''Destroyer'' is a 1943 American

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

directed by William A. Seiter and starring Edward G. Robinson.

Plot

Steve "Boley" Boleslavski is working a shipyard on the Pacific coast building a new destroyer to serve in the Second World War: the

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...

. He served as bosun on the ship of the same name in the First World War. Finding that one of his former crew is to command the ship he determines to serve on the ship despite having retired from the Navy. He is at first rejected but uses his connections to obtain a post as Bosun, replacing Mickey Donohue who is justifiably unhappy with the change, having to serve as Chief Bosun's Mate instead. However, Boley alienates the crew, before the ship encounters a Japanese submarine off Alaska. Boley is made Chief Bosun's Mate demoting the originally appointed Chief, Mickey, to his assistant. However after a number of arguments and technical problems affecting the ship, Boley punches Mickey and is demoted to Bosun's Mate with Mickey reappointed Chief. Mickey is cajoled into keeping Boley on board by his daughter, Mary but this also sparks a romance between Mickey and Mary. Knowing her dad wouldn't approve, Mickey and Mary get married in secret. The crew decide the ship is jinxed after being demoted to carrying mail and being told to not join up with the task force and write transfer requests which even Mickey can't prevent. Boley tells the rebellious crew the story behind

, the name of the ship, causing the crew to change their minds. While en route with the mail, the ship is attacked by six Mitsubishi aircraft all of which are destroyed. However a torpedo hit causes flooding which is under control until the ship detects a submarine and increases speed. This causes more flooding and the water puts the boilers out causing the ship to stop. Mickey and Boley persuade the Captain that she can be made seaworthy by welding underwater which proves successful. Despite a skeleton crew, the destroyer sinks the submarine by ramming her, looked on proudly by the rest of the crew who'd taken to lifeboats. After safely returning home, Boley leaves the ship symbolically giving Mickey his Bosun's pipe but then discovers that Mickey and Mary are married when Mickey kisses her.

Cast

* Edward G. Robinson as Steve Boleslavski *

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-offi ...

as Mickey Donohue *

Marguerite Chapman Marguerite Chapman (March 9, 1918 – August 31, 1999) was an American film and television actress. Biography Born in Chatham, New York, Chapman was working as a telephone switchboard operator in White Plains, New York when her good looks br ...

as Mary Boleslavski *

Edgar Buchanan William Edgar Buchanan II (March 20, 1903 – April 4, 1979) was an American actor with a long career in both film and television. He is most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the ''Petticoat Junction'', ''Green Acres'', and ''The ...

as Kansas Jackson *

Leo Gorcey Leo Bernard Gorcey (June 3, 1917– June 2, 1969) was an American stage and film actor, famous for portraying the leader of a group of hooligans known variously as the Dead End Kids, the East Side Kids and, as adults, The Bowery Boys. Gorcey was ...

as Sarecky *

Regis Toomey John Francis Regis Toomey (August 13, 1898October 12, 1991) was an American film and television actor. Early life Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was one of four children of Francis X. and Mary Ellen Toomey, and attended Peabody High ...

as Lieutenant Commander Clark * Edward Brophy as Casey * Warren Ashe as Lieutenant Morton *

Benson Fong Benson Fong ( Chinese: ; October 10, 1916 – August 1, 1987) was an American character actor. Born in Sacramento, California, Fong was from a mercantile family of Chinese extraction. After graduating from high school in Sacramento, he studied ...

as Japanese sonar man (uncredited) *

Richard Loo Richard Loo (October 1, 1903 – November 20, 1983) was an American film actor who was one of the most familiar Asian character actors in American films of the 1930s and 1940s. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1931 and 1982. Early lif ...

as Japanese submarine captain (uncredited) *

Lloyd Bridges Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. (January 15, 1913 – March 10, 1998) was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, includi ...

as Second Fireman (uncredited) *

Larry Parks Samuel Lawrence Klausman Parks (December 13, 1914 – April 13, 1975) was an American stage and film actor. His career arced from bit player and supporting roles to top billing, before it was virtually ended when he admitted to having once been ...

as Ensign (uncredited) * Bobby Jordan as Sobbing Sailor (uncredited) * Kenneth MacDonald as Naval Commandant (uncredited) * Pierre Watkin as Admiral (uncredited)

Production

Lieutenant Commander Donald Smith, the film's technical advisor, served as Navigation Officer on until one month before the ship was sunk at Pearl Harbor. The fictional destroyer in the film John Paul Jones II is, as explained in the film, named after the naval officer

who was the first commander of the US Navy. Although he died in France, he was reburied in the Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Maryland. A film of his life was released in 1959. There have been two ships of the United States Navy called ''John Paul Jones''. At the time of the film, the Navy also had a destroyer called ''Paul Jones'' named for the historical figure. Currently operating with the US Navy is the USS ''John Paul Jones'', an Arleigh Burke class destroyer (DDG-53). Like the fictional ship in this film, the USS ''John Paul Jones'' appeared prominently in a 2012 film, ''Battleship''. An error appears in the scene of the destroyer being launched as she begins to slide down the slipway before Mary launches the champagne bottle, which almost misses. This may have been because the scenes showing the ship sliding down the slipway used a real launching with the scene with Mary edited in post-production.

Reception

Dennis Schwartz gave it a C+ grade, writing that "Though it offers no surprises, it's still well-done and mildly entertaining."

References

External links

* * * * {{William A. Seiter 1943 films 1943 war films American war films American black-and-white films Columbia Pictures films 1940s English-language films Films directed by William A. Seiter Films about the United States Navy in World War II World War II films made in wartime