IMDb > Hellcats of the Navy (1957)

Hellcats of the Navy (1957) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 6 | slideshow) Videos
Hellcats of the Navy (1957) -- US Home Video Trailer from Sony Pictures

Oscar Nominations    Photos    more »

Overview

User Rating:
5.0/10   309 votes
Your Rating:
Saving vote...
Deleting vote...
/10   (delete | history)
Sorry, there was a problem
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 18% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Contact:
View company contact information for Hellcats of the Navy on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
May 1957 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Down . . . Down . . . Down . . . into enemy waters with the fightin' hellcats of the U.S. sub pack !
Plot Keywords:
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Fantasy Movie Producer Schneer Dead At 88
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 26 January 2009, 1:32 AM, PST)

Former President Ronald Reagan Dies at 93
 (From IMDb News. 6 June 2004)

User Reviews:
Admiral Nimitz more (10 total)

Cast

  (in credits order)

Ronald Reagan ... Cmdr. Casey Abbott (Captain, USS Starfish)

Nancy Davis ... Nurse Lt. Helen Blair
Arthur Franz ... Lt. Cmdr. Don Landon (XO, USS Starfish)
Robert Arthur ... Freddy Warren
William Leslie ... Lt. Paul Prentice
William 'Bill' Phillips ... Carroll (as William Phillips)
Harry Lauter ... Lt. (j.g.) Wes Barton
Michael Garth ... Lt. Charlie (USS Starfish)
Joe Turkel ... Chick (Torpedoman, USS Starfish) (as Joseph Turkel)

Don Keefer ... Jug
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Max Showalter ... Crewman / diver
Frank Chase ... Sailor Holding Knife (uncredited)
Vinnie De Carlo ... Sailor that dies on deck of sub in Cmdr Abbott's arms (uncredited)
James Dobson ... Bob Altman (uncredited)
Thomas Browne Henry ... Board of Inquiry Chief (uncredited)
Selmer Jackson ... Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz (uncredited)
Maurice Manson ... Vice-Adm. Charles A. Lockwood (uncredited)
Robert Nichols ... Ens. Bob Altman (sonar officer) (uncredited)
Chester W. Nimitz ... Himself (uncredited)
Create a character page for: ?

Directed by
Nathan Juran 
 
Writing credits
(WGA)
Charles A. Lockwood (book "Hellcats of the Sea") (as Vice-Admiral Charles A. Lockwood Vice-Admiral USN Ret.) and
Hans Christian Adamson (book "Hellcats of the Sea") (as Col. Hans Christian Adamson USAF Ret.)

David Lang (screen story)

David Lang (screenplay) and
Bernard Gordon (screenplay) originally as Raymond T. Marcus

Produced by
Charles H. Schneer .... producer
 
Original Music by
Mischa Bakaleinikoff 
 
Cinematography by
Irving Lippman 
 
Film Editing by
Jerome Thoms 
 
Art Direction by
Rudi Feld 
 
Set Decoration by
Sidney Clifford 
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Abby Singer .... assistant director
 
Sound Department
Dean Thomas .... sound
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Richard H. Kline .... camera operator (uncredited)
 
Music Department
George Antheil .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
George Duning .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
George Greeley .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Louis Gruenberg .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Lucien Moraweck .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
David Raksin .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Max Steiner .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
 

Production CompaniesDistributors
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Hellcats of the Sea (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
82 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound Recording)
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The name of the Hellcat submarine in this movie that Ronald Reagan commands was the USS Starfish aka The Starfish. This was a fictional name and not the name of a real World War II US Navy Hellcat submarine. However, the type of name was in keeping with the style of fish and marine-like names of the real Hellcat submarines of the Second World War which were named as follows: SS 411 USS Spadefish; SS 401 USS Sea Dog; SS 291 USS Crevalle; SS 302 USS Skate; SS 282 USS Tunny; SS 283 USS Tinosa; SS 229 USS Flying Fish; SS 287 USS Bowfin; and SS 223 USS Bonefish. more
Movie Connections:

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
14 out of 16 people found the following review useful.
Admiral Nimitz, 18 February 2004
5/10
Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

Most of the comments about this very ordinary war film concerns the fact that it is the only film that co-starred Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Both of them did better work in Hollywood.

The real story is that Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, CINCPAC Pacific Theatre in World War II chose to make a personal appearance in this film about submarines. That's like having Eisenhower or MacArthur make a personal appearance in an army war film. Unheard of.

Nimitz's background was in submarines and our submarine fleet may very well have been the tipping factor in the Pacific War. We did to Japan what the Nazis tried to do to Great Britain, cut off their raw material and food. Nimitz was no hypocrite however. He admitted as much during the Nuremberg trials and that fact saved the Nazi U-Boat commander Karl Doenitz from the hangman for war crimes.

All the clichés about submarine warfare in the pre-atomic era are present in this film. It's a B Picture made just as B Pictures were being phased out of existence. The cast is competent enough, but it's all been done before.

I think the real story is why did Admiral Nimitz choose this submarine film to make an appearance in.

Was the above review useful to you?
more (10 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Hellcats of the Navy (1957)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Bad - really, really bad pat2580
What is a hellcat anyway? steveintucson
Old Chesty Nimitz was in this. agoreski
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Atlantic Convoy The Navy Comes Through Crash Dive Lifeboat Tora! Tora! Tora!
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Drama section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.