The Frogmen (1951)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Lloyd Bacon

Writers:

John Tucker Battle (screenplay)
Oscar Millard (story)

Release Date:

8 September 1951 (Sweden)

Genre:

Adventure | War | Drama

Tagline:

UNCLE SAM'S UNDERWATER COMMANDOS! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

The new commander of a Navy Underwater Demolition Team--nicknamed "Frogmen"--must earn the respect of the men in his unit, who are still grieving over the death of their former commander and resentful of the new one.

Plot Keywords:

Scuba Diving | Military | Frogman

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Richard Widmark	...	Lt. Cmdr. John Lawrence
Dana Andrews	...	Jake Flannigan
Gary Merrill	...	Lt. Cmdr. Pete Vincent
Jeffrey Hunter	...	Pappy Creighton
Warren Stevens	...	Hodges
Robert Wagner	...	Lt. (jg) Franklin
Harvey Lembeck	...	Marvin W. 'Canarsie' Mikowsky
Robert Rockwell	...	Lt. Bill Doyle
Henry Slate	...	Sleepy

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #15030) | UK:U | West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Culebra, Puerto Rico

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The Underwater Demolition Team the frogmen in the film belong to is UDT-4 (some members of the team wear utility jackets with artwork of a large number "4" and a shark on the back). The real UDT-4 in World War II saw combat in the invasions of Okinawa, Saipan, Guam, and the Philippines. Like the fictional Team in the film, the real UDT-4 had one of their boats hit and sunk by Japanese fire at Leyte, and left a sign on the beach at Guam to welcome the invading Marines.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The triple-tank aqualungs used by the UDT frogmen during the film's climactic mission are incorrect for the WWII period. Although 'Jacques Cousteau', an officer in the French Navy, was working with experimental aqualungs near the end of WWII, U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Teams did not have them during the war.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Junior (1985)

Top notch WWII action film - heads above others.

This is one of the best WWII films you'll ever see. The action is fast-paced and non-stop, the acting is fine, the special effects and editing are excellent and the deservedly Oscar nominated Cinematography is exceptional and often breathtaking. It is a fascinating look at the underwater demolition teams during that conflict. Although the plot is not new - new commander must win respect of his men, trying to follow in the footsteps of their former leader (now deceased), whom they idol-worshipped. Richard Widmark shows more sensitivity and humility than he displays in most of his other roles and the ensemble team (including veterans Gary Merrill and Dana Andrews) work very well together. The camera work is often quite astonishing, as in the drop off and pick up sequences of the frogmen at high water speeds and in the underwater sequences. There is quite a lot of exposed beefcake for those audiences who watch these films for just such entertainment. Particularly memorable is Jeffrey Hunter in his third credited film role - his beauty is extraordinary and he shows an admirable acting ability. The sequence where he is trapped in sick bay with an unexploded torpedo rammed into the room while Widmark and Andrews try to disarm it has incredible tension. The Academy nominated it for Story and Cinematography - certainly deserved - but missed the chance to acknowledge it for its equally excellent Special Effects and Editing, both of which deserved recognition. This is one to seek out and enjoy.