[3][4] The new British Resident of the Welcome Islands, Ewart Gray, arrives in full uniform by ship, anticipating the excitement of a posting in the tropical Indian Ocean.

That evening, he is visited by the only other European resident of the island, Edward Wilson, known as the "Honourable Ted", who introduces himself and drinks a large amount of Gray's whisky.

A year after arriving on the island Gray is disappointed to see Ted arrested and brought up before him in court for encouraging a girl at the mission to steal some money which he then spent on drink before becoming involved in a drunken brawl.

Because her brother, who functions as a local doctor as well as running the mission, is unwell, Martha travels out and successfully performs the operation.

Each has made an emotional journey, Martha from a repressed state to being a more sensually aware woman while Ted has changed from a morally dubious character to being a more upstanding person.

Pegged out, they are about to be trampled to death by an elephant, but the animal stops at the last moment, recognizing her as the woman who had nursed its trunk months before.

Donald Sinden, then a contract star for the Rank Organisation at Pinewood Studios, recalls: Robert Newton should have been perfect in the part.

When we began Beachcomber he had been on the wagon for three months and a sorry sight he was: gone were the thrown-back head and the fiery eyes; the jerky gestures made by his arms were now limp and seemed to lack purpose.

He confided to me that he was not happy with the film; things were not altogether successful in his private life; he was toying with an idea of doing Shakespeare's Richard III in Australia, but generally his career was not going as well as he could wish...

He staggered across the room, thrust his face into mine and with slobbering lips and flashing eyes he embarked on the most thrilling rendering I have ever heard of "Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer..." ... From that moment he really took off in the film, but sadly there were only a few days to go—and sadder still, that last bout of drinking was followed shortly after by his death.

[13] The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The traditional – but none the less entertaining – story is presented with no imagination and with surprising tastelessness – the utmost fun is extracted from the follies of temperance and (most comical of all, apparently) reading the Bible.

Beside these, the mere absurdity of the badly faked scenes of Glynis Johns (a highly unsuitable person for such a job) bandaging the elephant's trunk, is negligible. ...

"[14] The New York Times review called it a "competently wrought Technicolor remake of W. Somerset Maugham's 'Vessel of Wrath'" that did not measure up to the earlier 1938 adaptation which featured "inspired characterizations by Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester".