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6.3/10
2.5K
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During WW2, Lt. Rip Crandall, who was a yachtsman before the war, takes command of the USS Echo, a sailing ship, for a secret mission in waters patrolled by Japanese warships.During WW2, Lt. Rip Crandall, who was a yachtsman before the war, takes command of the USS Echo, a sailing ship, for a secret mission in waters patrolled by Japanese warships.During WW2, Lt. Rip Crandall, who was a yachtsman before the war, takes command of the USS Echo, a sailing ship, for a secret mission in waters patrolled by Japanese warships.
Joseph Gallison
- Cameo
- (as Joe Gallison)
Phil Adams
- Crewman
- (uncredited)
John Anderson
- Sailor
- (uncredited)
Tom Anthony
- Crewman
- (uncredited)
Nesdon Booth
- Chief Petty Officer
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe original name of the boat in the movie was the "Fiesta". She was built in Hong Kong in 1932 entirely of teakwood. She was a 72 foot gaff-rigged schooner and came with a 165hp auxiliary diesel engine, weighed 28 net tons, drew 8 feet of water and could make 7.5 knots under power. She was also equipped with 3 tiled heads (bathrooms), two of them with showers, 1400 gallon fresh water tank, a 19 cubic foot deep freezer, and a 24 cubic foot refrigerator. Prior to the movie the Fiesta was owned by Martin J. Vitousek and his wife the former Beatrice Leiseder. (Source: The San Francisco Chronicle Sept. 14, 1952).
- GoofsThe aircraft that flies Lt. Crandall (Lemmon) from the carrier to his new assignment on the Echo appears to be an S-2 Tracker or it's variant, the C-1 Trader. Both planes first saw service in the mid 1950s, several years after the time frame of the movie.
- Quotes
Lt. Rip Crandall: [the crew is abandoning ship] What, aren't you going to stay here and die for the "Rising Sun"?
Capt. Shigetsu: Are you out of your mind?
[Jumps overboard with the rest of the crew]
- Crazy creditsOpening credits: THE WACKIEST SHIP IN THE ARMY...................IN THE ARMY?
- ConnectionsFeatures Beachhead (1954)
- SoundtracksDo You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans
(uncredited)
Music by Louis Alter
Lyrics by Edgar De Lange
Performed by Ricky Nelson
[Hanson sings the song in the officers' club]
Featured review
Very Good WWII Film
This is an entirely watchable World War II film. I say this with surprise, because I avoided the movie for years. I was aware of it as a kid growing up in the '60s - it showed up on "Saturday Night at the Movies" on NBC but I steered clear of it - I was probably turned off by the not-very-good TV series with the same title.
Jack Lemmon is excellent here in a sort of Ensign Pulver sequel. Ricky Nelson, 20 years old (strongly resembling the young Mel Gibson) is pretty good. Nelson was at the height of his fame in 1960, with a multimedia thing going on, consisting of his daddy's TV show, movies, and, most prominently, hit records. (The man had 17 Top Ten hits in his career!)
There's a gritty authenticity to the picture - for example, the sailors sweat a LOT just like they did in the South Pacific during the war. The grit combines with some laughs; this combination works well. (See "Father Goose" and "Mr. Roberts" for additional examples of this genre, drama/comedy-during-WWII.) Mike Kellin is very effective as the chief petty officer. Tom Tully is solid and subtle as the port captain - Tully suffered a tragic fate a few years later, see his listing here at IMDb for the sad details.
"Wackiest Ship" kind of falls apart toward the end when Jack Lemmon isn't around as much; it might have benefited from a few more minutes of Tom Tully. But on the whole it's 99 minutes well spent (it seems a little too short).
Jack Lemmon is excellent here in a sort of Ensign Pulver sequel. Ricky Nelson, 20 years old (strongly resembling the young Mel Gibson) is pretty good. Nelson was at the height of his fame in 1960, with a multimedia thing going on, consisting of his daddy's TV show, movies, and, most prominently, hit records. (The man had 17 Top Ten hits in his career!)
There's a gritty authenticity to the picture - for example, the sailors sweat a LOT just like they did in the South Pacific during the war. The grit combines with some laughs; this combination works well. (See "Father Goose" and "Mr. Roberts" for additional examples of this genre, drama/comedy-during-WWII.) Mike Kellin is very effective as the chief petty officer. Tom Tully is solid and subtle as the port captain - Tully suffered a tragic fate a few years later, see his listing here at IMDb for the sad details.
"Wackiest Ship" kind of falls apart toward the end when Jack Lemmon isn't around as much; it might have benefited from a few more minutes of Tom Tully. But on the whole it's 99 minutes well spent (it seems a little too short).
helpful•51
- henryonhillside
- Apr 10, 2016
- How long is The Wackiest Ship in the Army?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- The Wackiest Ship in the Navy
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $1,236
- Runtime1 hour 39 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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By what name was The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960) officially released in India in English?
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