Sea of Lost Ships (1953)

The son of a deceased Coast Guard hero is raised by a Coast Guard NCO, who also has a son the same age. When they get older both are accepted into the Coast Guard Academy, but the hero's ... See full summary »

Director:

Joseph Kane

Writers:

Norman Reilly Raine (story), Steve Fisher (screenplay)

Stars:

John Derek, Wanda Hendrix, Walter Brennan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Derek	...	G.R. 'Grad' Matthews
Wanda Hendrix	...	Pat Kirby
Walter Brennan	...	C.P.O 'Chief' O'Malley
Richard Jaeckel	...	Ensign H.G. 'Hap' O'Malley
Tom Tully	...	Ice Patrol Capt. Holland
Barton MacLane	...	Capt. Jack Matthews
Erin O'Brien-Moore	...	Mrs. Nora O'Malley
Ben Cooper	...	3rd Plane Crewman
Darryl Hickman	...	Senior Cadet Pete Bennett
Roy Roberts	...	Captain of the 'Eagle'
Tom Powers	...	Rear Admiral
Richard Hale	...	Captain Welch
James Brown	...	Ice Patrol Boat Executive Officer
Douglas Kennedy	...	Helicopter Pilot
Steve Brodie	...	Lt. Rogers

Storyline

The son of a deceased Coast Guard hero is raised by a Coast Guard NCO, who also has a son the same age. When they get older both are accepted into the Coast Guard Academy, but the hero's son winds up being thrown out, bringing disgrace to his adopted family.

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Plot Keywords:

coast guard

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Taglines:

Frozen hell of the North Atlantic . . . where daring men gamble their lives to conquer the danger of the sea!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 February 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

La mer des bateaux perdus

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Includes stock disaster footage from 'S.O.S. Iceberg' (1933) and 'Whom the Gods Destroy' (1934).

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Connections

Edited from Whom the Gods Destroy (1934)

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Soundtracks

"Semper Paratus"
(uncredited)
Music by Francis S. Van Boskerck

User Reviews

Typical Fifties Adventure

John Derek will likely be remembered more for the vacuous performances of his (ex)wife Bo. Moreover, this film, if it crosses your screen during the late show, will not add to his fame. However, it not is not bad: Grad Matthews (Derek) is the son of a well-known Coast Guard captain, Jack (perennial villain, Barton MacLane in good guy role), who died a hero. He is raised by a curmudgeon but loving CPO, O'Malley (Walter Brennan) and his son, Hap (Richard Jaeckel) and wind up in the Coast Guard Academy. Grad gets kicked out while surrogate brother Hap graduates. Grad then enlists and redeems himself with great success in the Coast Guard. The film's female interest is provided by Wanda Hendrix and the story focuses on the US Coast Guard. There are some wonderful scenes shot aboard the USCG Eagle, the Coast Guard's midshipmen's training ship. The ship is gorgeous and incredibly beautiful under full sail-- the movie is worth seeing if no more than for those scenes of her underway. I recall this film well as it was the only one showing in the crew's quarters when I was on a midshipmen's cruise in 1955 and it was either watch it-- as it was being shown again and again, I saw it about 5 times, as I recall-- or get pressed into wiping bulkheads.