cult film freak: JEFFREY LYNN STRANDED IN 'LOST LAGOON' WITH LEILA BARRY

LOST LAGOON officially released in 1958

Of the three World War I returning veterans in Raoul Walsh's prohibition-era gangster classic THE ROARING TWENTIES, two roared like lions while one purred like a kitten...

The latter being Jeffrey Lynn, who played the third banana that James Cagney liked (even after snaking his dame) and Humphrey Bogart despised: Of course these two became huge stars and eventually legends while Lynn remained a lanky, sophisticated character-actor who never reached genuine leading man status...

Though decades later he'd make an attempt in a very low-budget, Bahamas set, Calypso-exploitation romance centering on an unhappily married middle-aged father of two, Lynn's Charlie Walker, and for the record: Neither Bogart or Cagney had a calypso song named after and sung about any of their characters: one of a small handful of natives on a small Bahamas island provides a sporadic Roman Chorus, just in case we get lost within the extremely simple plot...

A completely gorgeous Leila Barry in LOST LAGOON

That we're quickly thrown into as Lynn's Charlie takes a boat ride with his cynical brother-in-law when a big storm hits...

Charlie grabs a wad of cash as the boat's about to crunch beneath the superimposed tempest waves. And although wearing a life jacket, he doesn't get to the liferaft in time. Meanwhile, all three (including a crewman) survive...

But what matters is the not-so-deserted island Charlie gets washed up on, and especially who's on it. And you might wonder why the young and gorgeous Leila Barry didn't appear in any other films — or anything else for that matter. She's a good enough actress with a sleek and natural dream girl/girl-next-door quality — and LOST LAGOON is a middle-aged man's fantasy. Not just for Charlie, but the target audience: When she gives him a back rub, you can almost feel it...

Jeffrey Lynn and Leila Barry in LOST LAGOON

As a matter of fact, the entire picture — while no classic and without even a cult following to back up its almost deafening obscurity — has a palpable vibe throughout: the island's as real as the couple's chemistry that, while seemingly remote, safe and sublime, has enough obstacles to provide a little suspense and a few twists so LAGOON doesn't feel like what it actually is deep down — an hour-long short story, or what this kind of vehicle's actually called, a programmer — as well as a guilty pleasure...

Which doesn't always refer to a bad film someone feels guilty about liking. Co-written by Lynn, who resembles an awkward and floppy David Niven, LAGOON delivers deliberately light entertainment. Especially the second half, flowing beyond a somewhat clunky, far-fetched setup when Charlie gets a second wind after his already uncaring family thinks he's dead. And with the company he's got, who needs anyone else?

Leila Barry in LOST LAGOON Score: ***1//2

Leila Barry's docile yet independent character, Elizabeth Moore, who wound up on the island after her semi-rich grandfather died, or something, has more going on than a backstory of being screwed over by an ex-boyfriend back in England...

Enter an 11th hour square-jawed Peter Donat, showing up right when our hero has fallen head-over-heels in love, which is mutual but not equal. And since the plot was headed into Harlequin paperback territory, it's good that her beau and his wife (and brother-in-law along with an insurance investigator) show up. Bad timing for him is great for us: Making LOST LAGOON the opposite of a missed opportunity as it mostly avoids the guilty and revels in lightweight, time-filling, intentionally soap operatic, May-December romantic pleasure.