''Hell Below'' (aka ''Pigboats'') is a 1933 American MGM

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

film set in the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to th ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

about

submarine warfare Submarine warfare is one of the four divisions of underwater warfare, the others being anti-submarine warfare, mine warfare and mine countermeasures. Submarine warfare consists primarily of diesel and nuclear submarines using torpedoes, mis ...

based on Commander Edward Ellsberg's novel ''Pigboats''. The film stars Robert Montgomery,

Walter Huston Walter Thomas Huston ( ;According to the Province of Ontario. ''Ontario, C ...

, Robert Young, Madge Evans and

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced son ...

Plot

In 1918 during

, the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

submarine ''AL-14'' is sent with the rest of Submarine Flotilla 1 to

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label=Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important comme ...

to fight in the

. The submarine's commander was wounded on its last cruise, and Lieutenant Thomas Knowlton ( Robert Montgomery), his second in command, expects to be promoted and take his place. However, Lieutenant Commander T. J. Toler (

Walter Huston Walter Thomas Huston ( ;According to the Province of Ontario. ''Ontario, C ...

) shows up and takes over. Toler orders his officers to attend a ball. The young men dread having to dance with the wives of admirals, but Knowlton and his close friend and shipmate, Lieutenant Ed "Brick" Walters ( Robert Young), are pleasantly surprised to discover the beautiful Joan Standish ( Madge Evans) among the attendees. When an enemy air raid forces everyone to take shelter, Knowlton takes Joan to his apartment. Though she insists on leaving, he can tell she is attracted to him. However, before anything can happen, Toler shows up to collect his daughter. On its next patrol, the ''AL-14'' torpedoes an Austro-Hungarian

minelayer A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing control ...

. After the Austrians abandon ship, Toler sends Brick and three sailors to search the sinking vessel for code books. When enemy biplane fighters attack, Toler fights them off, but the arrival of a bomber forces him to order the ''AL-14'' to submerge and leave his boarding party behind. Knowlton disobeys his order and remains on deck, manning a machine gun. "Mac" MacDougal (

Eugene Pallette Eugene William Pallette (July 8, 1889 – September 3, 1954) was an American actor who worked in both the silent and sound eras, performing in more than 240 productions between 1913 and 1946. After an early career as a slender leading man, ...

) has to knock him unconscious and carry him below. Brick and his men are killed by the fighters. Upon returning to port, Knowlton goes to see Joan at the hospital. There he encounters patient Flight Commander Herbert Standish ( Edwin Styles), who turns out to be Joan's paraplegic husband. Knowlton departs, but Joan follows him and confesses she loves him. Back at sea, Toler tries to get Knowlton to break off the relationship, to no avail. Toler is ordered to map where new minelayers, now escorted by destroyers, are planting their mines. However, when Knowlton spots Brick's boat through the

periscope A periscope is an instrument for observation over, around or through an object, obstacle or condition that prevents direct line-of-sight observation from an observer's current position. In its simplest form, it consists of an outer case with ...

, he imagines he sees his friend still alive. He countermands Toler's orders and attacks. Though several enemy ships are sunk, the sole surviving destroyer forces the ''AL-14'' to dive to the sea bottom, below its maximum safe depth. After a while, Toler decides to surface, preferring to die fighting rather than suffocate. However, a crucial pump will not work. When it appears that they are doomed, one crewman commits suicide. Repairs enable the submarine to surface, to find the enemy gone. Eight crewmen are "down" as a result of Knowlton's actions. He is

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

ed and discharged from the Navy in disgrace. He and Joan plan to run away together, much to Toler's disgust. When Knowlton goes to the hospital to inform Joan's husband, he learns that a successful operation makes it likely that the man will recover fully. Knowlton puts on an act for Joan and her father, pretending to be so callous that she is repulsed. Toler is given an extremely hazardous mission. To block Durazzo, the only port in the Adriatic from which Austro-Hungarian submarines can operate, the ''AL-14'' is loaded with explosives and sent to ram a fortification beside the narrowest point in the channel out of the port. The rubble would block the exit. When Knowlton sneaks aboard, Toler lets him stay. Under cover of a battleship bombardment, the ''AL-14'' surfaces and heads in. The rest of the crew abandon ship as planned, leaving only Toler and Knowlton. Toler orders Knowlton over the side, but he pushes Toler overboard instead and steers the ship to its target, sacrificing his life.

Cast

* Robert Montgomery as Lieutenant Thomas Knowlton, USN *

Walter Huston Walter Thomas Huston ( ;According to the Province of Ontario. ''Ontario, C ...

as Lieutenant Commander T. J. Toler, USN * Madge Evans as Joan Standish *

as "Ptomaine", the cook *

as "Mac" MacDougal * Robert Young as Lieutenant (jg) Ed "Brick" Walters * Edwin Styles as Flight Commander Herbert Standish *

John Lee Mahin John Lee Mahin (August 23, 1902, Evanston, Illinois – April 18, 1984, Los Angeles) was an American screenwriter and producer of films who was active in Hollywood from the 1930s to the 1960s. He was known as the favorite writer of Clark Gable an ...

as Lieutenant (jg) "Speed" Nelson *

David Newell David Alexander Newell (born November 24, 1938) is an American television actor known primarily for his portrayal of Mr. McFeely, the delivery man on ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood''. He also worked in the public relations department of Fred Ro ...

as Lieutenant (jg) Radford *

Sterling Holloway Sterling Price Holloway Jr. (January 4, 1905 – November 22, 1992) was an American actor and voice actor who appeared in over 100 films and 40 television shows. He did voice acting for The Walt Disney Company, playing Mr. Stork in '' Dumbo'', A ...

as Seaman Jenks

Production

On January 5, 1933, just after production on the film began, the entertainment trade paper ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' announced that Madge Evans had "started work on it yesterday" and that MGM had changed the picture's intended release name, ''Pigboats'', to the more sensational title ''Hell Below''. The USS ''S-31'' played the fictional U.S. submarine ''AL-14''. MGM purchased the , a World War I-era

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed ...

destined for scrapping due to the

London Naval Treaty The London Naval Treaty, officially the Treaty for the Limitation and Reduction of Naval Armament, was an agreement between the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Italy, and the United States that was signed on 22 April 1930. Seeking to address is ...

limits on navy strength, for US$35,000. The firm of

Merritt-Chapman & Scott Merritt-Chapman & Scott, nicknamed "The Black Horse of the Sea", was a noted marine salvage and construction firm of the United States, with worldwide operations. The chief predecessor company was founded in the 1860s by Israel Merritt, but a ...

was hired to sink the ship to simulate the

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, ...

ing of an Austro-Hungarian minelayer. Principal location photography took place in Honolulu and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Reception

Box office

''Hell Below'' grossed a total (domestic and foreign) of $1,389,000: $634,000 from the US and Canada and $755,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $52,000.

Critical response

Mordaunt Hall Mordaunt Hall (1 November 1878 – 2 July 1973) was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for ''The New York Times'', working from October 1924 to September 1934.The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', said: "... the way in which it slips from farcical doings ashore to grim sights aboard a damaged United States submersible are decidedly jarring. Yet, in spite of its obvious shortcomings, there are scenes in the undersea craft that are extremely well pictured and so are others depicting what happens on the surface of the water. But the rowdy mirth scarcely belongs to a narrative which includes sights of dying men in a submarine."Hall, Mordaunt
"Walter Huston, Robert Montgomery and Jimmy Durante in a mixture of farce and melodrama."
''The New York Times'', April 26, 1933.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Evans, Alun. ''Brassey's Guide to War Films''. Dulles, Virginia: Potomac Books, 2000. .

External links

* * * *

"''Diving the Wreck of USS'' Moody" on YouTube (includes footage of ''Moody'' sinking in scene from ''Hell Below'')
{{Jack Conway 1933 films American aviation films American black-and-white films American romantic drama films American war drama films Films based on American novels Films directed by Jack Conway Films set in 1918 Films set in Italy Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films World War I submarine films 1930s war drama films 1933 drama films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films