Atlantis, The Lost Continent (1961)

A Greek fisherman (Sal Ponti acting under the name of Anthony Hall) discovers a young woman (Joyce Taylor) adrift on the sea and rescues her. She claims to be a Princess of the nation of Atlantis, a land unknown to the Greeks. When she attempts to return home, she is joined by the Greek who has fallen in love with her. Alas, when they reach Atlantis, the princess finds her father, the King (Edgar Stehli), weakened and under the influence of the evil Zaren (John Dall, ROPE). Based on the play ATALANTA: A STORY OF ATLANTIS by Gerald Hargreaves and directed by George Pal (TIME MACHINE). It's an entertaining piece of kitsch and fun in a boys' adventure sort of way. Movie buffs will have fun recognizing the stock shots from QUO VADIS (1951) and NAKED JUNGLE as well as sets from FORBIDDEN PLANET and THE PRODIGAL. The special effects, highlighted by the destruction of Atlantis, are a mixed bag though the miniatures are pretty decent. Ponti (maybe it was the name change) is a truly terrible actor but the lovely Joyce Taylor is the best thing about the film along with the ear pleasing score by Russell Garcia. With Frank DeKova, Edward Platt, Jay Novello and Berry Kroeger.