1933's "Sixteen Fathoms Deep" is a Monogram production featuring 27 year old Lon Chaney Jr. in the starring role, freelancing after his two year stint at RKO. Sponge fishing is the focus of this fast moving 56 minute programmer, as Joe Bethel (Chaney) acquires a new boat christened after his sweetheart, Rosita (Sally O'Neil), hoping to pay back the $3000 loan he borrowed from the villainous Theo Savanis (George Regas), who secretly covets Rosita for himself and uses his henchman, Nick Samos (Maurice Black), to sabotage Joe's vessel, preventing him from reaching the sponge auction that would enable Joe to get out of debt. Plenty of action and done without a hint of a music score. Still billed under his real name, Creighton Chaney is quite a confident revelation, often bare chested as he athletically barks orders to his crewmen, played by Richard Alexander, Constantine Romanoff, Raul S. Figarola, and Popeye lookalike Si Jenks, who even smokes a corncob pipe. Third billed Russell Simpson only appears once before the climactic auction, while top billed Sally O'Neil displays a fetching figure in a one piece bathing suit (she made only 5 more features). Producer Paul Malvern would be at the helm for two of Lon's iconic Universal titles, "House of Frankenstein" and "House of Dracula," while Monogram would remake this film in 1948, top billing Chaney as the villain, in "16 Fathoms Deep" (Creighton quickly followed this with another atypical Monogram, "Girl O' My Dreams").
