In Harm's Way
Encyclopedia
In Harm's Way is a 1965 American epic war film
produced and directed by Otto Preminger
and starring John Wayne
, Kirk Douglas
, Patricia Neal
, Tom Tryon
, Paula Prentiss
, Stanley Holloway
, Burgess Meredith
, Brandon De Wilde
, Jill Haworth
, Dana Andrews
, and Henry Fonda
.
It was the last black-and-white World War II epic and the last black-and-white John Wayne film. It received a mixed response over the years as a war story that had a simple story, a charge leveled against Preminger's later movies, starting with this one. The screenplay was written by Wendell Mayes
based on the novel Harm's Way
by James Bassett.
The film recounts the lives of several US naval officers and their wives or lovers while based in Hawaii
as the US involvement in World War II
begins. The title of the film comes from a quote from American Revolutionary naval hero John Paul Jones
: "I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast, for I intend to go in harm's way."
stars as U.S. Navy Captain
Rockwell "Rock" Torrey, a divorced "second generation Navy" son of a career Chief Petty Officer
. A Naval Academy graduate and career officer, Torrey is removed from command of his heavy cruiser for "throwing away the book" when pursuing the enemy and then being torpedoed by a Japanese submarine shortly after the Japanese attack
on Pearl Harbor
. After several months of desk duty ashore in Hawaii and recuperation from a broken arm he suffered in the attack on his cruiser, he is promoted to Rear Admiral
and given a crucial mission early in 1942 requiring the same sort of guts and gallantry he previously displayed as commanding officer of his cruiser.
Though it makes use of the same heroic persona that Wayne displayed in his Westerns, this persona is very much restrained under Otto Preminger's direction. We learn more of the character's human qualities: his estrangement from his son, now an Ensign
in the Naval Reserve
(played by Brandon De Wilde
), and his romance with a divorced Navy Nurse Corps Lieutenant
(played by Patricia Neal
), which brings out his yearning for a stable emotional anchor in his life. The Wayne/Neal relationship forms the emotional crux of the movie, and the two stars give sensitive performances.
There are sub-plots involving characters played by Kirk Douglas
and Tom Tryon
, who offer differing portraits of two other career naval officers associated with Wayne's command. Douglas portrays Commander
, later Captain
, Paul Eddington, a wayward sort of career officer who has resigned as a Naval Aviator
and returned to the Surface Navy because of an unhappy marriage. His wife's numerous "love" affairs and drunken escapades have become the talk of Honolulu and her death during the Pearl Harbor attack - in the company of an Army Air Corps Officer (Hugh O'Brian
), with whom she has just had a wild fling on a local beach - drives Eddington into a bar brawl, a stint in the Brig, and exile as the "...officer in charge of piers and warehouses..." in a "backwater island purgatory" as he calls it, until reprieved by Torrey and assigned as Torrey's Chief of Staff - and finally into the rape of Navy Nurse Annalee Dohrn (Jill Haworth
) (engaged by this time to Torrey's son), who then, fearing she might be pregnant and tossed aside by Eddington, commits suicide with an overdose of sleeping pills. Having been originally trained as a Naval Aviator, Eddington requisitions a PBJ
patrol bomber which he then flies solo on an unauthorized reconnaissance flight to locate elements of the Japanese fleet. He goes down to a fiery death in a redeeming act of sacrifice, finding and giving advance warning of the huge Yamato
battleship task force on its way to blast Torrey's much smaller force off the islands. Tryon portrays Lieutenant, junior grade
, later Lieutenant
and Lieutenant Commander
, William "Mack" McConnell, a conventional type of young surface naval officer only a few years removed from the Naval Academy, with a characteristic Navy wife of the period (played by Paula Prentiss
), who is ever solicitous and faithful, a true family man with an enviable marriage, in stark contrast to Eddington's almost tragic and isolated figure.
The film presents a relatively unromanticized and realistic picture of the American Navy and its officers in the period before and shortly after the start of World War II
, complete with bureaucratic infighting among the brass and sometimes disreputable private acts by individuals. Its sprawling narrative is typical of Preminger's works in which he examined institutions and the people who run them (such as the American Congress
and the Presidency
in Advise and Consent
, the Catholic Church
in The Cardinal
and the British
Intelligence Service in The Human Factor
).
as Captain
Rockwell W. "Rock" Torrey USN
, CO of a heavy cruiser referred to as Old Swayback (and represented in the film by the USS Saint Paul (CA-73)
); afterwards Rear Admiral
Rockwell W. Torrey, USN, "operational commander" of "Operation Skyhook."
when the film was made. Shortly after filming ended in August 1964 he was diagnosed with the disease, and a month later underwent surgery to remove his entire left lung and two ribs. Co-star Franchot Tone
was soon to develop lung cancer
and died of the disease in September 1968.
Many of the non-military costumes and hairstyles worn by the women throughout the film were contemporary to the mid-1960s period during which the film was made, rather than of the early 1940s. This is particularly noticeable at the dance which opens the film. Many of the extras in this scene were, in fact, active duty officers and their spouses assigned to various commands in Oahu.
The film was shot in black-and-white
by Loyal Griggs
, who composed his scenes in the scope format often using deep focus (Griggs was nominated for a Best Cinematographer Academy Award
for his work). Jerry Goldsmith
's musical score is also notable, as is the work of Saul Bass
in the credit titles sequence (this sequence actually comes at the very end of the film, an interesting departure from the norm in a major Hollywood production at the time).
The film received extensive cooperation from the Department of Defense
, especially the US Navy and the US Marine Corps. Though at the time of the filming (late 1963-1964), very few ships in active Navy service resembled their WW-2 configuration, and the only WW-2 vintage heavy cruiser
(CA 73) in the role of the straw bottom cruiser (referred to only as the "old swayback"), and an accompanying destroyer, , that took on the role USS Cassidy were extensively filmed on. Other US Navy ships that participated include destroyers (DD 630), (DD 450), (DD 499), (DD 517), submarine (SS 336) and the attack transport
(APA 227). All of the destroyers had to have their modern (1960's) ASW
gear covered over with fake gun-mounts or deck houses. Additional smaller vessels were provided in support, as well as an HU-16 Albatross
amphibious aircraft, even though said aircraft did not enter the US inventory until 1949. The HU-16 likely substitutes for a PBY Catalina
, of which no flyable examples were likely available for the film schedule.
Another anachronism is the widespread use of the M151 MUTT light utility vehicle as a World War II jeep instead of the World War II-era Willys MB and/or Ford GPW, the M151 having not even entered production until 1959. Also used were a few 1950's vintage 63 ft USCG rescue launches that were made over to resemble Elco
80 ft torpedo boats, as the few that existed were not available for use.
The climactic battle with the Japan
ese fleet was staged mostly with model ships. Kirk Douglas thought the special effects poor and complained bitterly to both the director and the studio about it. He offered to re-stage the scenes at his own expense using the special effects people who worked with him on Paths of Glory
.
Other ongoings that went down during the filming included Kirk Douglas
being allowed to hold Yom Kippur
services for Jewish Naval Officers who were extras on the set and a clash between director Preminger and actor Tom Tryon
which climaxed when Preminger screamed behind Tryon "RELAX!!" The stars of the film successfully talked Tryon into staying with the film: he almost quit.
. It was also screened at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival
, but was not entered into the main competition.
Patricia Neal received a 1966 BAFTA Film Award as Best Foreign Actress for her performance in the film.
Bosley Crowther
of the New York Times
panned the film observing, "This is a slick and shallow picture that Mr. Preminger puts forth here, a straight, cliché-crowded melodrama of naval action in the Pacific in World War II..." and characterized it as "a film that is virtually awash with flimsy and flamboyant fellows with all the tricks of the trade of Hollywood."
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
produced and directed by Otto Preminger
Otto Preminger
Otto Ludwig Preminger was an Austro–Hungarian-American theatre and film director.After moving from the theatre to Hollywood, he directed over 35 feature films in a five-decade career. He rose to prominence for stylish film noir mysteries such as Laura and Fallen Angel...
and starring John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
, Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
, Patricia Neal
Patricia Neal
Patricia Neal was an American actress of stage and screen. She was best known for her film roles as World War II widow Helen Benson in The Day the Earth Stood Still , wealthy matron Emily Eustace Failenson in Breakfast at Tiffany's , middle-aged housekeeper Alma Brown in Hud , for which she won...
, Tom Tryon
Tom Tryon
Tom Tryon was an American film and television actor, best known for playing the title role in the film The Cardinal and the Walt Disney television character Texas John Slaughter...
, Paula Prentiss
Paula Prentiss
Paula Ragusa , better known by her stage name Paula Prentiss, is an American actress well-known for her film roles in Where the Boys Are, Man's Favorite Sport?, The Stepford Wives, What's New Pussycat?, The Black Marble, and The Parallax View and her co-starring role in the television situation...
, Stanley Holloway
Stanley Holloway
Stanley Augustus Holloway, OBE was an English stage and film actor, comedian, singer, poet and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles on stage and screen, especially that of Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady...
, Burgess Meredith
Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
, Brandon De Wilde
Brandon De Wilde
Andre Brandon deWilde was an American theatre and film actor. He was born into a theatrical family in Brooklyn. Debuting on Broadway at the age of 7, De Wilde became a national phenomenon by the time he completed his 492 performances for The Member of the Wedding and was considered a child...
, Jill Haworth
Jill Haworth
Valerie Jill Haworth was an English actress.Haworth was born in Sussex, to a textile magnate father and a mother who trained as a ballet dancer ....
, Dana Andrews
Dana Andrews
Dana Andrews was an American film actor. He was one of Hollywood's major stars of the 1940s, and continued acting, though generally in less prestigious roles, into the 1980s.-Early life:...
, and Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
.
It was the last black-and-white World War II epic and the last black-and-white John Wayne film. It received a mixed response over the years as a war story that had a simple story, a charge leveled against Preminger's later movies, starting with this one. The screenplay was written by Wendell Mayes
Wendell Mayes
Wendell Mayes was a Hollywood screenwriter. His father Von Mayes was a lawyer and his mother Irene was a teacher.Mayes began as an actor...
based on the novel Harm's Way
Harm's Way (novel)
Harm's Way is a 1962 war novel by James Bassett.The explanation for the title, was, according to Bassett:"I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way." -- attributed to John Paul Jones...
by James Bassett.
The film recounts the lives of several US naval officers and their wives or lovers while based in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
as the US involvement in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
begins. The title of the film comes from a quote from American Revolutionary naval hero John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones was a Scottish sailor and the United States' first well-known naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. Although he made enemies among America's political elites, his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to...
: "I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast, for I intend to go in harm's way."
Plot
John WayneJohn Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
stars as U.S. Navy Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Rockwell "Rock" Torrey, a divorced "second generation Navy" son of a career Chief Petty Officer
Chief Petty Officer
A chief petty officer is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.-Canada:"Chief Petty Officer" refers to two ranks in the Canadian Navy...
. A Naval Academy graduate and career officer, Torrey is removed from command of his heavy cruiser for "throwing away the book" when pursuing the enemy and then being torpedoed by a Japanese submarine shortly after the Japanese attack
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
. After several months of desk duty ashore in Hawaii and recuperation from a broken arm he suffered in the attack on his cruiser, he is promoted to Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
and given a crucial mission early in 1942 requiring the same sort of guts and gallantry he previously displayed as commanding officer of his cruiser.
Though it makes use of the same heroic persona that Wayne displayed in his Westerns, this persona is very much restrained under Otto Preminger's direction. We learn more of the character's human qualities: his estrangement from his son, now an Ensign
Ensign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
in the Naval Reserve
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
(played by Brandon De Wilde
Brandon De Wilde
Andre Brandon deWilde was an American theatre and film actor. He was born into a theatrical family in Brooklyn. Debuting on Broadway at the age of 7, De Wilde became a national phenomenon by the time he completed his 492 performances for The Member of the Wedding and was considered a child...
), and his romance with a divorced Navy Nurse Corps Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
(played by Patricia Neal
Patricia Neal
Patricia Neal was an American actress of stage and screen. She was best known for her film roles as World War II widow Helen Benson in The Day the Earth Stood Still , wealthy matron Emily Eustace Failenson in Breakfast at Tiffany's , middle-aged housekeeper Alma Brown in Hud , for which she won...
), which brings out his yearning for a stable emotional anchor in his life. The Wayne/Neal relationship forms the emotional crux of the movie, and the two stars give sensitive performances.
There are sub-plots involving characters played by Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
and Tom Tryon
Tom Tryon
Tom Tryon was an American film and television actor, best known for playing the title role in the film The Cardinal and the Walt Disney television character Texas John Slaughter...
, who offer differing portraits of two other career naval officers associated with Wayne's command. Douglas portrays Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
, later Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
, Paul Eddington, a wayward sort of career officer who has resigned as a Naval Aviator
Naval Aviator
A United States Naval Aviator is a qualified pilot in the United States Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard.-Naming Conventions:Most Naval Aviators are Unrestricted Line Officers; however, a small number of Limited Duty Officers and Chief Warrant Officers are also trained as Naval Aviators.Until 1981...
and returned to the Surface Navy because of an unhappy marriage. His wife's numerous "love" affairs and drunken escapades have become the talk of Honolulu and her death during the Pearl Harbor attack - in the company of an Army Air Corps Officer (Hugh O'Brian
Hugh O'Brian
Hugh O'Brian is an American actor, known for his starring role in the ABC television series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp .-Early years and career:...
), with whom she has just had a wild fling on a local beach - drives Eddington into a bar brawl, a stint in the Brig, and exile as the "...officer in charge of piers and warehouses..." in a "backwater island purgatory" as he calls it, until reprieved by Torrey and assigned as Torrey's Chief of Staff - and finally into the rape of Navy Nurse Annalee Dohrn (Jill Haworth
Jill Haworth
Valerie Jill Haworth was an English actress.Haworth was born in Sussex, to a textile magnate father and a mother who trained as a ballet dancer ....
) (engaged by this time to Torrey's son), who then, fearing she might be pregnant and tossed aside by Eddington, commits suicide with an overdose of sleeping pills. Having been originally trained as a Naval Aviator, Eddington requisitions a PBJ
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
patrol bomber which he then flies solo on an unauthorized reconnaissance flight to locate elements of the Japanese fleet. He goes down to a fiery death in a redeeming act of sacrifice, finding and giving advance warning of the huge Yamato
Japanese battleship Yamato
, named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was the lead ship of the Yamato class of battleships that served with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She and her sister ship, Musashi, were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing...
battleship task force on its way to blast Torrey's much smaller force off the islands. Tryon portrays Lieutenant, junior grade
Lieutenant, Junior Grade
Lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, United States Merchant Marine USMM, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade...
, later Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
and Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
, William "Mack" McConnell, a conventional type of young surface naval officer only a few years removed from the Naval Academy, with a characteristic Navy wife of the period (played by Paula Prentiss
Paula Prentiss
Paula Ragusa , better known by her stage name Paula Prentiss, is an American actress well-known for her film roles in Where the Boys Are, Man's Favorite Sport?, The Stepford Wives, What's New Pussycat?, The Black Marble, and The Parallax View and her co-starring role in the television situation...
), who is ever solicitous and faithful, a true family man with an enviable marriage, in stark contrast to Eddington's almost tragic and isolated figure.
The film presents a relatively unromanticized and realistic picture of the American Navy and its officers in the period before and shortly after the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, complete with bureaucratic infighting among the brass and sometimes disreputable private acts by individuals. Its sprawling narrative is typical of Preminger's works in which he examined institutions and the people who run them (such as the American Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
and the Presidency
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in Advise and Consent
Advise and Consent
Advise and Consent is a 1959 political novel by Allen Drury that explores the United States Senate confirmation of controversial Secretary of State nominee Robert Leffingwell who is a former member of the Communist Party...
, the Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in The Cardinal
The Cardinal
The Cardinal is a 1963 film which was produced independently and directed by Otto Preminger, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The screenplay was written by Robert Dozier, based on the novel by Henry Morton Robinson....
and the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Intelligence Service in The Human Factor
The Human Factor
The Human Factor is an espionage novel by Graham Greene, first published in 1978 and adapted into a 1979 film, directed by Otto Preminger using a screenplay by Tom Stoppard.-Plot summary:...
).
Cast
*John WayneJohn Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
as Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Rockwell W. "Rock" Torrey USN
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, CO of a heavy cruiser referred to as Old Swayback (and represented in the film by the USS Saint Paul (CA-73)
USS Saint Paul (CA-73)
USS Saint Paul , a Baltimore-class cruiser, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for St. Paul, Minnesota....
); afterwards Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Rockwell W. Torrey, USN, "operational commander" of "Operation Skyhook."
- Kirk DouglasKirk DouglasKirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
as CommanderCommanderCommander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Paul Eddington, USN, a former Naval AviatorNaval AviatorA United States Naval Aviator is a qualified pilot in the United States Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard.-Naming Conventions:Most Naval Aviators are Unrestricted Line Officers; however, a small number of Limited Duty Officers and Chief Warrant Officers are also trained as Naval Aviators.Until 1981...
who has resigned from Naval Aviation due to marital problems; executive officer of Old Swayback under Captain Torrey; later, as Captain Paul Eddington, Admiral Torrey's first Chief of Staff - Patricia NealPatricia NealPatricia Neal was an American actress of stage and screen. She was best known for her film roles as World War II widow Helen Benson in The Day the Earth Stood Still , wealthy matron Emily Eustace Failenson in Breakfast at Tiffany's , middle-aged housekeeper Alma Brown in Hud , for which she won...
as LieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Maggie Haines, Nurse Corps, USNR, a Navy nurse and Rock Torrey's love interest - Tom TryonTom TryonTom Tryon was an American film and television actor, best known for playing the title role in the film The Cardinal and the Walt Disney television character Texas John Slaughter...
as Lieutenant (jg)Lieutenant, Junior GradeLieutenant is a junior commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, United States Merchant Marine USMM, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade...
William "Mac" McConnell, USN, appearing first as Officer of the Deck aboard the destroyer USS Cassidy, which McConnell sorties from anchorage during the Pearl Harbor attack without the CO and joins up on Captain Torrey's cruiser; afterwards LieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
then Lieutenant CommanderLieutenant CommanderLieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
William "Mac" McConnell, Flag Secretary in Admiral Torrey's command. "Mac" had known Admiral Torrey when the latter was an instructor at the United States Naval AcademyUnited States Naval AcademyThe United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
. - Paula PrentissPaula PrentissPaula Ragusa , better known by her stage name Paula Prentiss, is an American actress well-known for her film roles in Where the Boys Are, Man's Favorite Sport?, The Stepford Wives, What's New Pussycat?, The Black Marble, and The Parallax View and her co-starring role in the television situation...
as Beverly McConnell, "Mac" McConnell's wife, who works briefly as a civil defenseCivil defenseCivil defense, civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attack. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery...
aircraft spotter near Pearl Harbor - Stanley HollowayStanley HollowayStanley Augustus Holloway, OBE was an English stage and film actor, comedian, singer, poet and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles on stage and screen, especially that of Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady...
as Clayton Canfil, an AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n former planter who runs a system of native coastwatchers on the island of Gavabutu and later undertakes a hazardous reconnaissance of the target island of Levu-Vana - Brandon De WildeBrandon De WildeAndre Brandon deWilde was an American theatre and film actor. He was born into a theatrical family in Brooklyn. Debuting on Broadway at the age of 7, De Wilde became a national phenomenon by the time he completed his 492 performances for The Member of the Wedding and was considered a child...
as EnsignEnsign (rank)Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
(later Lieutenant, junior gradeLieutenant, Junior GradeLieutenant is a junior commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, United States Merchant Marine USMM, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade...
) Jeremiah Torrey, USNR, Rock Torrey's estranged son temporarily on Admiral Broderick's staff who later reconciles with his father and returns to duty as executive officer of a PT boatPT boatPT Boats were a variety of motor torpedo boat , a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". The Japanese called them "Devil Boats".The original pre–World War I torpedo boats were... - Jill HaworthJill HaworthValerie Jill Haworth was an English actress.Haworth was born in Sussex, to a textile magnate father and a mother who trained as a ballet dancer ....
as EnsignEnsign (rank)Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
Annalee Dohrn, Nurse Corps, USNR, Navy nurse, Maggie Haines' roommate, and ENS/LTJG Jeremiah Torrey's girlfriend/fiancee - Dana AndrewsDana AndrewsDana Andrews was an American film actor. He was one of Hollywood's major stars of the 1940s, and continued acting, though generally in less prestigious roles, into the 1980s.-Early life:...
as Vice AdmiralVice AdmiralVice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
B. T. "Blackjack" Broderick, USN, Area Commander, Southwest Pacific Area Three - Burgess MeredithBurgess MeredithOliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
as Commander Egan T. Powell, USNR, Admiral Torrey's Intelligence Officer and confidante. Powell is portrayed as a Naval Reservist recalled to active duty who is a Hollywood screenwriter in civilian life and has been married to...and divorced from...several Hollywood actresses. Meredith's character is based on Commander (later Rear AdmiralRear AdmiralRear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
) Gene MarkeyGene MarkeyEugene Willford "Gene" Markey was an American author, producer, screenwriter, and highly decorated naval officer.-Biography:...
, USNR, a good friend of John WayneJohn WayneMarion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
's in real life. - Franchot ToneFranchot ToneFranchot Tone was an American stage, film, and television actor, star of Mutiny on the Bounty and many other films through the 1960s...
as AdmiralAdmiral (United States)In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, admiral is a four-star flag officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. Admiral ranks above vice admiral and below Fleet Admiral in the Navy; the Coast Guard and the Public Health...
Husband Kimmel, USN (listed as "CINCPAC I"), Commander-in-Chief Pacific during the attack on Pearl Harbor - Patrick O'Neal as Commander (and former United States CongressmanUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
) Neal Owynn, USNR, Admiral Broderick's Public Affairs Officer and briefly, a liaison officer between Admirals Broderick and Torrey - George KennedyGeorge KennedyGeorge Harris Kennedy, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in over 200 film and television productions. He is perhaps most familiar as the convict Dragline in Cool Hand Luke , airline troubleshooter Joe Patroni in the Airport series of disaster movies from the 1970s and...
as Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Gregory, USMC, commanding a parachute-capable Marine Corps battalion - Carroll O'ConnorCarroll O'ConnorJohn Carroll O'Connor best known as Carroll O'Connor, was an American actor, producer and director whose television career spanned four decades...
as CommanderCommanderCommander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
, later CaptainCaptain (naval)Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Burke; initially the Operations Officer of Captain Torrey's cruiser, the "Old Swayback", and later her Commanding OfficerCommanding officerThe commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
when Rear Admiral Torrey returns, making "Old Swayback" his flagship. O'Connor's character was based on Captain (later Admiral) Arleigh BurkeArleigh BurkeAdmiral Arleigh Albert '31-knot' Burke was an admiral of the United States Navy who distinguished himself during World War II and the Korean War, and who served as Chief of Naval Operations during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations.-Early life and naval career:Burke was born in Boulder,... - Barbara BouchetBarbara BouchetBarbara Bouchet, is a German-American actress and entrepreneur.She has acted in more than 80 films and television episodes and founded a production company that has produced fitness videos and books as well as owning a fitness studio...
as Liz Eddington, Paul Eddington's faithless wife; killed in an automobile accident on December 7, 1941 with an Army Air Corps major she previously seduced, while fleeing a strafing run by Japanese planes in the attack on Pearl Harbor - Hugh O'BrianHugh O'BrianHugh O'Brian is an American actor, known for his starring role in the ABC television series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp .-Early years and career:...
(uncredited) as a MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in the US Army Air Corps and fighter pilot who is Liz Eddington's lover while CDR Paul Eddington is at sea, and is driving the car that kills them both - Bruce CabotBruce CabotBruce Cabot was an American film actor, best remembered as Jack Driscoll in King Kong . He is also known for his roles in films such as the sixth version of Last of the Mohicans, Fritz Lang's Fury and the western Dodge City.-Early life:Cabot was born Etienne Pelissier Jacques de Bujac in Carlsbad,...
as Chief Petty Officer Quoddy, USN, chief quartermaster aboard the USS Cassidy - Slim PickensSlim PickensLouis Burton Lindley, Jr. , better known by the stage name Slim Pickens, was an American rodeo performer and film and television actor who epitomized the profane, tough, sardonic cowboy, but who is best remembered for his comic roles, notably in Dr...
as Chief Petty OfficerChief Petty OfficerA chief petty officer is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.-Canada:"Chief Petty Officer" refers to two ranks in the Canadian Navy...
Culpeper, USN, chief boatswain's mate aboard the USS Cassidy - James MitchumJames MitchumJames Mitchum is the oldest son of actor Robert Mitchum and bears a striking resemblance to his famous father. He inherited his father's sleepy eyes and taciturn good looks. The comparison both helped and hurt his career. He had a child with actress Wende Wagner to whom he was formerly married. Ms...
as Ensign Griggs, USN, a young engineering officer aboard "Old Swayback" - Larry HagmanLarry HagmanLarry Martin Hagman is an American film and television actor, producer and director known for playing J.R. Ewing in the 1980s primetime television soap opera Dallas and Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson in the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early life and career:Hagman was born in Fort Worth, Texas...
as Lieutenant (jg) Cline, USN, Communications Officer aboard the USS Cassidy - Henry FondaHenry FondaHenry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
as AdmiralAdmiral (United States)In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, admiral is a four-star flag officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. Admiral ranks above vice admiral and below Fleet Admiral in the Navy; the Coast Guard and the Public Health...
Chester NimitzChester NimitzFleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz, GCB, USN was a five-star admiral in the United States Navy. He held the dual command of Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet , for U.S. naval forces and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas , for U.S...
, USN (listed as "CINCPAC II"), Commander-in-Chief Pacific during the rest of the war. Fonda would portray Nimitz a second time, this time under the admiral's name, in the film MidwayMidway (film)Midway is a 1976 war film directed by Jack Smight and produced byWalter Mirisch from a screenplay by Donald S. Sanford. The music score was by John Williams and the cinematography by Harry Stradling, Jr...
in the mid-1970s
Background and production
Many believe Wayne's underplayed performance was due to the fact that he was seriously ill with lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
when the film was made. Shortly after filming ended in August 1964 he was diagnosed with the disease, and a month later underwent surgery to remove his entire left lung and two ribs. Co-star Franchot Tone
Franchot Tone
Franchot Tone was an American stage, film, and television actor, star of Mutiny on the Bounty and many other films through the 1960s...
was soon to develop lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
and died of the disease in September 1968.
Many of the non-military costumes and hairstyles worn by the women throughout the film were contemporary to the mid-1960s period during which the film was made, rather than of the early 1940s. This is particularly noticeable at the dance which opens the film. Many of the extras in this scene were, in fact, active duty officers and their spouses assigned to various commands in Oahu.
The film was shot in black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
by Loyal Griggs
Loyal Griggs
Loyal Griggs, A.S.C. , was an American cinematographer.Griggs joined the staff of Paramount Pictures in 1924 after graduating from school and initially worked at the studio's process department...
, who composed his scenes in the scope format often using deep focus (Griggs was nominated for a Best Cinematographer Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for his work). Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith
Jerrald King Goldsmith was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television scoring....
's musical score is also notable, as is the work of Saul Bass
Saul Bass
Saul Bass was a Jewish-American graphic designer and filmmaker, best known for his design of motion picture title sequences....
in the credit titles sequence (this sequence actually comes at the very end of the film, an interesting departure from the norm in a major Hollywood production at the time).
The film received extensive cooperation from the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
, especially the US Navy and the US Marine Corps. Though at the time of the filming (late 1963-1964), very few ships in active Navy service resembled their WW-2 configuration, and the only WW-2 vintage heavy cruiser
Heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
(CA 73) in the role of the straw bottom cruiser (referred to only as the "old swayback"), and an accompanying destroyer, , that took on the role USS Cassidy were extensively filmed on. Other US Navy ships that participated include destroyers (DD 630), (DD 450), (DD 499), (DD 517), submarine (SS 336) and the attack transport
Attack transport
Attack Transport is a United States Navy ship classification.-History:In the early 1940s, as the United States Navy expanded in response to the threat of involvement in World War II, a number of civilian passenger ships and some freighters were acquired, converted to transports and given hull...
(APA 227). All of the destroyers had to have their modern (1960's) ASW
ASW
ASW, a three-letter abbreviation, may refer to:*Air Southwest, a British airline*Ambrosia Software, a predominantly Macintosh software company.*Anti-submarine warfare*Artificial seawater*Aswan International Airport...
gear covered over with fake gun-mounts or deck houses. Additional smaller vessels were provided in support, as well as an HU-16 Albatross
HU-16 Albatross
The Grumman HU-16 Albatross is a large twin-radial engine amphibious flying boat that was utilized by the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard, primarily as a search and rescue and combat search and rescue aircraft...
amphibious aircraft, even though said aircraft did not enter the US inventory until 1949. The HU-16 likely substitutes for a PBY Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
, of which no flyable examples were likely available for the film schedule.
Another anachronism is the widespread use of the M151 MUTT light utility vehicle as a World War II jeep instead of the World War II-era Willys MB and/or Ford GPW, the M151 having not even entered production until 1959. Also used were a few 1950's vintage 63 ft USCG rescue launches that were made over to resemble Elco
Elco
Elco may refer to:* Elco, Pennsylvania* Electrolytic capacitor* Electric Launch Company, a boat manufacturer which constructed PT boats* El Camino College* Eastern Lebanon County High School, a school in Myerstown, Pennsylvania...
80 ft torpedo boats, as the few that existed were not available for use.
The climactic battle with the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese fleet was staged mostly with model ships. Kirk Douglas thought the special effects poor and complained bitterly to both the director and the studio about it. He offered to re-stage the scenes at his own expense using the special effects people who worked with him on Paths of Glory
Paths of Glory
Paths of Glory is a 1957 American anti-war film by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel of the same name by Humphrey Cobb. Set during World War I, the film stars Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax, the commanding officer of French soldiers who refused to continue a suicidal attack...
.
Other ongoings that went down during the filming included Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
being allowed to hold Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
services for Jewish Naval Officers who were extras on the set and a clash between director Preminger and actor Tom Tryon
Tom Tryon
Tom Tryon was an American film and television actor, best known for playing the title role in the film The Cardinal and the Walt Disney television character Texas John Slaughter...
which climaxed when Preminger screamed behind Tryon "RELAX!!" The stars of the film successfully talked Tryon into staying with the film: he almost quit.
Reception
In Harm's Way was nominated for the 1965 Academy Award for Cinematography (Black-and-White) for cinematographer Loyal GriggsLoyal Griggs
Loyal Griggs, A.S.C. , was an American cinematographer.Griggs joined the staff of Paramount Pictures in 1924 after graduating from school and initially worked at the studio's process department...
. It was also screened at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival
1965 Cannes Film Festival
-Jury:*André Maurois *Olivia de Havilland *Goffredo Lombardo *Max Aub *Michel Aubriant *Rex Harrison *François Reichenbach...
, but was not entered into the main competition.
Patricia Neal received a 1966 BAFTA Film Award as Best Foreign Actress for her performance in the film.
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther was a journalist and author who was film critic for The New York Times for 27 years. His reviews and articles helped shape the careers of actors, directors and screenwriters, though his reviews, at times, were unnecessarily mean...
of the New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
panned the film observing, "This is a slick and shallow picture that Mr. Preminger puts forth here, a straight, cliché-crowded melodrama of naval action in the Pacific in World War II..." and characterized it as "a film that is virtually awash with flimsy and flamboyant fellows with all the tricks of the trade of Hollywood."