Operation Pacific (1951)

Director:

George Waggner

Writer:

George Waggner (writer)

Release Date:

27 January 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

Up From The Floor Of The Sea To A High Mark In Excirement!

Plot:

During WWII, a submarine's second in command inherits the problem of torpedoes that don't explode. When on shore, he is eager to win back his ex-wife.

Plot Keywords:

Submarine | WWII | Ex Wife | Brother | Navy

Cast

John Wayne	...	Lt Cmdr. Duke E. Gifford
Patricia Neal	...	Lt. (j.g.) Mary Stuart
Ward Bond	...	Cmdr. John T. 'Pop' Perry
Scott Forbes	...	Lt. Larry
Philip Carey	...	Lt. (j.g.) Bob Perry
Paul Picerni	...	Jonesy
William Campbell	...	The Talker (as Bill Campbell)
Kathryn Givney	...	Cmdr. Steele
Martin Milner	...	Ens. Caldwell
Cliff Clark	...	Commander, SUBPAC
Jack Pennick	...	The Chief
Virginia Brissac	...	Sister Anna
Vincent Fotre	...	Soundman
Lewis Martin	...	Squad Commander
Sam Edwards	...	Junior

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf) | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Pearl Harbor Naval Station, Pearl Harbor, O`ahu, Hawaii, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

John Wayne and Patricia Neal did not get along during filming. She was particularly annoyed by his treatment of a gay publicity man. Nearly fourteen years later, however, they worked together on In Harm's Way (1965) where she noted that he had mellowed a lot, possibly because he was seriously ill with lung cancer at the time.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The first ship sunk on the second patrol has US Navy numbering on its bow.

Quotes:

[crewmembers struggle to fix leaking hatch]
Sister Anna: Anything I can do to help?
Jonesy: Spit teeth and cuss!
[sees sister Anna]
Jonesy: Sorry sister, didn't see you.
Sister Anna: That's alright, go ahead, I'll spit teeth!

Movie Connections:

References George Washington Slept Here (1942)

Soundtrack:

It Can't Be Wrong

Nice Charge, Little Depth

If you want to hear skipper John Wayne utter such immortal words as, "Take 'er down!" and "Rig for silent running," this is the movie for you. The story per se is a familiar one to fans of the Duke. There is a conflict between Wayne's commitment to his work in submarines and his commitment to his marriage to nurse Patricia Neal, in another first-rate, non-flamboyant performance. She seems so much more mature than Cdr Wayne, but still in the end comes around to realize that he was right all along, after a senior colleague tears a strip off her and brings her to her senses. The action scenes are rather good -- after a collision with an enemy ship, the foredeck 40 mm. cannon whirls around in its tub because of the impact. Nice touch. There are depth charge attacks, surface actions, heroes sacrificing themselves to save the ship, a rivalry for nurse Neal's affection, rescued aviators, all you'd expect from a submarine movie. Wayne, one regrets to report, was not actually a submarine commander in life off the screen. His career was just beginning to take off in 1941 when the Japanese had the bad taste to interrupt it. He was thirty-four and had two children so was exempt from the draft. He made a half-hearted attempt to gain a commission in the Marine Corps but when that fell through he decided, as he put it, that he'd be of more use to the war effort making movies than picking up butts in some army camp. Another detail worth comment: the submariners themselves were saddled with the Mark XIV torpedo, which ran eleven feet deeper than its setting and whose detonators were crushed on impact. It entered the war with a 50% failure rate. The Bureau of Naval Ordinance consistently rejected the complaints of submariners as unfounded. Otherwise, you see, the bureau would have to admit that it had approved and was manufacturing a defective product. The problem was a simple one to correct (once it was finally acknowledged) but it took several years for the job to get done. And it was accomplished by commercial engineers, not naval crews. Another minor point: I've visited several submarine relics from the period and they're far more cramped than the Duke's Thunderfish. I had trouble squeezing through hatches that Wayne sails through with ease, so I can only conclude that the mock up was built to a larger scale. (I've been told by people who know that my grasp of the torpedo situation at that time is less than comprehensive. I agree.) However, these are minor irritations in an otherwise enjoyable, if shallow, war movie.