Destination Tokyo (1943)

Director:

Delmer Daves

Writers:

Steve Fisher (original story)
Delmer Daves (screen play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

31 December 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | History | War

Tagline:

Explosive ! . . . And As Big As The Broad Pacific !

Plot:

In order to provide information for the first air raid over Tokyo, a U.S. submarine sneaks into Tokyo Bay and places a spy team ashore.

Plot Keywords:

Submarine | Secret Mission | Japan | Appendicitis | Naval Uniform

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Cary Grant	...	Capt. Cassidy
John Garfield	...	Wolf
Alan Hale	...	'Cookie' Wainwright
John Ridgely	...	Reserve Officer Raymond
Dane Clark	...	Tin Can
Warner Anderson	...	Andy
William Prince	...	Pills
Robert Hutton	...	Tommy Adams
Tom Tully	...	Mike Conners
Faye Emerson	...	Mrs. Cassidy
Peter Whitney	...	Dakota
Warren Douglas	...	Larry
John Forsythe	...	Sparks
John Alvin	...	Sound Man
Bill Kennedy	...	Torpedo Gunnery Officer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George Anderson	...	Officer (uncredited)
Warren Ashe	...	Major (uncredited)
Joy Barlow	...	Wolf's Girl (uncredited)
Harry Bartell	...	Crewman (uncredited)
Whit Bissell	...	Yo Yo (uncredited)
Carlyle Blackwell Jr.	...	Man on Phone (uncredited)
Danny Borzage	...	Crewman (uncredited)
William Challee	...	Rocky the Quartermaster (uncredited)
Cliff Clark	...	Hornet's Admiral (uncredited)
Bob Creasman	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Warren Cross	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Angelo Cruz	...	Second Japanese Float Pilot (uncredited)
Deborah Daves	...	Debby Cassidy (uncredited)
Michael Daves	...	Michael Cassidy (uncredited)
Jimmy Evans	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Benson Fong	...	Japanese (uncredited)
Wing Foo	...	Japanese at Listening Post (uncredited)
John Forrest	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Roland Got	...	Japanese Officer (uncredited)
Kirby Grant	...	Hornet's Captain (uncredited)
Herbert Gunn	...	Pete - Lieutenant (uncredited)
Eddie Hall	...	B-25 Crewman (uncredited)
William Hudson	...	'Copperfin' Intercom Man (uncredited)
Charles Anthony Hughes	...	Naval Air Officer (uncredited)
Bill Hunter	...	Market Street 'Commando' (uncredited)
Ted Jacques	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Mary Landa	...	Tin Can's Girl in Photo (uncredited)
Paul Langton	...	'Copperfin' Crewman-Barber (uncredited)
Eddie Lee	...	Japanese at Listening Post (uncredited)
George Lee	...	Japanese on Beach (uncredited)
James B. Leong	...	Japanese (uncredited)
George Lloyd	...	'Copperfin' Chief Petty Officer (uncredited)
Bob Lowell	...	Radio Operator (uncredited)
Cy Malis	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Lou Marcelle	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Ralph McColm	...	Ensign (uncredited)
Jack Mower	...	Admiral's Aide (uncredited)
Maurice Murphy	...	Toscanini (uncredited)
William J. O'Brien	...	Chief of Naval Operations (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Navy Officer in Conference (uncredited)
Eleanor Parker	...	Mike's Wife on Record (voice) (uncredited)
Paul Parry	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Hugh Prosser	...	PBY Seaplane Pilot (uncredited)
George Robotham	...	Crewman (uncredited)
Dorothy Schoemer	...	Saleslady (uncredited)
Bernard Sell	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Charles Sherlock	...	'Copperfin' Helmsman (uncredited)
Larry Steers	...	Army Officer in Conference (uncredited)
Mark Stevens	...	Admiral's Aide (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan	...	'Copperfin' Ballast Operator (uncredited)
Ya Sing Sung	...	Japanese on Beach (uncredited)
John Sylvester	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Frank Tang	...	First Japanese Float Pilot (uncredited)
Charles S. Thompson	...	Rear Admiral (uncredited)
Sailor Vincent	...	Crewman (uncredited)
Wally Walker	...	Crewman (uncredited)
Jay Ward	...	Crewman (uncredited)
Russ Whiteman	...	Yeoman 1st Class (uncredited)
John Whitney	...	Communications Officer (uncredited)
Alan Wilson	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Bruce Wong	...	Japanese Antenna Man (uncredited)
Duke York	...	Duke - 'Copperfin' Crewman (uncredited)

Directed by
Delmer Daves

Writing credits
Steve Fisher		(original story)
Delmer Daves		(screen play) and
Albert Maltz		(screen play)

Produced by
Jerry Wald	....	producer
Jack L. Warner	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Franz Waxman

Cinematography by
Bert Glennon		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Christian Nyby		(as Chris Nyby)
Vladimir Barjansky		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Leo K. Kuter

Set Decoration by
Walter F. Tilford		(set decorations) (as Walter Tilford)

Makeup Department
Perc Westmore	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Chuck Hansen	....	unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Arthur Lueker	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Fred Scheld	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
John Beckman	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Harper Goff	....	set designer (uncredited)
John More	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Robert B. Lee	....	sound

Special Effects by
Lawrence W. Butler	....	special effects director (as Lawrence Butler)
Willard Van Enger	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Benny Cohan	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Joe Cramer	....	best boy (uncredited)
Owen Crompton	....	grip (uncredited)
Frank Flanagan	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Ed Henderson	....	stills (uncredited)
George Gordon Nogle	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Roe Ramsey	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Leon Roberts	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department
Leo F. Forbstein	....	musical director
Leonid Raab	....	orchestral arrangements (as Leon Raab)
William Lava	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Other crew
Phillip Compton	....	technical advisor (as Lt. Comdr. Phillip Compton)
James Leicester	....	montages
Andy Lennox	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Dudley Walker Morton	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Florence O'Neill	....	script clerk (uncredited)
Ken Whitmore	....	unit publicist (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros (A Warner Bros.-First National Picture)

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1943) (USA) (theatrical) (presents) (as Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Living Colour Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• M.P.E.A. (1949) (Austria) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | Australia:G (TV rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #9521) | Canada:G (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros

Trivia:

Before disarming the bomb, Tommy (Robert Hutton) tells the captain that his nickname back home was "Slim". Hutton was also nicknamed "Slim" in the movie Hollywood Canteen (1944).

Goofs:

Factual errors: Japanese soldiers board a truck to seek source of radio transmissions by a U.S. Navy shore party in Tokyo Bay. The truck has a left hand drive whereas Japanese vehicles have the steering wheel on the right hand side. Japanese drive on the left side of the road.

Quotes:

Mike Conners:[Tommy Adams is starting look-out duty] Keep your eyes peeled Kid... we're *nobody's* friend! Even our *own* ships'll shoot *first* and ask questions *later*!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Atomic Recall (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

America, the Beautiful

A classic made-during-the-war film

This film is a bona-fide classic. Made during the height of the war, and before it was a foregone conclusion that the Allies would prevail, it shows a surprisingly detailed (if romanticized) portrayal of life in the "Silent Service". The characters are finely drawn with a craftsman director's skill, and are the archetypes for subsequent films, not derivative cartoons.

This, like all films made during the war, must be taken in context as a form of propaganda. But it is still a fine effort that produces lasting impressions. Remember that a large number of viewers in theaters had family or friends serving in the military, and must have been astonished to see how their loved ones were fighting the war. While many technical details were abstracted for obvious security reasons, there are sufficiently accurate scenarios to satisfy. The appendectomy performed by a pharmacists mate with no surgical training was a real incident adapted for the screen.

All in all, a memorable epic which, like Casablanca, tells a story from a sense of urgency we cannot recreate today. Invaluable, and deserving of a good DVD transfer.