Pirate Party on Catalina Isle: A Weird, Sandy Time Capsule

Should you watch Pirate Party on Catalina Isle? Only if you have a weird obsession with how Cary Grant acts when he's not in a proper script. If you want a structured narrative, you will hate this. If you just want to see famous people from the 1930s looking a bit lost on a beach, you might find it charming.

It feels less like a motion picture and more like someone dragged a camera to a party and told everyone to act like pirates. The whole thing is just a collection of performances held together by sand and saltwater.

I noticed Errol Flynn hovering around, looking like he actually belongs in a pirate costume, which makes sense I guess. But then you have Mickey Rooney popping up, and the whole energy shifts to something way more chaotic. It is odd seeing these people out of their element, away from the studio lights and the makeup chairs.

The banjo band really steals the show for about three minutes before it starts to get grating. You can tell they were trying to capture that Screen Snapshots, Series 14, No. 2 vibe, but it lacks that specific level of weirdness. It is just… loud.

There is a moment where a few actors are just sitting in the background, clearly not knowing where to look. They aren't in the skit, they aren't talking, they are just there. It is genuinely funny if you look for it.

The pacing is totally nonexistent. It just stops and starts whenever someone finishes a song. It reminds me a bit of the disjointed energy in Female, though obviously much less intense.

Maybe it is worth it just to see Cary Grant look slightly embarrassed in a pirate hat. We've all been there, right? 🏴‍☠️

Notes from the sand:

• The lighting is either blindingly bright or you can't see anything at all.
• I’m fairly sure half the audience was just there for the free food.
• The pirate costumes look like they came from a local middle school production.
• Watching Leon Errol try to dance on sand is an exercise in pure nerves.