Commander Matt Sherman Quote: "Repairs
progressing. Crew morale high, except for their concern that our
supply officer might be caught and shot."
During World War 2 in the South Pacific, a sub
load of problems confront submarine Commander Matt Sherman (Cary
Grant) when his once brand new sub, The Sea Tiger is severely
damaged in a bombing raid while staying in a Filipino port while
taking on supplies. With a lot of illegal scavenging headed
up by the newly transferred supplies officer, Lieutenant Nicholas
Holden (Tony Curtis), the crew manages to turn their sunk submarine
into a real fixer upper, that can now move a little, and perhaps
even submerge with a little luck, if they don't do it too often.
It is still damaged, but to avoid being sunk
again, Commander Sherman makes the decision to limp into another
port, hopefully to get the parts needed to continue to transform
their ailing fixer -upper back into a operational battle sub,
at a time when materials are in very short supply everywhere
in the Philippines. It becomes crystal clear that they have
a long way to go! Most obvious is the need for an engine overhaul,
which periodically makes an awful noise and emits black smoke,
at a time when materials are in very short supply everywhere
in the Philippines.
On the way to the next big port, they discover
that minor repairs are needed right away when the sub springs
some leaks after trying to submerge. They briefly stop by on
an island to make the necessary repairs, but can't stay long,
due to threat of attack. However, thanks to Holden, a group
of Army nurses, who were stranded there, soon join the crew
causing unforeseen consequences, with hilarious results. On
their way to the next big port, Commander Sherman finds that
having women on a sub built for men causes some interesting
problems and revealing situations, as they all get to know each
other in surprising ways in such a cramped living / working
space. After catching opportunist Holden
being way too charming and romantic with one of the nurses,
Barbara Duran (Dina Merrill), Sherman temporarily restricts
Holden to his quarters.
Commander Sherman has his own problems with
an accident-prone nurse, Dolores Crandall
(Joan O'Brian), who keeps causing Commander Matt Sherman some
undignified moments, barely letting the good Commander out of
the movie alive, which adds to the comic atmosphere.
Dolores Crandall innocently manages to give Sherman a shower
in his clothes, a cigarette in his coffee and causes their torpedo
to hit a truck instead of the original target, among other incidents.
Finally, they reach another main port, which
is about to evacuate. Commander Matt Sherman has to depend on
his con-man, slippery-fingered supply officer Lieutenant Nicholas
Holden (Tony Curtis) who Commander Sherman describes in his
journal: "Lt. Holden has reached new heights in the art of scavenging.
Like a spider in a web, he sits there and his victims come to
him like flies bearing gifts. He's the only man I know who will
probably be presented the Navy Cross at his court martial."
True to form, Lieutenant Nicholas Holden comes
up with a unique way to get most of the supplies they need.
Despite Lt. Holden's ingenious scavenging
and other shenanigans, they can only get enough paint for the
primer coat for the sub by using a combination of red and white
paint, making this sub a pink one, instead of traditional battleship
gray. When the port is attacked, during their moral-building
luau on New Year's Day, they are forced to go out to sea in
a pink-colored sub no working radio, with the stranded army
nurses on board, some Filipino women and children, a goat and
with an engine barely running. Their adventures begin anew,
as not only is the enemy is aware of their very pink presence,
but their own Navy is suspicious of them, with orders to shoot
them out of the water, not to mention the fact that it is a
bit uncomfortable with all their new and old guests on board
as well. All these factors cause amusing situations that normally
don't happen on a regular Navy submarine on patrol.
How both the sailors and the nurses work together
to find a creative ways to solve their many problems facing
them, and how they handle dangerous situations with unique American
know-how, including how not to get blown up by their own Navy
makes this story a very funny, war adventure comedy.
A very hilarious moment happens when they are
still at port, trying to repair their damaged sub. Planning
a luau on board the sub to help keep morale up, Lieutenant Nicholas
Holden (Tony Curtis) gets to work on getting the main course
for their New Year's festivities. With the help of his cohort
in crime, Sgt. Gillardo (Clarence Lung), they steal a farmer's
prized pig, throwing the pig in the front seat of the truck.
They proceed to dress the pig up as a sailor, and then tell
the guards they run into on the road back to the sub, that the
pig is Hornsby, a drunken sailor who needed to get back to the
sub. The pig was making funny noises, and the whole scene was
quite entertaining.
Predictably, the MP's and the farmer show up
looking for the stolen pig. Lieutenant
Nicholas Holden blames the stolen pig
on the drunken sailor Hornsby, who is supposedly indisposed
in the sub's bathroom. Commander Sherman figures out immediately
what the situation is, when he looks in the bathroom and sees
Hornsby oinking away. When the MP's want to take sailor Hornsby
in, Sherman doesn't skip a beat, and quickly spins a sad yarn
about Hornsby. Instead, of arresting Hornsby, Sherman offers
a solution to make up for Hornsby's folly. Sherman allows the
farmer access to some of Holden's personal items to make up
for the value of the pig, much to Holden's dismay.
The marvelous, clever screenplay was by Stanley
Shapiro and Maurice Richlin, based on the story by Paul King
and Joseph Stone. The script has many funny lines and situations,
which are brought to their full humorous potential, without
going over the top by a skilled comedic director, Blake Edwards
and a dynamite cast.
Cary Grant's ability to "deadpan while giving
double takes" blends well with the comedic timing of the humorous
incidents going on around him and some that involve him as well.
In his portrayal of Commander Matt Sherman, Grant is at his
"dry, exasperated best," playing a great straight man, to Holden
and others, as he faces the variety of problems that fall into
his lap.
Tony Curtis brilliantly portrays the shady supply
officer, Lieutenant Nicholas Holden, who when he isn't doing
illegal scavenging and finagling for much needed supplies, falls
in love with a gorgeous blonde WAC Lieutenant Barbara Duran
(Dina Merrill), and does his best to woo her, knowing full well
that he is supposed to marry a socialite with money when he
gets out of the navy.
Joan O'Brian does a great job in portraying
Dolores Crandall, a lady who is all thumbs around the good Commander,
causing havoc whenever she finds herself around him.
Virginia Gregg, a well-loved character actor,
did a great job as Major Edna Haywood, a mechanic's daughter,
who has her own ideas on how the engine problems could be fixed
, much to the dismay of the sailor in charge of them.
The musical score was by David Rose and Henri
Mancini. Mancini was nominated for 18 Oscars and won four; in
addition, he won 20 Grammys and 2 Emmys, made over 50 albums
and had 500 works published.
This film is highly recommended for family viewing.
It's pacing, and humor hold up really well, and it is as funny
as it was when it came out.
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