Crash Dive (1943)

Director:

Archie Mayo

Writers:

Jo Swerling (screenplay)
W.R. Burnett (story)

Release Date:

22 April 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance | Thriller | War

Tagline:

Tyrone Power -- Leading a reckless crew on the war's most daring mission! Battling death in a depth-bombed submarine! Blasting Nazis on a bold Commando raid! Finding love in precious, stolen moments! Crashing his way to unforgettable glory in...

Plot:

A submarine lieutenant and his commander fall in love with the same girl.

Plot Keywords:

Submarine | P.t. Boat | Commando Raid | Explosion | Underwater Scene

Awards:

Won Oscar.

Cast

Tyrone Power	...	Lt. Ward Stewart (as Tyrone Power U.S.M.C.R.)
Anne Baxter	...	Jean Hewlett
Dana Andrews	...	Lt. Cmdr. Dewey Connors
James Gleason	...	Chief Mike 'Mac' McDonnell
Dame May Whitty	...	Grandmother
Harry Morgan	...	Brownie (as Henry Morgan)
Ben Carter	...	Oliver Cromwell Jones

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (MPAA rating: certificate #8371) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Netherlands:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

U.S. Navy Submarine Base, New London, Connecticut, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The PT boats seen at the beginning (and for a brief moment, at the end) of the film are Elco 77-foot PTs, the type of boat that saw intense combat against the Japanese Navy's "Tokyo Express" in the Guadalcanal area early in World War II. The wartime second-series Elco 77-footers, which were the same type as PT 59, John F. Kennedy's second command after PT 109 was rammed and sunk, are seldom seen on film, and hardly ever in color.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Lt. Ward Stewart arrives on the dock to meet his new command, two Gato class submarines are seen leaving the dock. From the camera on the dock, they are traveling at, roughly, full reverse (stern first) the shot then alternates several times to the boats obviously moving at, more or less, full ahead (bow first). It's pretty easy to tell which end is which on a WW2 era submarine.

Quotes:

Oliver Cromwell Jones: Mac, it's none of my business, and it certainly isn't up to me to give you advice, but if I had a weak heart ...
Chief 'Mac' McDonnell: What are you talking about?
Oliver Cromwell Jones: A man don't take nitroglycerine for dandruff.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Fejezetek a film történetéböl: Amerikai filmtípusok - Egyén és társadalom (#1.7)" (1989)

Soundtrack:

Anchors Aweigh

Propaganda movie with a love triangle thrown in

Fantastic special effects highlight this World War II submarine drama starring Tyrone Power, Dana Andrews, and Anne Baxter - Power's last before going into the Marines.

Power is charming as a man who captures the heart of Anne Baxter, who though he doesn't know it, just happens to be the girl of Dana Andrews, Power's new commanding officer.

Out on the submarine, there's some exciting action as the sub searches for a secret base set up by the Nazis. One interesting subplot is the friendship of Oliver, a black soldier, with Mac, portrayed by James Gleason. Ben Carter, who played Oliver, does a great job, and his role as a concerned friend and brave soldier is not the usual stereotypical one blacks were often forced to play.

The ending, of course, is pure propaganda as Power, supposedly talking to his uncle, talks about the fighting men, subs, PT boats, and the like all doing their job. I'm in no way trying to denigrate it - propaganda is a fascinating part of film history and at that time was deemed important to the war movement. It's all very interesting to view today. And Power is gorgeous.