The "South Seas" genre of the interwar period was, ironically, infamously shallow with its stock macho heroes and damsels in distress. That was until the scandalous 1941 flick "Mungo Island" released to widespread revulsion from contemporary audiences due to its controversial decision to cast a horny homosexual twink as the main character's love interest.
It became a cultural staple due to its underground popularity among the troops, however, many of whom kept pinups of its promotional images in their quarters.