''Assault on a Queen'' is a 1966 American

action-adventure film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

directed by Jack Donohue and starring

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

and Virna Lisi. Based on a 1959 novel by

Jack Finney Walter Braden "Jack" Finney (born John Finney; October 2, 1911 – November 14, 1995) was an American writer. His best-known works are science fiction and thrillers, including '' The Body Snatchers'' and '' Time and Again''. The former was the ba ...

, it was adapted for the screen by

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ...

and released by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

on June 15, 1966. The supporting cast features

Tony Franciosa Anthony George Franciosa (né Papaleo; October 25, 1928 – January 19, 2006) was an American actor most often billed as Tony Franciosa at the height of his career. He began his career on stage and made a breakthrough portraying the brother of t ...

and

Richard Conte Nicholas Peter Conte (March 24, 1910 – April 15, 1975), known professionally as Richard Conte, was an American actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from the 1940s through 1970s, including '' I'll Cry Tomorrow'', ''Ocean's 11'', and ''Th ...

Plot

After a World War II-era

German submarine U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare rol ...

that has been missing for 20 years is retrieved in the

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the a ...

by diver Mark Brittain. The wealthy Rosa Lucchesi and her partner Vic Rossiter, who have been searching for sunken Spanish

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch ...

s, hire the submarine. Eric Lauffnauer, a U-boat officer during the war, devises a plan to stage a daring million-dollar heist aboard the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

ocean liner while the ship is crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Brittain returns the submarine to operational order with the assistance of his partner Linc and new man Moreno, a war hero and expert with engines. Disguised as officers from a British submarine on a top-secret mission, Brittain, Rossiter and Lauffnauer bluff their way aboard the ''Queen Mary'' and threaten its captain with a torpedo attack if he or his crew refuse to comply with their demands to be granted access to the cash in the ship's safe. They reach the safe and stuff large bags full of cash. After trying to wrest a valuable ring from a lady's finger, Rossiter is shot and killed by a member of the ''Queen Mary''s crew. The two surviving men flee the ''Queen Mary'' and reach the submarine, but Brittain must abandon the stolen money when Lauffnauer prepares to dive the submarine without him. When a U.S. Coast Guard cutter in the vicinity comes to the ocean liner's aid, Lauffnauer wants to fire the submarine's torpedoes at it, but Brittain voices strong opposition. Lauffnauer draws a gun and a scuffle ensues in which Lauffnauer accidentally shoots his friend Moreno. Lauffnauer manages to fire the torpedoes but the Coast Guard men destroy them before they can reach the cutter. Brittain, Rosa and Linc dive off the submarine just before the cutter rams into it, killing Lauffnauer. The three remaining gang members survive, paddling a raft with no loot and headed for South America.

Cast

as Mark Brittain * Virna Lisi as Rosa Lucchesi *

as Vic Rossiter *

as Tony Moreno *

Alf Kjellin Alf Kjellin (; 28 February 1920 – 5 April 1988) was a Swedish film actor and director, who also appeared on some television shows. Biography Kjellin underwent two changes of names in his early days in Hollywood. The first studio for which he ...

as Eric Lauffnauer * Reginald Denny as Master-at-Arms *

Errol John Errol John (20 December 1924 – 10 July 1988) was a Trinidad and Tobago actor and playwright who emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1951. Biography Early years in Trinidad John was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on 20 December 1924, the ...

as Linc Langley *

Murray Matheson Sidney Murray Matheson (1 July 1912 – 25 April 1985) was a U.S.-based Australian actor. He appeared on stage and in films and television programs until 1983. Biography Matheson was born in Casterton, Australia in 1912 where he grew up on a 3 ...

as the Captain * John Warburton as Bank Manager

Production

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter seen in the film was portrayed by the Miami-based . The is also listed in the film's final credits, as it was shown in some scenes. At the time of filming, ''Minnetonka'' was homeported in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, close to Paramount's studio facilities in Hollywood.

Release

''Assault on a Queen'' was released on DVD and

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

disc by Olive Films on March 27, 2012 in Region 1

widescreen Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratio (image), aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ...

Similar plot elements

*The Clive Cussler 1973

Dirk Pitt Dirk Pitt is a fictional character created by American novelist Clive Cussler and featured in a series of novels published from 1976 to 2021. Pitt is a larger-than-life hero reminiscent of pulp magazine icon Doc Savage. Pitt is a citizen of the ...

adventure novel ''

The Mediterranean Caper ''The Mediterranean Caper'' (also published as ''Mayday'') is an action-adventure novel by Clive Cussler published in the United States in 1973. This is the 1st published book featuring the author’s primary protagonist, Dirk Pitt. It was nom ...

'' involves a similar plot in which an international criminal using a salvaged U-boat engages in criminal enterprises.

References

External links

* *
Entry at TVGuide.comShot of a scene of the movie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Assault On A Queen 1966 films 1960s crime thriller films 1960s heist films American crime thriller films American heist films 1960s English-language films Films about ship hijackings Films about the United States Coast Guard Films based on works by Jack Finney Films based on American novels Films directed by Jack Donohue Films scored by Duke Ellington Films with screenplays by Rod Serling Paramount Pictures films Submarine films 1960s American films