for dead, but he lingers on long enough to tell Camilla and the hero what’s happened.

The climax is Jessica and Camilla both diving to the cave and fighting it out in the cave, while the hero deals with the bad guys (luckily there are only two of them, they don’t plan to share the gold). Jessica manages to get away with the treasure chest, but has a fatal encounter with a shark. (Thus showing the fate of those who would break taboo by robbing the sacred cave). Camilla retrieves the gold chest and returns to the cave thus ensuring the good fortune of the island. By the time she gets back on shore the bad guys are dead, having shot each other in a quarrel over the gold.

The ship sails away no one else suspects there was any gold and our hero remains with Camilla as the sun sinks in the west.

SOUTH SEAS SHIPWRECK was still showing signs of the older male-oriented D-A adventure films, though there are fighting female scenes. (There is also a scene were Camilla and her friend Nadia Borlandt have a fight with Jessica and her cohort Megan Foxworth on the beach. Nicely done though not quite the multi-fighter brawls fans later came to expect).

(Notes: Nadia Borlandt: Nadia Bjorlin; Megan Foxwood: Megan Fox)

Next up in 1942 was LURE OF THE LOST ATOLL. In this case, the story is set vaguely in the early 20^th Century and concerns pearl hunters in search of a legendary lagoon full of pearls. They enlist some island pearl divers: CAMILLA, JESSICA, a young NATALIE PRYOR and an equally young MARY ELIZABETH WINTHROP hired apparently because she was a high school swimming and diving star and thus didn’t mind doing the more extensive underwater photography of this one.

As one might have expected, the hunters find the pearl-laden lagoon, but promptly greed rears its ugly head setting off battles on the ship, on the beach and underwater. Not to mention the a whole pack of hungry sharks to dispose of the bad’uns after they run their schooner aground after stranding Camilla and the one decent fellow on the island. (Mary E gets drowned when her foot is snagged by a giant clam. Natalie gets a knife in the back from Jessica when she tries to warn Camilla Jessica is planning to double-cross her. Camilla beats Jessica in a beach fight, but then the bad guys show up with guns and take Jessica (and all those pearls) away only to fall gruesome victims to the sharks.

Camilla and the hero decide they can live quite happily on Lost Atoll and without those troublemaking pearls. Another glorious sunset finale.

(Notes: Natalie Pryor: Natalie Portman; Mary Elizabeth Winthrop: Mary Elizabeth Winstead)

As might be suspected from the title 1942’s third and final picture TYPHOON LAGOON

is about an typhoon that destroys a South Seas island (a plot that sounds suspiciously like the 1937 John Ford picture THE HURRICANE). CAMILLA is a chief’s daughter expected to marry the son of another chief, but she doesn’t want to (mainly because he’s more interested in the slinky JESSICA, who is not considered respectable enough to marry, something Jess’ character bitterly resents and which she tries to take out on Camilla, even though Camilla is not unsympathetic to her plight). So there are some dandy Jessica and Camilla fights including a long, running battle along a beach and another in a pool next to a waterfall. If that wasn’t enough an American tourist played by ELISHA CANTRELL tries to go after the guy Camilla really wants. These leads to a fine   beach fight between the saronged Camilla and Elisha in a pretty hot (for the times)  two-piece white swimsuit . Camilla defeats the blonde, but gets tossed in the clink by island authorities.  Of course, the big draw here is the typhoon, Camilla manages to get out of jail save most of her people by lead them to the safety of a mountain cave. Jessica gets to be less villainous as she drowns trying to save her beloved as the waters close in on the island. (MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD doubled Jessica in these scenes. “Most of what you see is unused PIRATE QUEEN footage, but they still had this big scene of Jessica being swept away and they had me do that. Poor Jess she kept saying: “I can do it! I can do it! What if something happens to that kid?” I told her I’d gone over and over it with the stunt guy, but she fretted worse than my mother until it was all over. Even though I’d actually been in the two previous movies, this was really the scene that got me   a full D-A contract,” Mary E. has told interviewers). (Elisha’s character gets saved by Camilla almost inspite of herself, she nearly falls to her death trying to climb a narrow mountain path and Camilla has to pull her up in a rain-drenched dramatic scene).

(Note: Elisha Cantrell: Elisha Cuthbert)

The first three movies were very successful and JESSICA D’ALBA was soon up to equal billing with CAMILLA BELLAMY. The studio also began to get more ambitious with the series which began 1943 with ISLAND OF THE FIRE GODDESS.

Peaceful islanders are alarmed when a neighboring volcano starts erupting. An American geologist reaches the remote scene and advises princess CAMILLA BELLAMY her people need to evacuate their homeland or perish. Her ambitious rival JESSICA D’ALBA much prefers the traditional way of calming the “Fire Goddess”: having a princess jump into the volcano as a human sacrifice. Camilla is willing to do it, but the geologist tells her this is nonsense. So Jessica stirs up a rebellion using her cohorts NADIA BORLANDT & MEG FOXWOOD getting other natives to support them. CAMILLA can count on the support of TAYLOR COLT & MARY ELIZABETH WINTHROP. The series first big multi-female fight scene results as the rebels storm the seaside long house. (“I do a big dive off the top of Camilla’s “palace”, come out and start fighting Meg. Just as I take her out, up comes Nadia who takes ME out, but Taylor goes after her. All this time Camilla and Jessica are wrestling and brawling all over the place. They actually filmed it in sections and edited it all together. It was really great!” Mary Elizabeth has related).

Anyway, Jessica and her girls capture Cami and are ready to throw her into the volcano when Taylor and Mary come to the rescue. Jessica and her pals up falling into the volcano.  Coincidentally (?) the eruptions stop and the puzzled geologist leaves by boat as Camilla waves goodbye from the beach, she won’t leave her people and he can’t stay here.

“It was kind of downbeat ending, but Camilla cracked us up saying: ‘Well, she’s still got Taylor and Mary, they can all just move in together and live happily ever after as a threesome.’ We even filmed a scene like that just to agitate our friends at the Censorship Office,” Mary E. has said, still laughing about it.

(Notes: Nadia Borlandt: Nadia Bjorlin;Taylor Colt: Taylor Cole:  Meg Foxwood: Megan Fox; Mary Elizabeth Winthrop: Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

The fifth picture in the series and the second of 1943 was TREASURE OF HIDDEN REEF. This one is set in the 1930’s. A group of treasure hunters that include KATIE DAWSON and MARY ELIZABETH WINTHROP (now playing an American girl), hire some native women (CAMILLA, JESSICA and NADIA BORLANDT) who can show them how to find the mysterious Hidden Reef and sunken freighter loaded with the crown jewels of the last empress of China. Unfortunately for them, the native women are drawn into the quarrels of the treasure hunters. (“I lost track of who was fighting who and why, but I think it’s fair to say everyone fought each other at least once. My favorite one was on the beach with me and Nadia in swimsuits and sarongs. We fought on the beach, in the water, UNDER the water (by then Nadia was really good at underwater fights), back out, into the brush, back to the beach, and FINALLY she nails me with an uppercut and I FINALLY go down for the count. Only don’t ask me why.”). Some sleazy guys show up and try to hijack the treasure. Katie and I get hold hostage. The bad guys shoot poor Nadia. That makes Camilla and Jessica mad so they swim out to the guys bought with some dynamite, free Katie and me and blow up the bad guys ship which sinks into really deep water with the treasure.  Much to my surprise, none of or characters actually died (even Nadia recovers from being shot). It’s kind of a messy plot but the fights were really good and frankly I think that was what sold the tickets).

(Notes: Katie Dawson; Katie Holmes; Mary Elizabeth Winthrop: Mary Elizabeth Winstead)

The third picture (and sixth in the series) was WEST OF TAHITI. An idyllic off-the-beaten path island is visited by troublemaking “tourists” who turn out to be an American gangster who sees the island a place he can use to base a smuggling operation.  REGINA ADAMS was the spoiled rich girl who has come along for the excitement, NICOLE AYERS plays her crony. ALLISON McKAY plays a more down-to-earth moll.  The smuggling plan gets broken up by CAMILLA BELLAMY and JESSICA D’ALBA with some timely help NADIA BORLANDT. ( Mary Elizabeth Winthrop: “No. I wasn’t in that one they had me working on DAUGHTER OF CLEOPATRA and CO-ED DETECTIVE, but I’ve seen it. Cami and Jessi really benefitted from having some fresh faces to fight.  Regina and Nicki were really great, they had am exciting catfight brawling style and Allison had a great bare-knuckle punching style. You can see how well Camilla and Jessica responded to this. In fact, Camilla and Jessica only wrestle each other once and that’s for fun. They are allies against the outsiders. It’s refreshing. Also as I remember it, Allison changes sides after battling the native girls for half the pic, which is good because the gangsters are all set to kill Cami and Jessie. Then the natives overwhelm the gangsters. Camilla takes out Regina and Jessica gets Nicole while Nadia and Allison get some authorities to come in and mop up.”).

(Notes: Regina Adams: Rachel McAdams; Nicole Ayers: Nikki Aycox; Nadia Borlant: Nadia Bjorlin; Allison McKay: Allison Mack)

It was at this point that the D-A studio bosses decided it was time to quite while they were ahead. They had used up all the best Pacific island footage and if they kept going, the audiences were going to get bored. So Camilla and Jessica left their sarongs and jungles behind for Mexico.…

II. CATFIGHTING DOWN MEXICO WAY

Although the D-A producers had decided to bring Camilla Bellamy and Jessica D’Alba’s South Seas adventures to a conclusion after six pictures, they felt there was still millage to be gained from the pairing. It also happened that Double-Action was expanding its distribution network into Central and South America  to the extent of setting up a subsidiary in Mexico called Accion Latina to produce Spanish-speaking films in the Double-Action manner. So it wasn’t surprising that D-A would try some “action-comedies” set in an imaginary Mexico (indeed there was already a 1942 DONNYBROOK GIRLS episode called “MAYHEM DOWN IN MEXICO”.)

According to surviving memos, it was decided in advance there would only be four to the series, all be released in 1944. (It is believed that Camilla Bellamy was anxious to move on to feature work and indeed 1945 saw the release of two of her biggest feature hits RENEGADES and FORT FURY, so she would agree on to four. Jessica D’Alba, who though never a star in her own right, was a stalwart team-up star.  In 1945 she would begin her successful partnership with NEVE NORTHWOOD in THE SECRETS OF SKULL VALLEY  serial which became the unofficial basis of their YUKON GOLD series.)

First up in the series was SOUTH OF MONTEREY (1944). Camilla plays “Camilla Valdes” who returns to her family hacienda after attending school in the USA. Accompanying her is her friend Kathy (played by MARY ELIZABETH WINTHROP). She then encounters romance and very jealous stepsister “Juliana” played by Jessica D’Alba. Juliana and her amigas (AL stars MAYRA MONTEVERDE and VIDA GUERRERA) make lots of trouble catfighting all over the place with Camilla and Kathy (eventually helped out by Camilla’s old friend by MARISA RAMIREZ). (“Oh, yes, they found a pond for me to fight in,” Mary Elizabeth has said, “I was great fight with Mayra and Vida, who are supposed to be jealous of my sexy new swimsuit. 2 on 1 sounds bad, but they both smaller then me so that kind of evened up it. Eventually Camilla and Marisa show up to rescue me after Mayra and Vida accidentally peel my suit off and I’m afraid to leave the water. We get back at them later though by sabotaging their party dress which starts another brawl I hadn’t really done many comedies so a lot of fun.”) For all the fighting, the other girls realize Camilla and Jessica are more alike than they admit and eventually make up for a happy ending.

(Notes: Vida Guerrera: Vida Guerra;  Mayra Monteverde: Mayra Veronica; Marissa Ramirez: Marissa Ramirez; Mary Elizabeth Winthrop: Mary Elizabeth Winsyead)

Second in the series WILD ROSES OF SONORA (1944) was about two girls Ana-Rosa (CAMILLA) and Maria-Rosa (JESSICA) who can’t stand each other and are always fighting. Then a shady promoter hires the girls to fight his imported imported wrestlers who look like they can barely find their way to the wrestling ring. (JENNIFER LORADO  & EVA DE LA VEGA) when, in fact, they are successful luchadoras from Mexico City. Ana and Maria take bad beatings and their friends all lose big bets. Understandably, they are now the least popular girls in town. Then each separately goes to the wrestling show intending to try to get jobs, but then overhear how the scam worked. They aren’t sure what to since the use of “ringers” wasn’t exactly fraud (the promoter was careful not to say anything about his wrestlers background—everyone just assumes they are greenhorns). Then they agree to go to the promoter and suggest a tag team match with the stakes that the promoter has to give the original bettors their money back if the Rosas win. If they lose then the promoter wins every peso the girls have been able to scrape up (actually quite a few pasos-their dowries). So it’s a wild and woolly No Holds Barred, No DQ match. The Rosas finally win with a spectacular series of double moves that leave their scheming opponents in a heap (and then they have to nail the promoter trying sneak off with the cash).

(Notes: Eva de la Vega: Eva Longoria; Jennifer Lorado: Jennifer Lopez)

VERACRUZ VIXENS (1944). Finds two girls getting jobs at a luxury seaside resort near Veracruz on the Gulf Coast of Mexico. The girls (CAMILLA and JESSICA) don’t always get along, but then they meet some rich, handsome young men, only to realize REGINA ADAMS and TERI PORTER, two rich young women are really con artists trying to swindle the young men. Regina and Teri are backed up by DANIELLE SAYRE and SARAH CARSON, while Camilla and Jessica have SILVANA ARIAS and MARISSA RAMIREZ allied with them. Lots of great brawls in bathing suits and even one in pajamas plus assorted food fights and one aboard a yacht,  before the “malas” are defeated and forced to flee ahead of the law, while Camilla and Jessica get the guys of their dreams.

(Notes: Regina Adams: Rachel McAdams; Silvana Arias: Silvana Arias; Sarah Carson: Sarah Carter; Teri Porter: Teri Polo; Marissa Ramirez (Marissa Ramirez; Danielle Sayre: Daniella Savre).

WILDCATS OF CORONADO (1944), the fourth and final action-comedy takes place on the great “Rancho Coronado”, a large and successful ranch, but one that the old gentleman who owns is very troubled about. His only two grandchildren are cousins who seem to be unable to get along. (CAMILLA and JESSICA naturally), they are always brawling. So much so that Don Roberto is considering leaving the property to a niece he doesn’t much trust: JENNIFER LORADO returns. Jennifer gets wind of the old man’s thinking and shows up at the rancho and does her best to make her uncle think his granddaughters intend to sell the property to a wealthy but dubious character who plans to flood most of the property to create a lake resort. This fellow has a slinky too young wife in MISSY PRESTON, whose “maid” LAURA PRINCE seems more like hitwoman.

Camilla and Jessica have to stop fighting each other to battle Jennifer and Missy (not to mention it takes both of them to stop Laura by dropping a lot of used tires on her until she can’t move. There is a comic bullfighting scene in which Jessica has try to fight a bull even though she is allergic to them and keeps sneezing when el toro gets close. (“Jessica has a great talent for slapstick comedy that this series brought and it loosened up Camilla, too, who really preferred more serious roles,” comments a D-A historian.) Camilla has a great fight with Jennifer at the climax with them swinging on these bell ropes. (A suspiciously similar scene popped up the next year in the serial THE GOLDEN QUEEN OF ATLANTIS, bur in that one JANE BARRETT and KATIE DAWSON are swinging and fighting over a pit full of hungry-looking crocodiles.) Camilla finally wins by knocking Jennifer through a window onto a haywagon, she then slides off and lands face-down with a SPLATTTTT!!!!! In a pig pen. (Meanwhile Jessica has been battling Missy who is trying to escape who is so busy trying to finish off Jess she fails to realize she’s let a bull loose and gets butted through the air landing in the same pigpen as her cohort.) Don Roberto’s rancho is saved and his granddaughters stop fighting (so much).

(Notes: Jennifer Lorado: Jennifer Lopez; Missy Preston: Missy Peregrym; Laura Prince: Laura Prepon)

The brief series was actually quite successful on both sides of the border, but Camilla and Jessica had both moved on. It is interesting to note that although Camilla Bellamy was praised for her comic acting, she seldom undertook a comic role in her later films. Jessica D’Alba, on the other hand, certainly worked slapstick humor into her YUKON GOLD adventure films. However the basic ideas and plots were to be the basis of many future Accion Latina releases and thus these four D-A productions were more influential than many fans realize.

(THE END FOR NOW…)