''Up Periscope'' is a 1959

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 film The submarine film is a subgenre of war film in which the majority of the plot revolves around a submarine below the ocean's surface. Films of this subgenre typically focus on a small but determined crew of submariners battling against enemy su ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

directed by Gordon Douglas, produced by

Aubrey Schenck Aubrey Schenck (August 26, 1908, New York City – April 14, 1999, Murrieta, California) was an American film producer from the 1940s through the 1970s. Biography The son of George Schenck, a Russian immigrant theatrical manager, and Mary Schen ...

and starring

James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including '' The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Chayefsky's ''The Ameri ...

and

Edmond O'Brien Eamon Joseph O'Brien (September 10, 1915 – May 9, 1985) was an American actor and film director. His career spanned almost 40 years, and he won one Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. O'Brien w ...

. The supporting cast features Andra Martin, Alan Hale Jr., Edd Byrnes,

Warren Oates Warren Mercer Oates (July 5, 1928 – April 3, 1982) was an American actor best known for his performances in several films directed by Sam Peckinpah, including '' The Wild Bunch'' (1969) and '' Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia'' (1974) ...

and Saundra Edwards. The film was shot and processed in WarnerScope and

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films running through a special ...

and was distributed by Warner Bros. The screenplay was written by Richard H. Landau and Robb White, adapted from White's novel of the same name. Garner called the film "another piece of crap that Warner Bros. stuck me in while I was under contract."

Plot

Lt. Kenneth Braden, a newly trained U.S. Navy

frogman A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater in a tactical capacity that includes military, and in some European countries, police work. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver, com ...

, is unexpectedly ordered to report for duty without being able to notify his new girlfriend Sally Johnson. He learns that she is a naval intelligence officer responsible for a recent confirmation of his character and fitness for a special mission. Submarine commander Stevenson, whose crew's morale has been shaken by the recent unnecessary death of a crew member, is ordered to take Braden to the island of Kusaie (

Kosrae Kosrae ( ), formerly known as Kusaie or Strong's Island, is an island in the Federated States of Micronesia. The State of Kosrae is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia, and includes the main island of Kosrae and a few near ...

) to photograph a code book at a Japanese radio station. Stevenson waits in Lelu Harbor while Braden executes his covert mission. After Braden returns, Stevenson dictates a letter accusing himself of endangering his submarine and crew in order to make Braden's mission easier. When they reach

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the ...

, Braden informs Stevenson that his crew "lost" the letter. To Braden's surprise and delight, Sally is waiting at the dock to greet him.

Cast

as Lt. (j.g.) Kenneth M. Braden *

as Commander Paul Stevenson * Andra Martin as Sally Johnson * Alan Hale Jr. as Ensign/Lt. (j.g.) Pat Malone (billed as Alan Hale) *

Carleton Carpenter Carleton Upham Carpenter Jr. (July 10, 1926 – January 31, 2022) was an American film, television and stage actor, magician, songwriter, and novelist. Early and personal life Carpenter was born in Bennington, Vermont, where he attended Benn ...

as Lt. Phil Carney * William Leslie as Lt. Doherty *

Frank Gifford Francis Newton Gifford (August 16, 1930 – August 9, 2015) was an American football player, actor, and television sports commentator. After a 12-year playing career as a halfback and flanker for the New York Giants of the National Footba ...

as Ensign Cy Mount * Henry Kulky as Chief Petty Officer York * Edd Byrnes as Pharmacist Mate Ash (billed as Edward Byrnes) * Richard Bakalyan as Seaman Peck * Sean Garrison as Seaman Floyd *

as Seaman Kovacs * Saundra Edwards as a bar girl (uncredited)

Reception

In a contemporary review for ''

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 ...

'', critic A. H. Weiler wrote: " seems to run a familiar and somewhat undramatic course. ... Although there are moments of tension in 'Up Periscope,' it sails a movie course that is not particularly exciting. The bravery shown here is no longer unsung."

References

External links

* * * * * 1959 films 1950s war films American war films Films directed by Gordon Douglas Films scored by Ray Heindorf Films set in Kiribati Pacific War films Films about the United States Navy in World War II World War II submarine films Films based on works by Robb White Films based on American novels 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{WWII-drama-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links