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South Sea Woman

South Sea Woman
Poster of the movie South Sea Woman.jpg
Original film poster
Directed by Arthur Lubin
Produced by Samuel Bischoff
Written by Edwin Blum
Roland Kibee (uncredited)
Based on adaptation by Stanley Shapiro
Earl Baldwin
play by General Court Martial by William M. Rankin
Starring Burt Lancaster
Virginia Mayo
Music by David Buttolph
Cinematography Ted D. McCord
Edited by Clarence Kolster
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
June 27, 1953
Running time
99 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Box office $2 million (US)

South Sea Woman is a 1953 action-comedy-drama film directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Burt Lancaster, Virginia Mayo and Chuck Connors. It is credited as being based on the play General Court Martial by William M. Rankin with the working title being Sulu Sea.

Jeanine Basinger's and Jeremy Arnold's book The World War II Combat Film – Anatomy of a Genre calls the film a significant mixture of genres: tongue-in-cheek adventure, Flagg and Quirt (1926)-style service comedy, Hope and Crosby road film, South Seas, prison escape, pirate, World War II and costume drama mixing ridiculous comedy with hard-boiled action in "Tell It to the Marines" style.

U.S. Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant James O'Hearn (Burt Lancaster) is being tried at the San Diego Marine base for desertion, theft, scandalous conduct and destruction of property in time of war. He refuses to testify or plead guilty or not guilty to the charges. The film alternates between flashbacks and the courtroom, as witnesses give their testimony.

Showgirl Ginger Martin (Virginia Mayo) takes the stand against his protest. Ginger tells how she, broke and stranded, met O'Hearn and his friend, Marine Private First Class Davy White (Chuck Connors), of the 4th Marines in Shanghai two weeks before the attack on Pearl Harbor. With war looming, the 4th Marines are ordered out of China. White slips away to propose marriage so that Ginger can be evacuated from China (at government expense) as his wife. O'Hearn tracks him down at the nightclub where Ginger works. When the club's manager objects to Ginger quitting, a brawl breaks out. The trio escape aboard a small motor boat.


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Wikipedia

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