Down Periscope (1996)

Lt. Cmdr. Tom Dodge is assigned as Captain to the USS Stingray, an old diesel driven submarine that has seen better days.

Director:

David S. Ward

Writers:

Hugh Wilson (screenplay), Andrew Kurtzman (screenplay)

Stars:

Kelsey Grammer, Lauren Holly, Rob Schneider

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kelsey Grammer	...	Tom Dodge
Lauren Holly	...	Emily
Rob Schneider	...	Marty Pascal
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Howard
Bruce Dern	...	Admiral Graham
William H. Macy	...	Captain Knox
Ken Hudson Campbell	...	Buckman
Toby Huss	...	Nitro
Duane Martin	...	Jackson
Jonathan Penner	...	Spots
Bradford Tatum	...	Stepanak
Harland Williams	...	Sonar
Rip Torn	...	Admiral Winslow
James Martin Jr.	...	Orlando Radioman
Jordan Marder	...	Orlando Ensign

Storyline

Lt. Cmdr. Tom Dodge is assigned as Captain to the USS Stingray, an old diesel driven submarine that has seen better days. With a crew that consists only of weird guys (and a gal), he's headed against the atomic powered USS Orlando, with the mission to destroy a dummy battleship.

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Plot Keywords:

woman in uniform | cook | electrician | sonar operator | female naval officer | 

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Taglines:

A rusty sub. A rebel commander. A renegade crew. When destiny called, they should have hung up.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some crude language

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Pascal gets blown into the water while the crew is cleaning the sub you can see 3 other people in the water.

These people were blown into the water the same way Pascal was but in the trailer for the movie.

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Goofs

At the end of the movie when the crew come out from the submarine in their dress uniforms, Lieutenant Lake is wearing white platform Mary Janes, but Naval dress shoes are white pumps.

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Quotes

[Nitro routes a radio call from Admiral Graham to Dodge]
Lt. Comd. Dodge: Dodge here... "Stairway to Heaven"? Led Zeppelin, 1974, right? Okay! Hey, good news, guys! We just won the Billy Joel tickets and the WROK t-shirts!
[the crew chuckles]
Lt. Comd. Dodge: Nitro... You want to get me Admiral Graham now?
Seaman Nitro 'Mike': Okay.
[Nitro scrambles to connect the call]

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Crazy Credits

As the credits begins to roll, The Village People and several cast members start singing "In The Navy."

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Connections

Featured in Midnight Special (2016)

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Soundtracks

You Make Me Feel So Young
Written by Josef Myrow and Mack Gordon

User Reviews

Hillarious

I never understood why so many people hated this film. Maybe it's the whole tongue in cheek attitude this film took toward the military and the good ol'boy system which seems to encompass within the ranks. Or maybe the military is too much of a sacred institution to make fun of (yeah right!). Nonetheless, I felt the film was funny in many parts, despite the rather improbably ending and premise. However, this film did have a great collection of comics who have their own little quirky following. Harland Williams, Rip Torn, Harry Dean Stanton, Kelsey Grammar, Rob Schneider and William H. Macy all gave solid performances, reciting their lines with a great amount of wit. And to note, Lauren Holly looked ravishing with her natural blonde hair (which was a shock, considering I had only seen her in red up to that point).

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Down Periscope

Filming Locations:

Naval Air Station Alameda, Alameda, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$31,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,231,087, 3 March 1996

Gross USA:

$25,785,603

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$37,553,752

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1