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Operation Petticoat (1959)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
18 December 1959 (Japan) moreTagline:
20,000 Laughs Under The Sea! morePlot:
World War 2 comedy about a submarine commander who finds himself stuck with a decrepit (and pink) sub, a con-man executive officer and a group of army nurses. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations moreUser Comments:
Top talent makes this a winner. moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Cary Grant | ... | Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman | |
| Tony Curtis | ... | Lt. JG Nicholas Holden | |
| Joan O'Brien | ... | Lt. Dolores Crandall RN | |
| Dina Merrill | ... | Lt. Barbara Duran RN | |
| Gene Evans | ... | Chief Molumphry | |
| Dick Sargent | ... | Ens. Stovall (as Richard Sargent) | |
| Virginia Gregg | ... | Maj. Edna Heywood RN | |
| Robert F. Simon | ... | Capt. J.B. Henderson | |
| Robert Gist | ... | Lt. Watson | |
| Gavin MacLeod | ... | Ernest Hunkle | |
| George Dunn | ... | The Prophet | |
| Dick Crockett | ... | Harmon | |
| Madlyn Rhue | ... | Lt. Reid RN | |
| Marion Ross | ... | Lt. Colfax RN | |
| Clarence Lung | ... | Sgt. Ramon Gillardo (as Clarence E. Lung) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
124 min | Germany:100 min | Canada:120 min (Ontario)Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Eastmancolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Certification:
Iceland:L | USA:Approved (PCA #19345) | Finland:K-12 | UK:U | West Germany:6 | Canada:PG (Ontario)Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Tina Louise was offered but turned down the role of Nurse Crandall that then went to Joan O'Brien because Louise didn't like the abundant boob jokes directed at the character. moreGoofs:
Continuity: When Holden is stealing the pig, he falls down in the mud and clearly gets the seat of his uniform muddy. Yet when he is climbing into the truck, the trousers are clean. moreQuotes:
Chief Mechanic's Mate Sam Tostin: [speaking to Maj.Heywood in the engine room] You know, I spent alot of years disliking women. But I don't dislike you.Maj. Edna Heywood, RN: Oh?
Chief Mechanic's Mate Sam Tostin: You're not a woman. You're more than a woman. You're a *mechanic*
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There's really no reason to expect that this easy-going military comedy should hold up so well after almost 50 years. While extremely popular as a Christmas release in '59, it then boasted two top box office stars to bring in the crowds, which most critics agreed were the primary attraction supporting some rather thin and predictable material. But the merits are considerably more than reviewers originally gave credit for, and the film endures as a cleverly crafted entertainment on several levels. Its uncomplicated premise accommodates humor less derived from incident than from character and situation, making it seem far less pretentious than most films of its kind. Service comedies of this period tend to follow a pattern set by MR. ROBERTS, which was based on a hugely successful stage play and quite reverent to those origins. PETTICOAT is far more spontaneous, so even if plot threads tend to be a bit familiar, its the delivery rather than the content which holds our attention. Of course it doesn't hurt to have Cary Grant at the peak of his powers, hitting all the right notes, balancing the role of naval officer with innate dedication combined with his own charismatic charm and seemingly effortless humor, a performance which is both naturalistic and funny. Curtis, too, had found his groove at this point (he had just completed his tour de force for Billy Wilder, SOME LIKE IT HOT) contributing just the right balance of ingenuousness and star-of-the-month savvy to make his `second banana' role a success. But the lion's share of the credit must go to Blake Edwards, then in the early stages of his most successful period as a master comedy craftsman, boisterous yet sophisticated, among the last of a breed of Hollywood stylists on the rise at a time when the old studio system was nearing its end.