User Reviews

Based on the book by Robert Lewis Taylor, the Disney production "Treasure of Matecumbe" is a mostly agreeable, lively, colorful period adventure. It may be overly intense - even objectionable - for some viewers, but it delivers entertainment in generous doses, for a somewhat over extended run time.

It begins in post Civil War Kentucky, as young boys Davie Burnie (Johnny Doran) and Thad (Billy 'Pop' Atmore) are forced to flee for their lives. You see, Davies' late father had buried some treasure on the Florida isle of Matecumbe, and a nasty villain named Spangler (Vic Morrow) also wants this booty. Spangler wants the map that has come into Davies' possession, and he and his goons pursue the kids every step of the way. Fortunately, some adults come to the kids' aid: quack medicine man Dr. Snodgrass (Peter Ustinov), runaway bride Lauriette Paxton (Joan Hackett), and Davies' own uncle Jim (Robert Foxworth).

Scripted by Don Tait, and directed with gusto by Vincent McEveety, "Treasure of Matecumbe" isn't harmless, but it does manage to be quite amusing and even exciting, especially during a climactic hurricane sequence. The production values and attempts to recreate a period feel are respectable, and fortunately the story does have a sense of humor at times. The pacing isn't always perfect, as there is some filler. The flatboat sequence is a case in point. Still, it does feature some irresistible music.

The cast is wonderful, all the way down the line. Ustinov in particular gets to be an eccentric scene stealer. The boys are appealing, and the villainy by Morrow is formidable. You'll notice a bunch of familiar faces in roles big and small: Jane Wyatt, Virginia Vincent, Robert DoQui, Don Knight, Mills Watson, Dub Taylor, Valentin de Vargas, Dick Van Patten, George Lindsey, Logan Ramsey, John Steadman, Brion James.

Good fun for people who enjoy a good treasure hunt movie.

Seven out of 10.

A prettily photographed, occasionally enjoyable but rather leisurely paced Disney adventure. It features an amusing Peter Ustinov (as a good-hearted quack), some pretty good special effects (except for a mosquito attack, which looks awful) and a few unusually adult elements (one character is nearly executed by the Ku Klux Klan). The two leading kids are not irritating at all, and the film is agreeable enough, but too long and not very compelling story-wise. (**1/2)

This is one of those Disney flicks from the '70s that you may or might have enjoyed as a kid and while it retains some charm when you watch it as an adult, you notice some plot holes you didn't notice or were willing to overlook when you were younger. I'm 38 and this is my first time seeing Treasure of Matecumbe which I'd been meaning to watch for 20 years but somehow didn't get to. Anyway, it concerns two boys looking for a treasure in the Florida Keys. Along the way, they encounter a bride escaping from her husband to be, a medicine man, and an uncle of one of them as he's about to be lynched by the Ku Klux Klan! I'll stop right here and mention some of the players: Robert Foxworth, Joan Hackett, Peter Ustinov, Dick Van Patten, Dub Taylor, George 'Goober' Lindsey, and Jane Wyatt who died at 96 a couple of weeks ago, bless her soul. The plot is pretty entertaining though it takes a while to get going. Best sequences involve a hurricane and some pirates led by Vic Morrow. Like I said, this might be more enjoyable for kids than adults so watch it with them if you can.

I found 'Treasure of Matecumbe' just about entertaining, helped by the impressive main cast.

Peter Ustinov, after a poor showing in 1975's 'One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing', comes back strong with a top performance as Snodgrass. Joan Hackett is also enjoyable as Paxton, especially across the first act. Robert Foxworth fits in too, as he plays Uncle Jim. The two kid actors are Johnny Doran (Davie) and Billy Atmore (Thad), they aren't amazing but are at least likeable and are passable in what they give.

The plot is where it becomes less interesting. The adventure elements are decent, but it does plod along at a number of moments. It doesn't really feel like a treasure hunt until the last knockings, which is disappointing - especially given the onscreen talent. Parts of it also haven't aged gracefully, while the vibe of the film changes from serious to fun too often; e.g. you have a KKK scene, but also a runaway bride bit.

With all that noted, it is still a film I can say is good enough and one of Disney's better live-action releases from the 1970s.

This is slightly slow and the plot is a bit convoluted...however...it's a heartfelt adventure film. The film allows Disney to re-inforce the importance of education and just as important show society's disgust at racism when the klan members are set in fire (I have to admit I definitely chuckled here). It was slightly disappointing to see their handling of Native American culture, but I don't believe ill intent was meant. It is overall a film to enjoy for what it is and not take to serious any perceived slights. The medicine show portrayed in the film while cringey and offensive today, is accurate for that time(1800's). A talking point for families to discuss and move on.

I haven't seen this film for over 40 years and it has held up remarkably well. It's a simple tale of a pair of elderly spinsters who face losing their family home. Their only lifeline may come from a tale of buried US Civil War gold. Others have heard about this treasure too, so when two young boys (Johnny Duran & Pop Atmore) set off with the map in search of it, they are closely pursued by a sinister gang led by "Spangler" (Vic Morrow). They start on the riverboat where they meet the savvy Joan Hackett - who can out sharp the card-sharps; then they alight on the avuncular Peter Ustinov ("Ewing T. Snodgrass") who runs a dodgy medicine wagon and we have some fun adventures - his "Spoojoo Juice" seems as effective as an high explosive as it is as a cure for gout! Finally they rescue "Uncle Jim" (Robert Foxworth) and our intrepid team is now ready to face allcomers on their treasure trail. There is no jeopardy about any of this, the ending is pretty much written on the first page - but Ustinov is on good form and we have loads of shoot 'em ups; an explosive encounter with the KKK and even a barn-dance with fisticuffs. It does tend to limp along a bit at times, the greenscreen scenes are very basic (especially on the river) - and at just shy of two hours is half an hour too long. That said, it is a fun Disney action adventure that probably wouldn't be of much interest to kids now, but would have been in 1976.

Although Treasure of Matecumbe is listed as a theatrical film, it seems that it plays more like a couple of episodes from The Wonderful World of Disney.

The only reason to watch it is for Peter Ustinov who is having a great old time playing the traveling patent medicine man. This is his second film for Disney the first being Blackbeard's Ghost which was infinitely better.

Young Johnny Doran is told about a fabulous treasure hidden on Matecumbe island in the Florida Keys. He makes a Huckleberry Finn like journey on the river from Kentucky with a young black kid Billy Atmore who Doran's family would have recently owned. Along the way the two plucky lads pick up Robert Foxworth who is Doran's rascally Uncle Jim. Joan Hackett a young bride running from a hideous marriage and Ustinov.

Vic Morrow is the chief villain here leading a band of cutthroats seeking the Treasure of Matecumbe for themselves. Our intrepid band of five has more escapes from them and other villains than used to be in one of those old time movie serials. In fact Treasure of Matecumbe feels like one of them. Foxworth and Ustinov have two unbelievable escapes from certain death.

Morrow and his gang have an interesting fate in store for them which I won't reveal, but if you see the movie and think about its logical implications with the terminology used, it definitely isn't Disney type material.

For the juvenile trade and for fans of Peter Ustinov only.

I had always wanted to see this movie as it was based on one of my favorite books, the historical novel "A Journey to Matecumbe" by Robert Lewis Taylor, who also wrote the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, "The Travels of Jamie McPheeters." The book is a wonderful exciting and funny tale of a post-Civil War journey by a young boy and his uncle from Kentucky to the Florida Keys being pursued by the Ku Klux Klan and a vengeful southern aristocrat, with lots of great adventures in between.

I spent $10 for this movie and now wish I hadn't. The names of a few characters from the book are retained, but almost everything else is changed. It is neither particularly exciting or funny and it wastes the talents of a number of excellent character actors like Peter Ustinov, Dub Taylor, George Lindsay and Joan Hackett. It was also made on the cheap with lots of stock footage of the exotic locales that the characters are supposed to visit and lots of process shots filmed in front of blue screens. I suppose very young children MIGHT like it, but there are some violent scenes that make it problematic even for them. It's a probably eternal mystery why Hollywood buys the rights to film wonderful books and then doesn't put on the screen anything of what made the books wonderful in the first place.

I first watched this movie when I was about 7 or 8 and I watched it over and over again it was so good. I wish I could see it again, but the DVD is still very hard to come by. The movie deals with a young boy and his companion who are forced to flee from their home in search of a treasure. Jim and Ben end up meeting lots of different people who can help them along the way, but they also have a lot of things happen to them that either slows them down or simply gets in their way, but none the less it's a very entertaining movie and has a good plot to it. It's a good show to see as a kid or even adult if you like stories that entail treasure hunting. It actually has a good story to it unlike some movies today that are just filled with special effects. So if you want to see a good old fashioned treasure hunting flick then you have found it.

This is one of those movies where I was shocked to find I had another 25 minutes to watch. According to the trivia on this site, this movie was meant to be several segments. You can tell; the scenes in this movie feel more like installments of a serial than one cohesive plot of a single movie. Unfortunately, the movie seems to drag on as a result. Frankly, it's not even the best Disney movie about a treasure hunt.

There are other elements I could comment on, but honestly I found myself so bored by the end, saying anything more feels superfluous.

This is a great film that will keep the kids interested. The friendship between Davie and Thad is immeasurable. And the bonds that form between the adults and kids is something that is surely missed in today's cinema. Outstanding performances by Peter Ustinov and the late great Joan Hackett. On a personal note: Ms. Hackett may you rest in peace. You are surely missed....!

Very good production, mention of former slaves, Ku Klux Klan, even with the female protagonist we see a lot of machismo among the malefactors, and also with the suitor, mockery and misogyny, typical, non-acceptance of their protagonism and independence, with boring jokes and prejudiced, the children give a mischievous and naive air to the plot... Good adventure scenes, many unbelievable, but fun....

Yes, this is the only Disney film to feature the Klu Klux Klan.

But, horrible racist morons aside, this film can be very enjoyable if you remember seeing it as a child. I remember my father taking me to see this in the theatre when I was very young, and, now that he's no longer with us, it an opportunity to relive some childhood magic. Even if it's just for a moment.

Peter Ustinov is wonderful as always.

And the opening theme music is very cheesy but COOL in a silly 70's sort of way.

If you enjoy the vibe of Disney films like "Child of Glass", you'll probably dig this one too.

They'll never release this again. I bought it used on video... but I can see no DVD for it ever. First of all, no one wants it. It is badly acted (except of course the great Peter Ustinov's character) and not exciting or interesting. The main female lead, rest her soul, had the most horrible attempt at a "southern accent" I've heard. There is a dance scene on the dock with some tough guys that makes you want to put a gun to your head too. It feels like a 1970's TV movie big time. Even though it is supposed to be taking place during the reconstruction... the opening credit music just ignores that and goes with some Godawful "Matecumbe" song that sounds straight out of 1976. Also, Vic Morrow opens the film by asking "where's you blacks?" referring to the plantation owners' former slaves. He then shortly thereafter shoots the former slave that night. Usually in Disney flicks, they shoot at someone but always miss. This guy just layed there and died! In addition to that, this is the only Disney movie that has the Ku Klux Klan in it. All this may sound interesting, but it isn't. It is a lousy movie at best.

The Disney movie "Treasure of Matecumbe" has all but been forgotten today, and it doesn't take long into watching it to figure out why. The main fault with it is that despite it involving youths on a treasure hunt, the movie is surprisingly boring whether you are a kid or a kid at heart. There's very little action, and the movie moves at a snail's pace. Though there are signs that it could have been worse, since there are several moments when it's clear that linking footage was either edited out or not filmed at all. The cast tries their best under the circumstances, but their roles aren't written to be particularly interesting, though Ustinov does manage to bring a little color at times.

Still, I will admit that no movie that has an appearance by Dub Taylor can be completely bad.