ctomvelu1 A sometimes funny, sometimes serious account of a damaged sub and its ragtag crew as they wend their way through the perilous waters of World War II. Cary Grant is the sub commander and Tony Curtis is a less than honest lieutenant who is great at stealing stuff needed on the sub. Along the way, the crew rescues several Army nurses, who make life aboard the sub difficult, to put it mildly. Lots of familiar faces pop up in the cast, including Gavin "Love Boat" MacLeod, Gene Evans, Virginia Gregg, Dick "Bewitched" Sargent, Marion "Happy Days" Ross, Arthur O'Connell and Dina Merrill. Beautifully photographed and nicely directed by a very young Blake Edwards, although the antics are on the mild side, which is what comes of having the Navy's cooperation. Interestingly, Grant was not the first choice for his part. Jeff Chandler, whose star was on the rise in the 1950s, was. The film was essentially remade 37 years later with Kelsey Grammar in the Grant role. It was called "Down Periscope."

wes-connors World War II Navy commander Cary Grant (as Matt Sherman) wants to get his "Sea Tiger" submarine back in action, despite suffering serious damage during a Japanese air raid. He gets his wish, but has to take aboard some questionable crew members. Chief addition is wet-behind-the-ears Lieutenant Tony Curtis (as Nicholas "Nick" Holden), who comically clashes with Mr. Grant. When their laughs lines ebb, the ship takes on five female nurses, including shapely Joan O'Brien (as Dolores Crandall) and blonde Dina Merrill (as Barbara Duran). Then, having men and women share close quarters provides the situation comedy.Some films age well, and others don't. For evidence, consider that this one immediately followed Grant's "North by Northwest" and Curtis' "Some Like it Hot". Though directed by the accomplished Blake Edwards, most of the comedy sinks like a stone. Still, "Operation Petticoat" was huge hit - and, with Grant and Curtis on board, it couldn't miss. The promise of sexy women implicit in the title didn't hurt, either. Today, the film's main appeal isn't sex, but the supporting cast - credit familiar TV faces like Dick Sargent, Gavin McLeod, Marion Ross, and Arthur O'Connell with keeping a Cary Grant-Tony Curtis film afloat.***** Operation Petticoat (12/5/59) Blake Edwards ~ Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Arthur O'Connell, Dick Sargent

I_John_Barrymore_I An hilarious comedy with a much higher gag quota than I was expecting.Very little actually happens in terms of the plot: they repair the sub, they pick up some women en route to another port where they make further repairs, escape from an air raid and fall foul of an American destroyer in the final minutes. But it's the dialogue that matters, and the interplay between Cary Grant and Tony Curtis, the men and the women. These dynamics prove fertile comedy ground, and are mined for everything they're worth without ever overdoing it or becoming silly.The film looks fantastic. One of those where the full weight of military cooperation is evident on the screen, with planes flying low overhead, naval destroyers dropping dozens of depth charges in the spectacular climax, and an unexpected level of detail in some of the external shots of the sub. The resultant location shooting means the film is a lot less studio-bound than similar films of the era. Talking of the sub, I don't know if the interiors were shot on a real sub - I doubt there'd be room - but it feels very authentic and realistic.Most of the best material stems from Curtis' attempts to procure supplies for the sub, with the best scene in the film being the theft of a pig and the ensuing cover up. It's a riotous few minutes and as funny as anything I've seen in a film made in the '50s.

kenjha We all live in a pink submarine, a pink submarine...The Beatles song about a yellow submarine is more entertaining than this lame comedy. There are zero laughs until the women get on board about a third of the way through the film and after that there are a few chuckles here and there. Grant and Curtis seem to be trying but they get no help from the script or from Edwards, directing one of his earliest films. It is fun trying to pick out future TV stars like Dick Sargent, Gavin McLeod, and Marion Ross. In fact, an episode of "Bewitched," "Mary Tyler Moore Show," or "Happy Days" has a lot more laughs than this film, which goes on way too long at two hours.