Whaling ship captain Bering Joy takes his grandson Jed on a whaling trip to teach him core life values while First Mate Dan Lunceford is tasked with tutoring Jed.
The entire first season of IMDb's first original scripted series, "You're Not a Monster," is available now.
Related News
-
Nyff Sets World Premiere of Ang Lee’s ‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk’
22 August 2016 | The Film Stage -
Nyff Announces Retrospective Selections Inspired By Bertrand Tavernier’s ‘My Journey Through French Cinema’ – Exclusive
19 August 2016 | Indiewire
Share this Rating
Title: Down to the Sea in Ships (1949)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
More Like This
Dear Brigitte
(1965)
Comedy
|
Family
Director:
Henry Koster
Stars:
James Stewart,
Fabian,
Glynis Johns
Dear Heart
(1964)
Comedy
|
Family
Director:
Delbert Mann
Stars:
Glenn Ford,
Geraldine Page,
Angela Lansbury
Certificate: Passed
Adventure
|
Drama
|
Family
Director:
Richard Thorpe
Stars:
Mickey Rooney,
Walter Connolly,
William Frawley
Treasure Island
(1934)
Adventure
|
Family
Director:
Victor Fleming
Stars:
Wallace Beery,
Jackie Cooper,
Lionel Barrymore
Curly Top
(1935)
Family
|
Musical
|
Romance
Director:
Irving Cummings
Stars:
Shirley Temple,
John Boles,
Rochelle Hudson
Bright Eyes
(1934)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Family
Director:
David Butler
Stars:
Shirley Temple,
James Dunn,
Jane Darwell
Stars in My Crown
(1950)
Drama
|
Family
|
Western
Director:
Jacques Tourneur
Stars:
Joel McCrea,
Ellen Drew,
Dean Stockwell
Poor Little Rich Girl
(1936)
Adventure
|
Comedy
|
Family
Director:
Irving Cummings
Stars:
Shirley Temple,
Alice Faye,
Gloria Stuart
I Remember Mama
(1948)
Drama
|
Family
Director:
George Stevens
Stars:
Irene Dunne,
Barbara Bel Geddes,
Oskar Homolka
Kim
(1950)
Adventure
|
Drama
|
Family
Director:
Victor Saville
Stars:
Errol Flynn,
Dean Stockwell,
Paul Lukas
The Boy with Green Hair
(1948)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Family
Director:
Joseph Losey
Stars:
Pat O'Brien,
Robert Ryan,
Barbara Hale
The Secret Garden
(1949)
Drama
|
Family
Director:
Fred M. Wilcox
Stars:
Margaret O'Brien,
Herbert Marshall,
Dean Stockwell
Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Richard Widmark | ... | First Mate Dan Lunceford | |
| Lionel Barrymore | ... | Capt. Bering Joy | |
| Dean Stockwell | ... | Jed Joy | |
| Cecil Kellaway | ... | Slush Tubbs | |
| Gene Lockhart | ... | Andrew L. Bush | |
| Berry Kroeger | ... | Manchester | |
| John McIntire | ... | Thatch | |
| Harry Morgan | ... | Britton (as Henry Morgan) | |
| Harry Davenport | ... | Benjamin Harris | |
| Paul Harvey | ... | Capt. John Briggs | |
| Jay C. Flippen | ... | Luke Sewell | |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Ruth Donnelly | ... | New Bedford Neighbor (scenes deleted) | |
 |
Hubert E. Flanagan | ... | Capt. Rumley (scenes deleted) |
| Connie Marshall | ... | New Bedford Neighbor (scenes deleted) | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
At the end of the 19th century, Massachusetts whaling ship captain Bering Joy takes his grandson Jed on a whaling expedition.The old captain wants to teach his spoiled grandson real life values such as honesty, courage, wisdom, fairness and hard work.At the same time, First Mate Dan Lunceford is entrusted with tutoring the boy in his schoolwork.A small competition and rivalry starts when both men,Captain Joy and First Mate Lunceford, strive to become young Jed's male role model.Captain Joy may have the wisdom dictated by his life's experiences but young Jed's imagination is rather captivated by Dan Lunceford's seafaring tales. Written by nufs68
Taglines:
Thar She Blows! See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
1949 (UK) See more »Also Known As:
Down to the Sea in Ships See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
Did You Know?
Goofs
In the ship's log on OCCURRENCES and REMARKS for the captains Buried at sea this day entry it shows the date as Thurs,day. The 13. Of Jan. 1888. This date was actually on Friday. See more »Crazy Credits
Opening credits prologue: NEW BEDFORD 1887 See more »Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.On IMDb TV, you can catch Hollywood hits and popular TV series at no cost. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free!
Explore popular action and adventure titles available to stream with Prime Video.
Down to the Sea in Ships is a grand sea adventure in the tradition of Captains Courageous, Moby Dick, and Treasure Island, full of great actors playing interesting characters, with decent special effects for it's time, and an intelligent, sometimes profound, script. Lionel Barrymore plays Captain Joy, the Master of a whaling ship about to be retired. He wants his young grandson (Dean Stockwell) to carry on the family tradition and eventually become master of the ship. But the boy lacks the appropriate education and seems unable to learn. On his last voyage, Joy appoints the new first mate, Lunceford (Richard Widmark) - also his tentative replacement - to the job of educating his grandson. It takes Lunceford a while to win the boy's confidence, and when he finally does, the old Captain seems to become jealous. Then when a boat is lost in the fog with the boy aboard, Lunceford launches a second rescue boat against regulations, and the Captain must discipline him. This dilemma between duty and personal devotion develops a tense situation between the three of them, with dramatic impact that makes Down to the Sea In Ships one of the most poignant films of it's kind, fully in league with those mentioned above. I don't want to giving away any more of the plot, but rest assured that the tension carries through suspense-fully to a perilous climax. The great supporting cast includes Gene Lockhart, Cecil Kelloway, Harry Morgan, Harry Davenport, and Jay C. Flippen.