Operation Pacific
| Operation Pacific | |
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original theatrical poster
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| Directed by | George Waggner |
| Produced by | Louis Edelman |
| Written by | George Waggner |
| Starring |
John Wayne Patricia Neal Ward Bond Philip Carey |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
| Cinematography | Bert Glennon |
| Edited by | Alan Crosland, Jr. |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
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Release date
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Running time
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111 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2.45 million (US rentals) |
Operation Pacific is a 1951 World War II submarine film starring John Wayne and Patricia Neal, featuring Ward Bond and Philip Carey and directed by George Waggner. The technical advisor for this film was Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, the actual Commander, Submarine Forces, Pacific (COMSUBPAC) during World War II.
During World War II, an American submarine, the Thunderfish, under the command of Cmdr. John T. "Pop" Perry (Ward Bond), takes on a group of children and nuns to transport them to Pearl Harbor. including a newborn infant nicknamed "Butch". The sub sights a Japanese aircraft carrier and attacks, but its torpedoes fail to explode. Pursued by the carrier's escorts, the sub manages to escape.
While in Pearl Harbor, the ship's Executive Officer, Lt Cmdr. Duke E. Gifford (John Wayne) goes to visit Butch at the base hospital, and runs into his ex-wife, Mary Stuart (Patricia Neal), a Navy nurse, and they kiss passionately. Unfortunately, Mary is now romantically involved with Navy pilot Lt. (j.g.) Bob Perry (Philip Carey), "Pop" Perry's brother. Duke pursues Mary anyway, but is soon sent out on patrol again before anything is settled.
As the sub returns from the patrol, they spot a Japanese freighter, but, again, their torpedoes fail to explode. The enemy ship raises the white flag, and the Thunderfish surfaces and approaches it, but it turns out to be a Q-ship, and it opens fire on the American sub. Wounded, "Pop" Perry is stuck on deck, but he orders the ship to dive anyway, knowing that he will not be able to get below in time. With the sub now under Duke's command, the freighter is rammed and sunk.
Back at Pearl, Bob Perry believes that Duke gave the order to submerge which killed his brother, and won't listen to Duke's explanation. Mary tries to comfort Duke, but he rejects her attempts.
Working with the base's torpedo specialists, Duke and the crew of the Thunderfish undertake an investigation to find out why the new torpedoes are not exploding. When they finally discover the answer, Duke goes to Mary to celebrate, but she rejects him: since he wouldn't let her into his life when he was at his lowest, she feels that they cannot have a real relationship. Her superior, Cmdr. Steele (Kathryn Givney) overhears the conversation and castigates Mary for throwing away her chance for happiness with Duke.
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Wikipedia