Movie Review: "The Treasure of Matecumbe"

   Davy lives with his two aunts in post-Civil War Kentucky.  With the bank threatening to repossess their home, Davy learns that his father buried some treasure deep in the Everglades of Florida!  He and his best friend Thad decide to go hunting for the treasure.  But his father's villainous arch-enemy, Spangler (played by Vic Morrow), will stop at nothing to get his hands on the gold and jewels.

   Aboard a paddleboat, Thad and Davy meet up with Lauriette, a Southern lady (with a lot of spunk) who has run off from an arranged marriage with a wealthy Yankee.  There's a hilarious scene where she outsmarts a river rat gambler, played by Dick Van Patten in a game of Three-Card Monte.

   The story, based on a novel, was reminiscent of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn".  Not only is there the journey down-river, but the boys also meet up with a con-man named Dr. Snodgrass, who peddles a healing elixir made up mostly of alcohol.  He reminded me of the Duke and King in the Huck Finn story.  The boys also rescue Davy's Uncle Jim from a KKK hanging!  

   Added to the adventure is a trip into Florida.  In the Tampa area, the group of treasure seekers meet up with an Everglades tour guide.  But can he be trusted?  Then there's Charlie, Jim's Seminole Indian friend, who leads them through dangerous Cougar Indian territory.

   I thought this movie, while a bit low-budget with less than seamless photography, was a good medium for teaching the kids a bit more about the South after the Civil War.  There were carpet baggers taking over where monied landowners once lived.  Former slaves were now free!  Florida was still a frontierland, unsettled and still in the hands of its Native Americans.  There was much unrest between North and South still lingering in the air, and it could be risky to trust anyone you didn't know.

   The film was originally produced for airing on the Sunday night television tradition of The Wonderful World of Disney.  It was based on the novel "A Journey to Matecumbe" by Robert Lewis Taylor.  Running time is 107 minutes, and the film was released to DVD in 2007.  I got our copy by using my Disney Movie Rewards points.