6.7/10
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23 user 7 critic

Operation Pacific (1951)

During WWII, a submarine's second in command inherits the problem of torpedoes that don't explode. When on shore, he is eager to win back his ex-wife.

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
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Lt. (j.g.) Mary Stuart
...
Cmdr. John T. 'Pop' Perry
...
Lt. Larry
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Lt. (j.g.) Bob Perry
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Jonesy
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The Talker (as Bill Campbell)
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Cmdr. Steele
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Ens. Caldwell
Cliff Clark ...
Commander, SUBPAC
Jack Pennick ...
The Chief
Virginia Brissac ...
Sister Anna
Vincent Fotre ...
Soundman
Lewis Martin ...
Squad Commander
...
Junior

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Storyline

The submarine USS Thunderfish successfully completes a secret mission to rescue a group of orphans on a remote Pacific island. On the way back to Honolulu they encounter a Japanese aircraft carrier but the torpedoes they fire explode about halfway to the target, a recurring problem that has plagued the submarine fleet for some time. The Thunderfish's XO, Duke Gifford runs into his ex-wife and Navy nurse Mary Stuart at the hospital. There's still a spark between them but the boat is sent out on another mission before anything is resolved. When Gifford's good friend and captain, Pop Perry, is killed Gifford believe it's his fault. A inquiry clears him and after he and his men solve the problem of the misfiring torpedoes, they set out to sea. Written by garykmcd

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

He's Skipper "Duke" Gifford Who Could Put A Torpedo Through A Needle...And Sew Up A Date With A Laugh! See more »

Genres:

Drama | War

Certificate:

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Details

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Release Date:

27 January 1951 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Unternehmen Seeadler  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(RCA Sound System)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie was filmed on a low budget. As a result nearly all the shots of the submarines, ships and the action scenes were stock footage from World War II. See more »

Goofs

Mary Stuart was allowed into the ComSubPac plotting room. It is next to impossible to believe that a highly secret room like that (with location and position of the entire Pacific Fleet) would be accessible to common US Navy Personnel like nurses. See more »

Quotes

Lt. Larry: [finding themselves in the middle of the entire Imperial Japanese fleet] I'll never make fun of another movie as long as I live.
See more »

Crazy Credits

In keeping with the submarine theme of the film: at the very start, we see a submarine periscope break the surface of the sea, then we see an officer looking into the view-port of the periscope, then we see the opening credits appear, as if being viewed through a periscope. See more »

Connections

References George Washington Slept Here (1942) See more »

Soundtracks

What Can You Do with a Drunken Sailor?
(uncredited)
Traditional
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User Reviews

 
Nice warfare movie with impressive battle scenes between subs , freighters and cruisers
18 May 2010 | by See all my reviews

Good warfare movie well starred by John Wayne as Duke E Gifford , a sub-officer during the Pacific campaign and in the Pearl Harbor zone who surveys the area and diving under water . The film starts with a foreword : ¨When the Pacific Fleet was destroyed by the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor , it remained for the submarines to carry the war to the enemy. In the four years that followed our undersea craft sank six million tons of Japanese shipping including some of the proudest ships pf the ImperiaL Navy. Fifty-two of our submarines and thirty-five hundred officers and men were lost. It is to these men and the entire silent service that this picture is humbly dedicated ¨. At the beginning Wayne and crew rescue nuns and children from a Pacific island . Later on , in Pearl Harbor is developed a loving triangle between Wayne, Patricia Neal and Philip Carey . After that, the submarine commanded by Ward Bond and John Wayne attacks freighters and cruisers, executing on varied activities as interception and rescue . But in attack on freighters, torpedoes fired at ideal angle hit target failed to explode as the torpedoes lead a hit right under the stack and nothing happens.

The movie contains warlike action with battles well assembled , thrills, emotion and a love story. Passable special effects by F . Koenekamp though with various scale models and some stock-footage. Acceptable production design and enough budget by Warner Bros , and very superior compared with those at John Wayne 's habitual studio such as Republic or Poverty Row , as Wayne played several more for them . As technical adviser appears Vice-Admiral Charles Lockwood who was commandant of American subs in Pacific. With John Ford's usual players as Ward Bond, Jack Pennick and of course the great Wayne and brief secondary roles for William Campbell and Martin Milner. It's a cool realization with roaring battle scenes and full of emotion , suspense and romance. This large-scale picture is professionally directed by George Waggner and it packs a splendid score by the classic Max Steiner and appropriate cinematography by Bert Glennon . The film is dedicated to the men who lost their lives in submarines and to the United States Navy for its aid and cooperation in making this picture possible, our grateful thanks.


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