Operation Petticoat (1959)

Very disappointing...

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

OPERATION PETTICOAT is a submarine comedy which, in a tasteful way, examines the relationship between "aggressive" sailors and military nurses during the service.A US submarine was, after an air raid, badly damaged and anchored near Manila. The captain of the submarine and his crew begin repairs, hoping to sail for Darwin, Australia before the Japanese overrun the port. One lieutenant was, despite the lack of training or experience, assigned to serve on the submarine. He shows, in addition to the obvious lack of discipline, great skill in procurement of necessary materials for repairs on the submarine. The submarine is finally "ready" for an unusual trip, which, among other things, involves a funny evacuation of five attractive Army nurses...Hormones are raging in limited space. Young nurses have seriously undermined discipline and functionality of the crew. This romantic game, through a slight sexual tension, is quite fun. However, this mess, after a while, becomes monotonous and boring. Everything is too "pink" in this film.Cary Grant as Lieutenant Commander Matthew T. "Matt" Sherman was faced with two problems at the same time. These problems can not be solved through official channels. Mr. Grant is perhaps too indulgent for a captain in this film. A resistance in his character is actually a shameful lie. Tony Curtis as Lieutenant Nicholas "Nick" Holden is a man of ideas. However, each of his ideas has a price. He and Mr. Grant are maybe too similar. They were hooked up with two blondes at the end.This is a charming and funny comedy, in which, regardless of the circumstances, we do not need to look for some meaning or significance.

I must admit there are a few chuckles and a few minor thrills in this labored farce. It takes a long time for the promise inherent in the title to get under way. And when the girls finally appear, it is mostly all good clean fun. In fact, just as much footage is devoted to other comic interludes, such as Curtis scrounging supplies at the casino/supply depot, as to the predictable situations that develop when women are forced to live in cramped quarters. Needless to say, these constricted quarters have allowed the movie to be filmed very economically. Long dialogue scenes can now take place in tiny, economy-sized sets that even Monogram would have been ashamed of. True, there is some welcome exterior filming with real subs and ships that were kindly provided free of charge by the Department of Defense. As might be expected, director Blake Edwards has handled this routine assignment in a totally pedestrian style. He just plonked the actor in front of the camera and said, "Action!". And as for the flat, characterless photography, Russell Harlan hang your head in shame! Cary Grant does little more that just say his lines, allowing Tony Curtis to work all out to exploit his own limited charm/talent. The rest of the players are strictly from hunger. Thanks to an aggressive promotion, this movie was enormously successful at the box=office. Back in 1959, there was an enormous appetite out there for films that promised a raciness that they actually failed to deliver. People just couldn't get it through their heads that no movies could be released without the concurrence of the Roman Catholic church, and racy films were most definitely "Out!"

Cute and amusing. Cary Grant is the skipper of a submarine stuck in a remote Phillipine base at the beginning of World War II. Damaged in an air attack, the submarine barely gets under way, with Tony Curtis as a dapper last-minute replacement who shows up for duty in natty and immaculate dress whites. Curtis is a born social climber. He is also, however, a born thief and Grant appoints him Supply Officer for the boat.In some funny scenes, accompanied by some clever dialog, Curtis manages to steal enough supplies from various depots to keep the boat going. He also steals such luxuries as toilet paper and a pig for a New Year's luau. At one such wayside stop he manages to pick up five stranded Army nurses, one of them being the hypermastic Joan O'Brian.You can pretty much predict the gags that will follow -- five beautiful women aboard a submarine with a crew of horny young men. The men make a point of squeezing past O'Brian in the narrow passageways at every opportunity. The Chief Motor Mac improvises a piece of machinery out of somebody's girdle. Curtis gives up his dream of marrying his rich girl friend back in the states when he falls for the elegant, blond Dina Merril (who, in real life, probably had a fatter portfolio than Curtis's fictional girl friend). Cary Grant falls for O'Brian and after the war we see both couples, now friends, with Grant an admiral and Curtis the skipper of the submarine, a dedicated navy man.Some of the jokes now seem dated, the current Zeitgeist being what it is. An officer showing the nurses around the boat is embarrassed and stutters fiercely while trying to tell them that the loo is called "the head." On the whole, though, the film is disarming enough to be pretty funny. Grant is fine in this light comedy. He grumbles a good deal at the disorder brought to his command, as if practicing for his later "Father Goose," but he's done this so often that he could have done it all in his sleep. Tony Curtis is often criticized for his "mannerisms" but I don't know why. He's very good indeed at this sort of thing. He knows how to deliver a gag line without dwelling on it, almost running over it, so that if it's a clunker the viewer hardly notices. He's convincing in expository dialog as well and usually brings something fresh to his lines. He could do drama too, and better than Grant.The submarine winds up being painted pink. It is attacked by an American destroyer (DD 568, which should be USS Wren) and Grant desperately sends up the nurses' underwear. The destroyer picks up some of the "debris" and the captain holds Joan O'Brian's brassiere up, staring at the capacious thing, and mutters, "The Japanese have nothing like this." You may or may not think you'll get a kick out of it, but you probably will.

I have read this film called "fluff" with which I can most certainly not agree. I first saw in in first run forty seven years ago and it remains just as fresh and delightful today after many more viewings. Tony Curtis is at his very best in this picture as a shore-side con man reassigned to sea duty aboard the USS Sea Tiger in the opening days of WWII. Suave Cary Grant is as always flawless in his performance as the captain of the badly damaged sub, trying to keep it in the war with bailing wire and sealing wax. Edwards uses tight camera shots, well cut to maintain the illusion of the claustrophobic conditions of the sub, and witty dialog to keep the plot rolling. The chemistry between the principals and the supporting cast make this one of the best ever. That Edwars would go on to many other comedy triumphs is not at all surprising after seeing this film. I must see for anyone with a funny bone.