December 10 - Operation Petticoat

Today’s motion picture is a military comedy with a scene that happens on December 10. Watch and enjoy this film tonight.

OPERATION PETTICOAT

Rear Admiral Matt Sherman boards his old submarine before it is scrapped. As he reads his old log, he flashes back. On December 10, 1941 [4:57 to 6:16] the Sea Tiger is sunk by the Japanese when they bomb Cavitie Naval Base in the Phillipines.  Repairs are begun.  Lt. j.g. Nick Holden is assigned to the ship. Unlike Sherman, a career officer, Holden joined the Navy to marry a rich wife and he is now engaged to a wealthy girl. Holden turns out to be a first rate scrounger, always finding a way to locate the materials needed to repair the sub.  The sub sets sail for Australia with five US army nurses on board. The ship stops at Cebu, where not having enough red or white primer the crew has to mix it to create enough pink primer, with which they paint the sub. The crew has many hilarious adventures including sinking a truck, opening a casino to get supplies and Holden being accused of pig rustling. Due to a Japanese air raid the Sea Tiger has to leave before a grey coat of paint can be put on. When Tokyo Rose mocks the American’s pink sub, the US Navy thinks the sub is Japanese and orders it sunk on sight. They are attacked by a US destroyer, but when they shoot a well endowed nurse’s bra out of the torpedo tube, the destroyer captain concludes the sub can’t be Japanese. Back in the present Commander Holden arrives. Both he and Sherman married one of the nurses. The Sea Tiger sails off to be scrapped. 

                 

This is a funny movie. Grant and Curtis play off each other to create an amusing film.

 Date given in film at 4:35

Awards – The film was nominated for the Best Original Screenplay Oscar at the 32^nd Academy Awards.

Screenplay - Paul King, Joseph B. Stone, Stanley J. Shapiro and Maurice Richlin

Producer - Robert Arthur

Director - Blake Edwards

Runtime – 2 hours 4 minutes

Released  - December 5, 1959

Starring –

Cary Grant as Lieutenant Commander (later Rear Admiral)
Matthew T. "Matt" Sherman

Tony Curtis as Lieutenant JG (later Commander)  Nicholas "Nick" Holden

Joan O'Brien as Second Lieutenant Dolores Crandall

Dina Merrill as Second Lieutenant Barbara Duran

Dick Sargent as ENS Stovall

Arthur O'Connell as Chief Machinist's Mate Sam Tostin

Virginia Gregg as Major Edna Heywood, the nurses' commander

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015.