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

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

film set in the

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

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

about

submarine warfare Submarine warfare is one of the four divisions of underwater warfare, the others being anti-submarine warfare, Naval mine, mine warfare and Naval mine, mine countermeasures. Submarine warfare consists primarily of Diesel engine, diesel and nu ...

based on Commander Edward Ellsberg's novel ''Pigboats''. The film stars Robert Montgomery, Walter Huston, Robert Young, Madge Evans and

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

Plot

In 1918 during

, the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

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

Taranto Taranto (; ; previously called Tarent in English) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Taranto, serving as an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base. Founded by Spartans ...

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) 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, military aircraft or land vehicle 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 ins ...

. 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) 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. Two enemy ships are sunk, but one destroyer evades the torpedoes and forces the ''AL-14'' to dive to the sea bottom, below its maximum safe depth. The hull survives intact but the batteries begin leaking

chlorine Chlorine is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between ...

. 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 (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 members of the arme ...

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

as "Ptomaine", the cook * Eugene Pallette 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 a ...

as Lieutenant (jg) "Speed" Nelson * David Newell as Lieutenant (jg) Radford *

Sterling Holloway Sterling Price Holloway Jr. (January 14, 1905 – November 22, 1992) was an American 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'', Adult Flower in ...

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 Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' 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, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

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, Empire of Japan, Japan, French Third Republic, France, Kingdom of Italy, Italy, and the United Stat ...

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 civil engineering, construction firm of the United States, with worldwide operations. The chief predecessor company was founded in the 1860s by Isra ...

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, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

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

Release

The film opened at the Astor Theatre in New York City on April 25, 1933.

Reception

Box office

''Hell Below'' earned

theatrical rental A box office or ticket office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a wicket. By extension, the term is frequ ...

s 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'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', 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 Films scored by William Axt English-language war drama films