bkoganbing Andrew and Virginia Stone produced this low budget thriller that hung on an unbelievable premise and an impossible turn of events. No way the good people in the plot should have survived and some didn't.James Mason stars as a professional merchant seaman and gets his first command after serving on passenger liners with the captaincy of a tramp freighter. It's a beat up old tub with a surly crew and a sizzling Dorothy Dandridge the wife of cook Joel Fluellen who no way in God's green earth should have been on the ship. Not too many could have controlled their hormones with Dandridge around.Broderick Crawford and Stuart Whitman don't even try to keep things in check and in addition they've got a truly horrible plot to seize the ship and are the instigators of unrest. Whitman has it bad for Dandridge and he's claiming her as part of the salvage.As this situation is laid out when you watch I have no doubt that you will think it impossible that anyone could have survived. And the sea would tell no tales.The Decks Ran Red is just lame and impossible, but Dorothy Dandridge is always worth watching. James Mason didn't think much of this film according to The Films Of James Mason from the Citadel Film Series book on his work. And Broderick Crawford must have really been on a bender to sign for this one.

pakhuntz Lame and predictable film with James Mason incredibly miscast as captain of the ship. you know immediately that Broderick Crawford will be the instigator of trouble as he always was and the outcome shows no surprises.The best part of the film is the voluptuous Dorothy Dandridge who displays her charms that would make any crew mutiny for her. As as the custom in the 50's, she is married to a man who is twice her age which also makes the film sadly lacking. Better to see James Mason in his other films in which he portrays a much more realistic person.

Poseidon-3 Whether it actually is or not, this claustrophobic suspense yarn seems like a 'B' picture. Though Mason and Dandridge were in the midst of their best years career-wise, this seems like a step down...like something that one would do if there was no more quality work. The story (supposedly based on fact) concerns a ship Captain's (Mason) attempt to thwart a murder for riches scheme envisioned by Crawford and Whitman. The pair of thugs plan to make the crew seem like they're planning a mutiny so that it will be entered into the Captain's log. Then they will kill the crew, pretend to be the only survivors and bring the ship in for salvage worth over a million dollars. Crawford lumbers through the film with his usual style, but does present a threatening persona. Whitman struts around and poses in the world's clingiest jeans, his hair all '50's Bryll cream. It's hard to believe he was just three years away from a Best Actor nomination. Mason is believable as a Captain, but not as an action hero as he is later forced to become. A dash of feminine sex appeal is supplied by Dandridge who plays the wife of the ship's cook. She feels the need to serve the men on the boat while wearing snug dresses with deep necklines, which causes it's share of problems. Eventually, the opposing sides must play a cat and mouse game while running all around the ship. (And since it is a black and white film, the decks run grey!) The film has going for it some surprisingly stark moments of violence (for that time) and some creative camera-work in the confined bowels of the ship. Drawbacks include the bland settings, the fact that there's too much talk about what's happening in the story rather than letting the audience see it (crewmen keep coming back to the saloon to tell what's happening outside!) and a feverish, unintentionally hilarious performance by Cross as a third party in the scheme. Also, Bard, as Mason's wife, gives a bizarre performance, nervously looking at the floor through most of her brief scenes and swallowed up in an ugly coat. Still, it's a fairly tight little film with some degree of interest. TV fans may recognize old salt Patterson from "Green Acres".

Sleepy-17 I agree with the previous comments 100%, but I just wanted to add something about the magnificently evil Broderick Crawford and Stuart Whitman (!!). When Stuart gets his hands on Dorothy the second time, the suspense was so strong that I involuntarily started screaming homicidal epithets at the small screen. Be sure to watch this one alone so you can let it all hang out without being embarrassed.