A man from Ohio inherits a coconut plantation and falls in love with a half-American, half-Tahitian beauty. Song-and-swim musical ensues in the tropical paradise.A man from Ohio inherits a coconut plantation and falls in love with a half-American, half-Tahitian beauty. Song-and-swim musical ensues in the tropical paradise.A man from Ohio inherits a coconut plantation and falls in love with a half-American, half-Tahitian beauty. Song-and-swim musical ensues in the tropical paradise.
Ben Chapman
- Dancer
- (uncredited)
Gene Coogan
- Dealer
- (uncredited)
Carlo Cook
- Mons. Bouchet
- (uncredited)
Marcelle Corday
- Countess Mariani
- (uncredited)
Philip Ho'onani Costa
- Manu
- (uncredited)
Birdie De Bolt
- Mama Ruau
- (uncredited)
Charles Freund
- Papera
- (uncredited)
Bill Kaliloa
- Mata
- (uncredited)
Dione Leliani
- Tani
- (uncredited)
Freddie Letuli
- Fire Knife Dancer
- (uncredited)
Sam Maikai
- Tua
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaEsther Williams was pregnant during the filming of this movie.
- GoofsWhen Howard Keel rides past the two natives in the small truck with the bath tub in the back. The first look is as he approaching the truck and the tub can be seen riding intact in the back of the truck. After he passes the truck the bath tub now looks in rough shape. And it now seems to be wobbling like it's missing a leg. And when the scene is viewed in slow motion. The tub come apart in mid-air. It didn't seem to have any reason to break yet. It hadn't hit the ground yet.
- Quotes
Hazard Endicott: You Mimi. Me Endicott.
- ConnectionsFeatured in MGM: When the Lion Roars: The Lion in Winter (1992)
- SoundtracksPagan Love Song
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Opening credits and first number sung by chorus
Later sung by Howard Keel and Tahitian natives and swum by Esther Williams' during her underwater ballet
Featured review
"When You Live In A House, In A House Of Singing Bamboo"
When Pagan Love Song came out in 1950 it reflected the changing times and the fact that the movies were competing with television. Ten years earlier a film like this would have been done on MGM's backlot. But now in order to get the audiences to a film about the south seas, you had to show the real thing.
The film is lovely to look at without the plot getting too much in the way of the lovely Hawaiian scenery which substituted for Tahiti. My guess is that Tahiti probably was still recovering from the effects of World War II otherwise MGM might have shot the film there. In any event having been to Hawaii, I am of the firm opinion, further documented by Pagan Love Song that it is impossible to make an unattractive film in Hawaii.
The plot is real simple, Howard Keel is an American whose heard about the romantic south seas and wants to get away from it all. Esther Williams is a native Tahitian who'd just like to get to see some of the rest of the world. Howard has bought a copra plantation and he settles into the Tahitian ways very fast. Of course seeing Esther in a bathing suit swimming in the lagoon helped a lot.
One thing that should also be remembered is that at the time Pagan Love Song came out, the most popular musical on Broadway was South Pacific. That Rodgers&Hammerstein classic by itself created a market for a film like Pagan Love Song. I only wish the music were up to the standards of that show.
Arthur Freed did double duty in this film, serving as both producer and lyricist. He wrote original songs with Harry Warren, nothing terribly memorable and also it's his song with Nacio Herb Brown that serves as the title of the film. It was one of the earliest hits from the beginning of sound films.
Esther Williams as usual has some lovely water ballets. Of her it can truly be said, her like in Hollywood has not appeared again and is unlikely to.
Pagan Love Song is a pleasant piece of fluff entertainment, easy to look at with a plot not too taxing.
The film is lovely to look at without the plot getting too much in the way of the lovely Hawaiian scenery which substituted for Tahiti. My guess is that Tahiti probably was still recovering from the effects of World War II otherwise MGM might have shot the film there. In any event having been to Hawaii, I am of the firm opinion, further documented by Pagan Love Song that it is impossible to make an unattractive film in Hawaii.
The plot is real simple, Howard Keel is an American whose heard about the romantic south seas and wants to get away from it all. Esther Williams is a native Tahitian who'd just like to get to see some of the rest of the world. Howard has bought a copra plantation and he settles into the Tahitian ways very fast. Of course seeing Esther in a bathing suit swimming in the lagoon helped a lot.
One thing that should also be remembered is that at the time Pagan Love Song came out, the most popular musical on Broadway was South Pacific. That Rodgers&Hammerstein classic by itself created a market for a film like Pagan Love Song. I only wish the music were up to the standards of that show.
Arthur Freed did double duty in this film, serving as both producer and lyricist. He wrote original songs with Harry Warren, nothing terribly memorable and also it's his song with Nacio Herb Brown that serves as the title of the film. It was one of the earliest hits from the beginning of sound films.
Esther Williams as usual has some lovely water ballets. Of her it can truly be said, her like in Hollywood has not appeared again and is unlikely to.
Pagan Love Song is a pleasant piece of fluff entertainment, easy to look at with a plot not too taxing.
- bkoganbing
- Oct 5, 2009
- Permalink
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,906,265 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 16 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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