Bahama Passage is a leisurely bit of Technicolor exotica starring
Madeleine Carroll and her future husband
Sterling Hayden. Based on Nolson Hayes' novel Dildo Cay, the story takes place on a remote Bahaman island where the principal commodity-in fact, the only--is salt. The owner of the island is young Adrian (
Sterling Hayden), who inherited Dildo Cay from his family. The stultifying dullness of life on the island has caused all the wives of Adrian's forebears to eventually descend into insanity, and it looks as though the same thing might happen to Adrian's sweetheart Carol (
Madeleine Carroll), despite her uncanny ability to look after herself. While Carol does not go crazy, her presence on the island proves to be something of a jinx, resulting in dissension amongst the native population. The most striking aspect of Bahama Passage is the extremely casual clothing worn by the stars: Why, one would think that Paramount was trying to get the audience's mind off the film's slower passages by showing off as much cheesecake and beefcake as possible. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide