''Torpedo Run'' is a 1958 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

Joseph Pevney Joseph Pevney (September 15, 1911 – May 18, 2008) was an American film and television director.

and starring

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 a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

commander in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

who is obsessed with sinking a particular Japanese aircraft carrier. The film's working title was ''Hell Below''. It was filmed in

CinemaScope CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...

and Metrocolor. A. Arnold Gillespie and Harold Humbrock were nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Visual Effects The Academy Award for Best Visual Effects is an Academy Award given for the best achievement in visual effects. History of the award The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences first recognized the technical contributions of special effects ...

Plot

In October 1942, ten months after the attack on Pearl Harbor,

ComSubPac Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC) is the principal advisor to the Commander, United States Pacific Fleet ( COMPACFLT) for submarine matters. The Pacific Submarine Force (SUBPAC) includes attack, ballistic missile and au ...

directs the American submarine ''Greyfish'', under

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

Barney Doyle (

), to the convoy containing the ''Shinaru'', one of the Japanese

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

s that led the attack. Doyle also receives word that the target's escort includes a transport ship, ''Yoshida Maru'', carrying all the American prisoners from the camp in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

where his wife and child were being held. (Flashbacks show that Jane refused to leave

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

.) Doyle's second in command,

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

Archer Sloan (

Ernest Borgnine Ernest Borgnine (; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perfor ...

) first tries to talk his friend into letting him handle the torpedo run, sparing Doyle from being directly responsible for his family's death. In the end, the transport is so close to the carrier that Sloan begs Doyle to abort the attack. Doyle proceeds, hoping to time the shots to miss the ''Yoshida Maru'' and hit their target. Carefully counting the seconds, they realize that one of their

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, ...

es has hit the transport. Hoping to lure the sub to the surface, the Japanese make no attempt to rescue the survivors. Through the periscope, Doyle can see women and children grasping for pieces of floating wreckage. He is forced to leave the prisoners to die. Doyle follows the ''Shinaru'' into

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populou ...

itself and tries again to sink his

nemesis In ancient Greek religion, Nemesis, also called Rhamnousia or Rhamnusia ( grc, Ῥαμνουσία, Rhamnousía, the goddess of Rhamnous), was the goddess who personifies retribution, a central concept in the Greek world view. Etymology The ...

, but he fails. After a relentless bombardment of depth-charges from a Japanese

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 ...

, he escapes by making it look as if the sub has been destroyed by a mine. The ''Greyfish'' heads for Pearl Harbor, and Doyle goes to his cabin and sleeps, fitfully, for three days. At Pearl, Sloan meets with

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

Setton ( Philip Ober), who tells him he has been promoted to Lieutenant Commander; a sub of his own is waiting. Sloan asks about Doyle’s future, and when the Admiral asks what happened after Tokyo Bay, Sloan tells the truth. The Admiral accepts Sloan's assessment that Doyle is fit and agrees to give him “one more trip” to get the Shinaru. The Admiral has only “a long-shot hunch” about where the ''Shinaru'' will be, and when the Greyfish and another sub, the Bluefin, are assigned to a quiet, out-of-the-way patrol area off the

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...

n coast, Doyle thinks he has been betrayed by both the Admiral and Sloan. Then word comes that the ''Shinaru'' is heading for

Kiska Harbor Kiska Harbor is an inlet on the east coast of the island of Kiska in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Kiska Harbor is bounded by North Head on the north and by South Head on the south. Little Kiska Island lies off the coast of Kiska Island immedi ...

(occupied by Japan from June 1942 to July 1943). Nearing the harbor, Sloan recommends diving the boat; Doyle rejects the idea. A broad band of sonar blips appears, and Sloan realizes that it may be the log-and-chain boom reported by intelligence. The Bluefin dives, but Doyle delays for another confirmation, and when the Greyfish dives, it is too late. The

conning tower A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer in charge can conn the vessel, controlling movements of the ship by giving orders to those responsible for the ship's engine, rudder, lines, and gro ...

is dragged under the log boom. Both periscopes are disabled and the radar antenna is carried away. Doyle's left arm is broken, but he refuses morphine. “It wouldn't help my shooting”. He plans to make a sound attack, a long shot with a one in eight chance of success. When it is time to push the buttons, he tells Sloan to do it. After the six torpedoes are away, the ''Shinaru'''s escort sends the sub to the bottom, using depth-charges. The Bluefin sinks the destroyer, and we see inside that sub for the first time when they move into position to rescue the crew of the Greyfish. The men use

Momsen lung The Momsen lung was a primitive underwater rebreather used before and during World War II by American submariners as emergency escape gear. It was invented by Charles Momsen (nicknamed "Swede"). Submariners trained with this apparatus in an de ...

s to reach the surface and are taken aboard the Bluefin, their presence masked by the dense fog and the sound of sirens from the harbor. Doyle asks for confirmation that they hit the Shinaru. The Bluefin's Captain looks through the periscope, shares the view briefly with Doyle and Sloan, and then, over the intercom, describes the ''Shinaru's'' sinking for Doyle's crew. The Bluefish heads for home to the sound of “

Anchors Aweigh "Anchors Aweigh" is the fight song of the United States Naval Academy and unofficial march song of the United States Navy. It was composed in 1906 by Charles A. Zimmermann with lyrics by Alfred Hart Miles. When he composed "Anchors Aweigh", Zim ...

”.

Cast

as Lieutenant Commander / Commander Barney Doyle * Diane Brewster as Jane Doyle *

as Lieutenant / Lieutenant Commander Archer "Archie" Sloan * Philip Ober as Vice Admiral Samuel Setton *

Richard Carlyle Richard Carlyle (March 20, 1914 – November 15, 2009) was a film, television and Broadway actor. Early years Carlyle was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. His education included attendance at Sherwood Dramatic Art School and the Art In ...

as Commander Don Adams * Dean Jones as Lieutenant Jake "Fuzz" Foley *

Robert Hardy Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy (29 October 1925 – 3 August 2017) was an English actor who had a long career in theatre, film and television. He began his career as a classical actor and later earned widespread recognition for roles such as Sieg ...

as Lieutenant Redley (R.N.) *

Paul Picerni Horacio Paul Picerni (December 1, 1922 – January 12, 2011) was an American actor in film and television, perhaps best known today in the role of Federal Agent Lee Hobson, second-in-command to Robert Stack's Eliot Ness, in the ABC hit televisi ...

as Lieutenant Burt Fisher *

Don Keefer Donald Hood Keefer (August 18, 1916 – September 7, 2014) was an American actor known for his versatility in performing comedic, as well as highly dramatic, roles. In an acting career that spanned more than 50 years, he appeared in hundreds of ...

as Ensign Ron Milligan * L. Q. Jones as "Hash" Benson * Fredd Wayne as Orville "Goldy" Goldstein

Reception

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

of ''

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 ...

'' was unimpressed, writing, "Stereotypes of pig-boat ubmarinefighting that were stale in '' Destination Tokyo'' are played and replayed in this picture as if they were freshly inspired. ... it is also played in a highly hackneyed fashion and often faked with preposterous miniatures." According to MGM records, the film made $1,145,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $1,435,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $195,000.

Home media

The film has been released on VHS and DVD, the latter in Warner's Archive Collection.

References

External links