Operation Petticoat (1959)

Cary Grant: Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman

Photos 

Quotes 

• Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : You see, when a girl is under 21, she's protected by law. When she's over 65, she's protected by nature. Anywhere in between, she's fair game! Look out!

• Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Any idea where they went?

  Lt. Watson : No, sir. When the air raid started they took off. All Mr. Holden said was "In confusion there is profit."

• Lt. Nicholas Holden : You've gotta sneak up a few back alleys. What you need, sir, is a supply officer who can help you find those back alleys.

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : You, Mr. Holden?

  Lt. Nicholas Holden : Yes, sir.

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : You'd ruin your manicure! Here.

  Lt. Nicholas Holden : Uh, don't let my manicure fool you, sir. I was born and raised in a neighborhood called Noah's Ark. If you didn't travel in pairs, you just didn't travel.

• Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : I don't want to bore you with the problems of command, Mr. Holden, because I doubt you'll ever have one. It's inconsistent with that philosophy of yours - every man for himself.

  Lt. Nicholas Holden : Dog eat dog.

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Exactly! The unfortunate thing about command, though, Mr. Holden, is that the responsibilities outweigh the privileges! Now if it were just myself I was concerned with, I'd tell you what to do with that list. But my responsibility is this boat! And to get her out of here, I'd even make a pact with the devil!

  Lt. Nicholas Holden : That's where I come in.

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : That's right.

• Lt. Nicholas Holden : As a kid, I was victim of the most vicious propaganda ever. People kept telling me that money wasn't everything, and I believed it. Until I found out that the people who were saying that "money wasn't everything," were the people that had all the money. So I figured they were trying to hide a good thing.

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Mm-hmm.

  Lt. Nicholas Holden : Sir, please sit down.

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Yeah.

  Lt. Nicholas Holden : Now there are two simple ways that you can get money. You can steal it, or you can marry it.

• Ens. Stovall : Wow! That's what I call scavenging! Uh, what I meant sir, is that I'm... That I'm sure there must be something they can be used for.

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : I can think of any number of uses. But not here and now. Mr. Stovall, Lieutenant Holden's influence upon you is beginning to worry me. I suggest you "Wow" less and "Tsk-tsk-tsk" a little more.

• Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : It's like watching a strip tease. Don't ask how it's done, just enjoy what's coming off.

• Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Molumphry, will this boat go down?

  Chief Molumphry : Like a rock sir.

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Mr. Watson, how are the plates?

  Lt. Watson : Tight as a drum sir.

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : And the engines, Tostin?

  Chief Mechanic's Mate Sam Tostin : Factory fresh, sir.

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Well how about it?

  Capt. J.B. Henderson : I say take your thieves and these liars here and get the hell out. Oh there's one stipulation, you'll engage no enemy shipping and that includes lifeboats. Even if you see one of them swimming in the water, avoid him. He might kick a hole in your side. Good luck Matt.

• Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Have you ever been to sea?

  Lt. Nicholas Holden : Yes, Sir. Destroyer duty.

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : How did you find time for it?

  Lt. Nicholas Holden : It was a mistake, Sir. About a week after I left Honolulu, they got it straightened out.

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Who? The Admiral or the Admiral's wife? She must be awfully upset with you stranded out here. That'll probably cost her the rumba championship this year! Holy mackerel!

• Lt. Nicholas Holden : [Seeing Lt. Crandell and Sherman come out of the shower together]  Uh... Good morning.

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Uh, good morning.

  Lt. Nicholas Holden : That's a clever shower schedule you got worked out, sir. Conserves water too.

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Lieutenant Crandell was having a little difficulty.

  Lt. Nicholas Holden : Sir, it's your boat.

• Lt. Cmdr Matt T. Serman : Sir, Sea Tiger was built to fight. She deserves a better epitaph than 'Commissioned 1940, sunk 1941, engagements none, shots fired none.' Now, you can't let it go that way. That's like a beautiful woman dying an old maid, if you know what I mean by old maid.

  Capt. J.B. Henderson : Did you ever sell used cars?

  lt. Cmdr. Matt T.Sherman : No, Sir.

  Capt. J.B. Henderson : I've got a hunch you missed your calling.

• Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Subject, Toilet paper. One: on 6 June 1941, this vessel submitted a requisition for 150 rolls of toilet paper. On 16 December 1941 the requisition was returned with stamped notation, 'Cannot identify material required.' Two: the commanding officer of the USS SeaTiger cannot help but wonder what is being used at the Caviti Supply Depot as a substitute for this unidentifiable material once so well known to this command.

• Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : We sunk a truck! Let's get the hell out of here!

• Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : We may be pink, and coming in by the grace of a woman's brassire, but we're coming in!

• Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : To paraphrase Mr. Churchill: 'Never have so few stolen so much from so many... '

• Lt. Nicholas Holden : The scuttlebutt is that we're going to try to submerge at daybreak, and I figured if you've got to go, you might as well go big.

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Mr. Holden, it's past daybreak, and we are submerged.

  Lt. Nicholas Holden : We are?

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : We are.

  Lt. Nicholas Holden : You mean, we're under?

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Yes.

  Lt. Nicholas Holden : Well, it isn't a permanent situation, er... What I'm trying to say is, I mean, we can come up if we like to.

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Well, I like to think we can, but then, I'm an incurable optimist.

  Lt. Nicholas Holden : What happens, sir, if we, er... What happens if we can't...?

  [he motions upward] 

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Oh, well, if we can't, er...

  [he motions upward] 

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : , then, we, er...

  [he motions downward] 

• Lt. Watson : Sir, Mr Holden is on his way back

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : War is hell, Mr Watson!

• Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Tell me something. Why did you join the Navy?

  Lt. Nicholas Holden : Because I needed an officer's uniform.

• Chief Mechanic's Mate Sam Tostin : [addressing the skipper]  Sir, sir... There's a woman in my engine room! You gotta' get that woman outta' my engine room.

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Well, who, Tostin?

  Chief Mechanic's Mate Sam Tostin : The Major. She washed her clothes and hung them up there to dry. *Stockings,* and everything! It's bad luck to have a woman in the engine room.

  Lt. Nicholas Holden : Tostin, what harm can their clothes do?

  Chief Mechanic's Mate Sam Tostin : That's when they're the most dangerous. They're like snakes. When they shed their skin, look out!

• [Lt. Barbara Duran climbing down a ships ladder] 

  Lt. Barbara Duran, RN : Am I uh, going down right?

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Is she going down right?

  Lt. Watson : She sure is.

• Fox : [the collision alarm goes off]  Collision, sir! Collision! Collision!

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Whoa, whoa, whoa. We're not even moving.

• Filipino farmer : [seeing Holden's shoes]  Oh, sapatos!

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Oh, sapatos!

  Lt. Nicholas Holden : Oh, sir, not my sapatos! Please!

• [part of the corrugated iron wall of the Admiral's office has vanished] 

  Capt. J.B. Henderson : Mr. Sherman, I want my wall back!

  Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman : Well, uh, I'm not sure that we have it, Sir.

  Capt. J.B. Henderson : You must have it! You've got everything else!

• Lt. Cmdr Matt T. Serman : You'll have to forgive the men for staring, Mr Holden, but it's unusual to see an Admiral's aide

  [indicates the braid on Holden's uniform] 

  Lt. Cmdr Matt T. Serman : without the Admiral!