During WW2, Lieut. John F. Kennedy takes command of PT 109 to fight the Japanese in the Solomon Islands.
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Title: PT 109 (1963)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Cliff Robertson | ... | Lt. JG John F. Kennedy | |
| Ty Hardin | ... | Ensign Leonard J. Thom | |
| James Gregory | ... | Commander C.R. Ritchie | |
| Robert Culp | ... | Ensign George 'Barney' Ross | |
| Grant Williams | ... | Lt. Alvin Cluster | |
| Lew Gallo | ... | Yeoman Rogers | |
 |
Errol John | ... | Benjamin Kevu |
| Michael Pate | ... | Lt. Reginald Evans | |
| Robert Blake | ... | Gunner's Mate Charles 'Bucky' Harris | |
|
|
William Douglas | ... | Gerard Zinser |
| Biff Elliot | ... | Seaman Edgar E. Mauer (as Biff Elliott) | |
| Norman Fell | ... | Machinist Edmund Drewitch | |
| Sam Gilman | ... | Raymond Starkey | |
| Clyde Howdy | ... | Machinist Leon Drawdy | |
|
|
Buzz Martin | ... | Gunner's Mate Maurice Kowal |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (284) »
Storyline
Dramatization of President John F. Kennedy's wartime experiences during which he captained a PT boat, took it to battle and had it sunk by a Japanese destroyer. He and the survivors had to make their way to an island, find food and shelter and signal the Navy for rescue. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>
Plot Keywords:
heroic military | p.t. boat | south pacific | u.s. navy | navy ship |Taglines:
A band of men left for dead in a flaming sea and their epic heroism and survival! See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
19 June 1963 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
PT Boat 109 See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$4,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound Recording)Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
Edit
Leon Drawdy: Sounds like he oughta be in charge of a library.
Charles 'Bucky' Harris: What's the name of the book?
Edmund Drewitch: 'Why England Slept.'
Charles 'Bucky' Harris: [around a cigar stub] Got any pictures in it?
Edmund Drewitch: Pigeons?
Charles 'Bucky' Harris: Pictures, idiot!
Edmund Drewitch: He's lookin' for pictures and I'm an idiot.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Cliff Robertson portrays John F. Kennedy during his late twenties during World War II. However, in real life Robertson was 40 years old when this film was released. See more »Goofs
In the film, PT 109 is shown rescuing the remnants of a Marine patrol off Choiseul Island while under enemy fire. This rescue actually occurred on November 2, 1943 - 3 months AFTER PT 109 had been rammed and sunk - but by PT 59, a PT which had been converted into a gunboat and was JFK's second and last command in the South Pacific. See more »Quotes
Edmund Drewitch: [reading a brief on Kennedy] Seems like all he ever did was go to school. He's had no sea duty. Says here he wrote a book.Leon Drawdy: Sounds like he oughta be in charge of a library.
Charles 'Bucky' Harris: What's the name of the book?
Edmund Drewitch: 'Why England Slept.'
Charles 'Bucky' Harris: [around a cigar stub] Got any pictures in it?
Edmund Drewitch: Pigeons?
Charles 'Bucky' Harris: Pictures, idiot!
Edmund Drewitch: He's lookin' for pictures and I'm an idiot.
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
See more »
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Cliff Robertson was a good choice to play Lt. John F. Kennedy, new PT boat commander in 1944. He looked a bit like Kennedy and was able to recreate many of his mannerisms. This movie hit the theaters in the USA in June 1963, just after I graduated from high school, and only five months before President Kennedy died from a bullet in Dallas, Texas. I remember it well, it was perfect for the times, as it dramatized the events where the boat, PT 109, was rammed by a Japanese destroyer and sank, but Kennedy was able to lead the survivors to safety in the hostile South Pacific waters.
The movie opens in August 1942, the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, the US Navy was using PT boats because they were fast, had a shallow draft, and carried a good complement of torpedoes. We first see Lt. Kennedy receiving his assignment aboard a destroyer, in 1943 or 1944, then landing on the island base. With no active boats available, he was offered the PT 109, which had been neglected and was not ship-shape. He was given a makeshift crew, and one week to get it seaworthy. Which he and his men do, and pass the inspection with flying colors. Kennedy is shown as a leader by example, working side by side with his men, and taking the time to thank them for a job well done.
The movie goes on to show the deployment of the 109 into regular service, and the incident which resulted in the sinking of the boat and subsequent fight for survival. Even though he was eligible for an assignment stateside, Kennedy took another boat and continued the battle. It is well made for a 1963 movie.
Kennedy was born in 1917 and was 26 when he enlisted in the Navy after Harvard. When he was 38 he completed his book, "Profiles In Courage" which won a Pulitzer Prize. When he was only 43, in 1960, he defeated Richard Nixon and became President of the USA. In November 1963, he was dead. In spite of his flaws as a man, as a leader and as a President he was remarkable, and this is a good movie to remind us of that.