Starring: Richard Greene, Nancy Kelly, Preston Foster, George Bancroft, Slim Summerville, John Carradine, Joan Valerie, Henry Armetta, Warren Hymer, Douglas Fowley, J. Farrell MacDonald, Maxie Rosenbloom
Writers: Rian James, Darrell Ware, Jack Yellen (based on the novel "The Splinter Fleet of the Otranto Barrage" by Ray Millholland)
Cinematogaphy: Arthur C. Miller
Music: Arthur Lange
Film Editor: Robert L. Simpson
B&W, 1h 31m. 1.37:1 perspective.
Released on: November 9, 1938 by Twentieth Century Fox.
My experience: YouTube
Submarine Patrol was apparently one of John Ford's favourite films that he made, and knowing what we do of him, that checks out. It's a film full of men being men, women (except for Nancy Kelly's character) being practially non-existent, and a storyline both nautical and military in nature. While I can't say I felt anything close to the same love for it, it's one that grew on me as the runtime went on.
Our protagonist is Perry Townsend III, (Richard Greene), a rich nepo baby with a bit of a superiority complex, who wants to do his part for his country in the first world war, but at the same time is not afraid to take advantage of his position in life. He is assigned to SC 599, a splinter vessel (a hastily built wooden boat not meant for longevity), captained by Lieutenant (j.g.) John C. Drake (Preston Foster), who has been assigned to the vessel as punishment for running his previous command aground due to negligence. Drake is therefore being extra hard in trying to prove his mettle, and his sights quickly set on Townsend, who thinks nothing of jumping ship in order to hook up with his new flame, Susan Leeds (Nancy Kelly), and meandering back at his own pace when called.
From this description, you might presume that Submarine Patrol is about two people in conflict until either one of them blows a gasket or they begin to come together. Not so. Rather than two ships heading full speed towards each other, think of this as two trains running on parallel tracks to the same destination. Both men have something to prove; Drake to his military superiors, and Townsend to Captain Leeds (George Bancroft), Susan's father who thinks he's a playboy ne'er do well who will only hurt his daughter. Things come to a head when Captain Leeds finds himself stuck in the engine room with Townsend during an assault on a notoriously difficult submarine in Otranto, Italy. It's a nice inversion of the usual conflict driven storyline in favour of a team-oriented one.
The cast is filled out by a who's who of successful character actors from the past, present (late 1930s) and future. Appearing as crew members from SC 599 are J. Farrell MacDonald as Chief Warrant Officer Sails Quincannon; Slim Summerville as Spuds, the ship's cook; George E. Stone as Seaman Irving Goldfarb; Elisha Cook Jr. as Seaman Rutherford Davis Pratt, aka "The Professor"; Warren Hymer as Seaman Rocky Haggerty; Douglas Fowley as Seaman Pinky Brett; Dick Hogan as Seaman Johnny Miller; Robert Lowery as Radioman Sparks; and of course regulars Ward Bond as Seaman Olaf Swanson and Jack Pennick as Boatswain "Guns" McPeek.
They are joined on this filmic expedition by 1930s Ford regular John Carradine as McAllison, the supercilious first mate of Captain Leeds' ship the Ana Maria; Henry Armetta as an Italian hotelier; Maxie Rosenbloom as Marine Sentry Sergeant Joe Duffy, who delivers one of the film's funniest lines; Charles Trowbridge as Rear Admiral Joseph Maitland, a friend of Townsend's father; Moroni Olsen as the fleet captain; and Victor Varconi as an Italian chaplain.
Submarine Patrol has some nice work by said performers, and there's nothing particularly wrong with it, but it never quite clicked for me. It came close once the ship put out to sea, and there's a nice somber moment when they torpedo their first submarine and the reality of war begins to hit home for a few of the boisterous young men. The second half was superior to the first half, with a nice sojourn with Townsend and Susan in Italy cushioned between a couple of battle scenes that seem to have been nicely filmed. I say seem to have been because the print I saw was very dark but it sounded nice. I'm only being slightly facetious here.
Apparently William Faulkner was one of the ten people who took a shot at adapting Ray Millholland's novel, and that may be part of the problem. While we have a distinct protagonist and follow him on his journey, it seems to be a case of too many cooks. I know there are some people who love this film, and while I tend to worship the cinematic Fordian universe, I have to say that despite the fact it has some good moments and themes, I would put this on the lower end of the tier.
Six scuttled ships out of ten.
No comments:
Post a Comment