Action in the North Atlantic
| Action in the North Atlantic | |
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| Directed by | |
| Produced by | Jerry Wald |
| Written by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by |
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| Cinematography | Ted D. McCord |
| Edited by | George Amy |
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Production
company |
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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127 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2.6 million |
Action in the North Atlantic (also known as Heroes Without Uniforms) is a 1943 American war film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Humphrey Bogart and Raymond Massey as sailors in the U.S. Merchant Marine in World War II. Typical of other films in the era, Action in the North Atlantic was created as a morale boosting propaganda film. As noted by film critic Bosley Crowther, "... it's a good thing to have a picture which waves the flag for the merchant marine. Those boys are going through hell-and-high-water, as 'Action in the North Atlantic' shows."
An American oil tanker, the SS Northern Star, mastered by Capt. Steve Jarvis (Raymond Massey) is sunk in the North Atlantic Ocean by a German U-boat. Along with the first officer, his friend Joe Rossi (Humphrey Bogart), they make it to a lifeboat loaded with other crewmen. When the U-boat crew starts filming their plight they respond with rude gestures and are rammed. The men swim to a raft and are rescued after 11 days adrift.
During their brief liberty, Steve spends time with his wife Sarah (Ruth Gordon), while Joe meets and marries singer Pearl O'Neill (Julie Bishop). At the union hall, merchant seamen, including the survivors of Jarvis' last ship, spend their time waiting to be assigned to a new ship. Over a round of poker, Johnnie Pulaski (Dane Clark) jokes about getting a shore job.
When pressed by other seaman, Pulaski reveals his fear of dying at sea. The others shame him into signing along with them for another ship. Another sailor, Alfred "Boats" O'Hara (Alan Hale, Sr.), is tracked down by his wife, who has apparently not seen him since he was rescued. She angrily serves him with a summons. O'Hara, knowing he is headed back to sea, gleefully tears the summons up, saying "them 'Liberty Ships' are well named."
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Wikipedia