The 1946-1947 U.S. military expedition to explore and map Antarctica, led by Admiral Richard E. Byrd, is presented from its planning stages through its successful completion.The 1946-1947 U.S. military expedition to explore and map Antarctica, led by Admiral Richard E. Byrd, is presented from its planning stages through its successful completion.The 1946-1947 U.S. military expedition to explore and map Antarctica, led by Admiral Richard E. Byrd, is presented from its planning stages through its successful completion.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 1 win total
- Self - Narrator
- (voice)
- (as Comdr. Robert Montgomery U.S.N.R.)
- Self - Narrator
- (voice)
- (as Lt. Robert Taylor U.S.N.R.)
- Self - Narrator
- (voice)
- (as Lt. Van Heflin A.A.F. Ret.)
- Self
- (as Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal)
- Self
- (as Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Chester W. Nimitz)
- Self
- (as Admiral Byrd)
- Self
- (as Admiral Cruzen)
- Self
- (as Captain Quackenbush)
- Self
- (as Captain George Dufek)
- Self
- (as Dr. Siple)
- Self
- (as Captain Thomas)
- Self
- (as Captain Boyd)
- Self
- (as Captain Bond)
- Self
- (as Commander David E. Bunger)
- Self
- (as Captain Clark)
- Self
- (as Commander Howell)
- Self
- (as Lieutenant j.g. Bill Kearns)
- Self
- (as Lieutenant j.g. Frenchie LeBlanc)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAdmiral Richard E. Byrd's fourth Antarctic expedition, code-named "Highjump", from August 1946 to February 1947 involved 13 ships, over 4,000 men, 50 cameras and 40 vehicles.
- Quotes
Self - Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal: [explaining the reason for the enterprise] There is only one untouched reservoir of raw materials left in the world and that is in the region known as Antarctica, an area larger than the combined area of the United States and Europe. The American government is sending a naval expedition to that region. The purpose is to train our Navy in polar operations so that it may better perform its function of preserving the peace upon the seven seas of the world. Beyond that, the American government is seeking to do its share in the discovery and release to the world of the unknown treasures of Antarctica, in the interests of all mankind.
- Crazy creditsThe opening credits include the following: "Starring Men and Ships of U.S. Navy" "Photographed by Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Army Cameramen"
- ConnectionsFeatured in Movies Are Adventure (1948)
The men here are assigned some of the most hazardous peace time duty the United States Navy ever had to perform. The polar regions are some of the most forbidding area on our globe. The film captures some real dangers the Navy faced. We see a submarine caught in a frozen ice flow, a rescue of a man being transferred from ship to ship via breecher's buoy when the line snaps and he's tossed into the frozen sea, a crash of one of the planes. This film captures all the hazards of the expedition and the forbidding beauty of Antarctica.
From his transatlantic flights and his early polar expeditions Admiral Richard E. Byrd was a genuine American hero. We probably know more about the geography of the polar regions due to his work than any other individual. After this expedition, Byrd in fact did return to the South Pole as late as two years before he died in 1957.
When TCM broadcasts this, catch it by all means. This is what reality TV is all about.
- bkoganbing
- Dec 13, 2005
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $216,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 11 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1