With the advent of TV in the 1950s, nervous studios began to shy away from costly historical epics, but there were exceptions — none more enjoyable than 1952’s jocular The Crimson Pirate, starring former circus acrobat Burt Lancaster as the most agile of scallywags, often boldly bare-chested and always flashing a dazzling smile as he soars from mast to mast.
In one unforgettable scene, he drops down long enough to plant a kiss on a jaded lass who has just declared, “If only there were something to break up the monotony of this voyage.”