Sophia Loren is the key to this whole film and whatever you experience with it. Her natural acting gifts, screen presence, beauty and overall pulchritude are remarkable. View it to experience the phenomenon of Sophia. Everything else I am about to write is secondary, but here you are:The location is attractive as is the lovely theme song. Clifton Webb is notable of course. The story is sort of "An American sojourns in Greece" with nice scenery and water and a cute kid. Its inoffensive and OK 1950's fare.As for Ladd, he is giving his competent leading man performance that he did on a sort of standard basis, always in his quiet underplayed manner. He's adequate.Ladd was taller than Robinson, Cagney and numerous others. Paul Newman was often unfairly called "short". Ingrid Bergman was an inch taller than Bogart yet who taunts Bogart about "Casablanca"? Here are the 2 real issues :(1)- Sophia is a tall woman, taller than her own husband Carlo Ponti, and she towers over many male actors in most of her movies. She is a half inch taller than was Humphrey Bogart (she never made a movie with him so we don't know if he would have stood on a box). (2)- Sophia was half Ladd's age! The problem in this film is mostly the tremendous age difference between an older, declining leading man and a vigorous, very young beginner actress. "Taunts" of Ladd's height then and now are missing the point: I believe that the veteran and savvy Ladd probably was rather disinterested as he realized something was awkward here but not height. He was wondering "what am I doing here in these scenes with this young chick half my age?" The following year Ladd made a film with 41-year old leading lady Olivia DeHavilland and it worked.So these are my theories but please keep them in perspective. "Boy on a Dolphin" is all about Sophia and all this other stuff is really only minor details.

Sophia Loren's dancing partner was Dimitris Pantermarakis ( Dimitris Maras) who is also a Greek actor. The scene was taken in the island of Hydra. The choreography was from Yannis Flery along with the Dora Stratou's folklore ballet. At the time Dimitris was a reserve officer serving the Greek army. The film company requested Dimitris to go back to America with them, unfortunately that was not possible due to his army service. So he lost the opportunity an artist hopes for in a lifetime. The film was top notch. After the army Dimitris Maras Pantermarakis went on a very successful tour all over Europe working in many theaters, TV and motion pictures. Photos are available.

Sophia Loren vibrates and pouts through this film in a manner I'm sure was intended to be sexy, but isn't. She tries to convey earthy sensuality but can't carry it off. It's an embarrassing and tacky performance with a lot of shouting, odd body postures, and ridiculous extremes of emotional response. Alan Ladd, on the other hand, could use a little of Loren's extremism. He is even more wooden than usual, and that's saying a lot. He also appears bloated and heavily made up, especially around the eyes. Clifton Webb gives the only good performance in Boy On a Dolphin, but unfortunately Webb doesn't have enough screen time to save the film. The copy I saw was not of sufficient quality for me to really appreciate the much-vaunted scenery and color photography, so I can't comment on them. Clifton Webb always is worth watching, but otherwise Boy on a Dolphin is a pretty weak effort.

Miscast, misfired adventure has Sophia Loren playing a Greek skin-diver (!) who comes across the title-named sunken treasure just off the Greek Islands. Soon, two Americans--an archaeologist and a wealthy art collector--are vying for the prize, and Loren finds herself playing both sides: one man for the money, the other man for love. Rarely have I seen a picture so full of pretty ambiance and yet so dead at its core. The music and locations--as well as Sophia's figure--are all gorgeous, but this story is lost at sea. Alan Ladd, looking bloated with gimlet eyes, never connects with mercurial Sophia, who initially is in a constant rage (she snaps at everybody, even the doctor taking a nail out of her leg). It's a shame this film doesn't work, the beauty of the Aegean Sea is worth beholding. The dim script, from David Divine's novel, needed more bite, and the lazy direction needed more zest. Perhaps Sophia should have directed? ** from ****