The 1953 film "City Beneath the Sea" has a connection with the notorious John J. Ford "Franklin Hoard" fake numismatic pioneer gold bars and coins fraud. The film is a Caribbean diving adventure and was based on a magazine article about the sunken city of Port Royal, Jamaica. The article was written by Harry E. Rieseberg, a deep-sea diver and treasure hunter, who wrote several books about his diving adventures including I Dive for Treasure. Harry Rieseberg also helped write the script for the film. There is a publicity photograph provided by Harry Rieseberg from one of his books which shows gold bars and coins, but coins do not appear in the film. The film is set in 1953 Jamaica and is about two former US Navy divers, Robert Ryan and Anthony Quinn, who are hired by a shipping executive to locate the wreck of a modern cargo ship which sank during a hurricane and recover the cargo of $1,000,000 in gold bars. The "city beneath the sea" in the film is Port Royal, a Jamaican city and notorious pirate hangout which sank into the ocean during an earthquake in 1692.

This is a photograph which was used to advertise the film and was provided by Harry Rieseberg from one of his diving books.

The publicity photograph shows old Mexican eight reales coins and gold bars but unfortunately no coins appear in the film. However, there are some gold bars in the film.

Professional divers Brad and Tony arrive in Kingston, Jamaica and head for the office of an insurance company. The company executive explains that a cargo ship, the "Lady Luck", sank in a hurricane and was carrying $1,000,000 in gold bars.

The executive wants the divers to locate the wreck and recover the gold. There are no survivors from the crew and the sinking location was given by the ship captain before the ship sank. The lads drive into town and manage to hit a load of bananas belonging to a Terry, a lady boat captain. She demands payment for the bananas, Brad pays her, and then hires her and her boat to take them to the dive spot. She and Brad become friends.

Tony makes the first dive, finds nothing, and has a problem.

Brad heads down and rescues Tony.

This early 1950's diving suit has an air hose and a communication hose. The insurance man discharges the divers, pays them off, and lads head to a Kingston bar.

This bar is similar to the popular "Tiki bars" of the era. Tony engages in a bar-fight over the singer Venita, then picks her up. The sunken ship captain now turns up, he is alive and has the real location of the wreck. He proposes to Tony that they get the gold for themselves. Tony contacts Brad with the location but Brad wants to make only legal dives. Another boat is hired and Tony dives to the location, which is in the sunken city of Port Royal. He finds the ship.

The natives believe that Port Royal is haunted and don't want anyone to go near it. When they learn about the divers there, some stage a colorful voodoo ceremony to placate the spirits.

Both boats arrive over the wreck and Brad is diving at the spot. He has found something.

Brad has found some gold bars. The captain has a gun and holds the boat crew hostage.

There is a fight, then an earthquake, the bad guys go into the water, Brad is stuck at the wreck, and Tony goes down to rescue him.

The men surface without the loot.

The lads and their ladies are on a ship leaving Kingston.

Robert Ryan as Brad Carlton
Anthony Quinn as Tony Bartlett
Mala Powers as Terry McBride
Suzan Ball as Venita aka Mary Lou Beetle
Director: Budd Boetticher
Writers: Harry E. Rieseberg, Jack Harvey, Ramon Romero

Connection between this film and the John J. Ford "Franklin Hoard": The connection between the film and the John J. Ford "Franklin Hoard" fake coins and gold bars is that supposedly the fake gold bars were based on the film prop bars. There is lots of information on these fakes, including internet articles and at least two books.
1. How the West was Faked: False Western Gold Bars and other Forgeries by John M. Kleeberg, 2009
2. John J. Ford and the "Franklin Hoard" by Karl V. Moulton, 2013
Suspicious collector gold coins and pioneer gold bars began appearing in the 1950's. Various numismatic experts either denounced them as fakes or claimed that they were real. The items were traced to coin expert John J. Ford who marketed the items through coin dealers in the 1950's. Most were apparently produced by a Paul Franklin who owned a small factory in New York. The items later became known as the "Franklin Hoard."