All the Brothers Were Valiant

Plot

Seafaring saga of two brothers and the woman they both love. Set against South Pacific islands, this love triangle pits the good brother against the bad as they squabble over a woman and a bag of pearls on the floor of a lagoon; the bad brother redeems himself, however, by helping fend off a mutiny.

Cast

Production

MGM bought the rights to the novel in 1936. Following the success of Captains Courageous, they announced they would make the film with Robert Taylor and Spencer Tracy. However, plans were postponed.

In November 1951 the film was reactivated as a vehicle for Taylor and Stewart Granger. Elizabeth Taylor was originally announced for the female lead.

Filming started on location in Jamaica in early 1953 with Granger and Bella St John. While the unit was on location, Elizabeth Taylor, who had just given birth, was replaced by Ann Blyth.

Granger later called the film a "crappy melodrama" and said the studio made him do this instead of the role he really wanted, the lead in Mogambo. He said he had been promised the latter but Dore Schary had reneged and given the role to Clark Gable. However Granger enjoyed working with Robert Taylor, saying he "was the easiest person to work with but he had been entirely emasculated by the MGM brass who insisted that he was only a pretty face. He was convinced he wasn't really a good actor and his calm acceptance of this stigma infuriated me. He was such a nice guy, Bob, but he had even more hang-ups than I had."

Lewis Stone died a few weeks after completing filming.

Reception

The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Color Cinematography, (George J. Folsey).

Stewart Granger later called the film "bad" but admitted "I had an OK villain's part."

Box Office

According to MGM records it made $2,004,000 at the North American box office and $2,624,000 elsewhere. It recorded a profit of $958,000.

In France, it recorded admissions of 1,909,704.

Proposed Follow Up

In July 1953, MGM announced it had optioned another sailing adventure novel by Ben Ames Williams, Black Pawl, which they intended to film as a follow up, also starring Taylor and Granger. It was never made.