Enjoyable inter-War military adventure drama featuring the U.S. Navy submarine service. Based upon the story "Submarine 262" by Frank "Spig" Wead, who wrote a number of similar screenplays highlighting various parts of the fleet. This particular drama features the use of the McCann Rescue Chamber and Momsen Lung in a dramatic rescue of men from a sunken submarine off the coast of Point Loma, California. George Brent is remarkably low key and effective as the Commanding Officer. Also included is a love triangle between Chief Petty Officer Butch Rogers (Pat O'Brien), Petty Officer First Class (later Chief Petty Officer) Sock McGillis (Wayne Morris), and Ann Sawyer (Doris Weston). Comic relief by Lucky (Frank McHugh). Some development of what it takes to be a successful sailor in the submarine service - the ship is as strong as its weakest sailor. A young Broderick Crawford appears in a small part and Ronald Reagan was cast in one of his earliest appearances in a bit part but his scenes were left on the cutting room floor. Good shots of the rest of the Pacific Fleet as they work through Fleet Problem 20. Recommended.
Add a Review
-
Jim Tritten20 March 2004
-
jbacks3-117 March 2004Given the fact that every sub in this movie ends up at the bottom of the ocean floor during sea trials I would venture to guess that Admiral Karl Dönitz saw this and figured, "Acht Di leiber! Our U-Boats vill annnnnhiliate zose Americahns!" This would lull anyone into thinking our sub fleet was sub par. But technically, this isn't a bad movie... it's just it's so predictable. George Brent's acting is as bland as the Navy's powdered eggs and lovable lug Wayne Morris is a near-idiot that somehow makes Chief (the Navy sure must've been different than when I was in it--- no board and no initiation!). Frank McHugh does a swell job of playing Lucky, a symbiotic twin of the character Droopy he played 3 years earlier in HERE COMES THE NAVY. Nice stock shots of the Panama Canal and much better than the usual Warner Bros. middling level special effects. All in all, I hope that this was planned as a cunning piece of disinformation rather than a testimonial to the skills of the U.S. Navy in the mid-1930's. I wonder if Swede Monson ever saw this?
-
SnoopyStyle8 June 2023'Butch' Rogers (Pat O'Brien) welcomes new recruits to submarine school. 'Sock' McGillis (Wayne Morris) keeps badmouthing him. They are competing over Ann Sawyer (Doris Weston) after an earlier incident with Sock's best friend Tom. Butch and his class join submarine D-1 USS Dolphin under Lt. Commander Dan Matthews (George Brent) on a mission.
They are supposed to be on a mission. The lackadaisical attitude do not engender any tension. They keep stopping at ports and going to nightclubs. This should be a simple rescue mission movie. It's over an hour before the movie gets to that point and it finally becomes an interesting thriller. The Navy can use some new futuristic gears and do some underwater work. It's the only part of any interest, but even here, the pacing is rather slow. -
boblipton8 June 2023This is a tough movie to rate, mostly because it's from a period when Warner Brothers was struggling to produce new, distinctive movies that didn't star Errol Flynn. This flick about the men aboard a submarine as it travels from a surprisingly mountainous Long Island to Long Beach, then to the bottom of the ocean contains all the standard tropes of the military movie of the era and submarines in particular. Pals at work, fighting about dames? Check. Young hothead who straightens up and becomes a part of the outfit? Check. Calm, all-wise commander who shows up at odd moments to issue fiats and, and whose unflustered command during the crisis keeps things from falling apart? Check. Submarine trapped at the bottom of the ocean while everyone rallies around to save the crew? Check.
It's all performed well by the typical large, competent Warner Brothers cast under the direction of workhorse director Lloyd Bacon. As a result it's an eminently watchable example of the genre. Where it is of most interest is in the technology of rescue, the telephone that floats to the surface with its provenance written in large letters; the suited diver who heads down to attach a cable to the trapped boat. It's interesting to see the evolution of these, and associated techniques from Capra's SUBMARINE (1928) to this one.
The genre would evolve rapidly in the war years, with the emphasis on battle tactics and suspense. For the moment, this was the model in use. -
ksf-29 June 2023Good film. Black and white movie regulars george brent, frank mchugh, pat o'brien. Here, in this pre world war two film, they are all navy men on a sub, trying to get from the east coast to san diego. Along the way, they have all kinds of adventures. A training session on the bends, and how to avoid them. Some interesting footage of what might be the panama canal. War games with other ships. The female lead, doris weston, only made nine films, and died young at forty two. Keep an eye out for dennie moore as arabella... she was "olga" in a hilarious role in "the women" from 1939. This could be used as a training film, although i'm sure a lot of the equipment and info are outdated. The side plots are a bit hokey, but it probably would have been boring without them. Co-star wayne morris really was a war hero, but also died young at age forty five. Directed by lloyd bacon. He also made forty second street and wonder bar.
-
sxct15 March 2024Sorry to give this film such a low rating but just too many errors. First, the sign at the beginning saying U. S. Submarine Base New London, CT should say Groton, CT.", not New London. Next, as they were rescuing the men some of CPO's and officers were in full dress uniforms. REALY? Many of them managed to keep their caps on. While in Panama on their way to San Diego, they were wearing their winter blues. Then as Frank McHugh was meeting his girl friend at the dock, he somehow managed to be wearing completely dry clothes. Also, now in San Diego they were wearing winter blues. It's too bad as I was expecting to enjoy this film, it went into the drinl.
-
jamesrupert20149 October 2017"Submarine D1" (1937)follows the ups-and downs of the inaugural voyages of the USS Dolphin. As the story takes place in the interwar years, the tension comes from an accidental collision that sends the sub to the bottom, allowing the film to showcase then 'state-of-the-art' submarine rescue technology. There are lots of good scenes of period Navy ships and some good underwater shots as the Dolphin participates in torpedo drills against what was then the pride of the fleet: the battleships. As is often the case with pre-WW2 films, modern viewers are constantly being reminded about the rapid obsolescence of military equipment between the late 30s and 1945 - "Submarine D1" was made in 1937, just four years before Pearl Harbour, and the carriers are still laden with bi-planes. Countering some great military footage is the obligatory on-the-beach romance and tedious comic-relief shenanigans, both of which are dated and slow the movie to a crawl at times. Definitely a film for fans of the genre and those interested in the history of hyperbaric medicine and rescue technologies, otherwise, there are lots of more exciting submarine movies with which to pass the time.
-
ralph-schiller23 March 2009"Submarine D-1" is a typical but terrific Warner Brothers, pre-WW2 movie on the glory of the U.S. Navy and in particular the submarine service. It has a great cast lead by Pat O'Brien, George Brent, Wayne Morris, and Frank McHugh but does not have Broderick Crawford among its players.
"Submarine D-1" contains great performances by Pat O'Brien as the Chief Petty Officer, Wayne Morris as the cocky sailor who finally matures into a first-rate CPO, and George Brent as the dedicated and somewhat fatherly submarine captain. Frank McHugh is also on hand as Warner Brothers' guaranteed laugh-getter for sure-fire comic relief. Henry O'Neil is well-cast as the wise-old admiral.
"Submarine D-1" is loaded with action, thrills, and comedy but contrary to many film sources Broderick Crawford is not in the film. I watched the entire film from beginning to end and can absolutely verify that he does not appear in this otherwise great old movie. -
Victor-J-196421 October 2017What a delightful surprise this movie was. It had all of the stereotypes of the Navy and sailors, although most of them are true. This movie had lots of submarines, ships, port calls, bar fights, women, military friendships, practical jokes, friendly rivalries, military training, deaths, and daring rescues.
My favorite part of this movie was the fun and powerful actors. Sock McGillis (Wayne Morris) stole the show for me as he progresses from an immature senior Petty Office First Class to becoming a professional and dedicated sailor that gets promoted to Chief Petty Officer. Throughout the movie Sock McGillis and Chief Petty Officer Butch Rogers (Pat O'Brien) are competing for the love of the wonderful Ann Sawyer (Doris Weston). The competition for the girl is dedicated, heartfelt and usually comical. Sock's best friend is Lucky (Frank McHugh) who is an unpolished junior sailor who progresses to a valuable sailor while providing laughs along the way. This movie is so much fun even before I mention on of my favorite actors George Brent, who plays the always calm Lt. Commander Matthews.
While this movie was made 80 years ago it is amazing how so much of the challenges and routines illustrated in this movie are still relevant to today's Navy. I am sure that one of the reasons that I enjoyed this more than the average IMDb viewer is because I spent over 20 years in the Navy. I really believe this is a must see for Old Salts such as myself.
Victor J. --- USN RETIRED 2009 -
In the late 30s up until the US entered WWII, Hollywood made a ton of pictures featuring men in our military. Part of this, I am sure, was to appeal to patriotism and part of it, I am sure, was because the films were popular and made money. And, the military loved the pictures because it improved their image and helped with recruiting. These are mostly very enjoyable films but I also must admit that they were very formulaic--thus quite predictable. They made a ton of 'em--and I saw one ("Parachute Battalion") just last week. Today, it was yet another--"Submarine D-1". And, like the rest, there is the tough old timer (Pat O'Brien) and the brash, somewhat selfish but more handsome seaman (Wayne Morris)--pretty much the same plot I saw in "Parachute Battalion" and others. And, you know by the end that the brash young guy will prove himself and impress his rival--who will then step aside to let the younger man have the girl. I am writing this only a half hour into the film and can almost guarantee this is how the film will end. This isn't so much a spoiler--EVERY military film of the era had this plot (or something very much like it). And, they all reinforced the notions of bravery and teamwork.
The film begins with a couple sailors (Morris and Frank McHugh) transferring from the regular navy to the submarine service. Their trainer in sub school is, not surprisingly, Morris' old rival (Pat O'Brien). Unlike some of these films, not much time is actually spent on them going through this training program. Instead, after completion, the two sailors are transferred to the SAME sub as O'Brien. Naturally, there is lots of tension between Morris and O'Brien--with O'Brien later saying that '...one of them has to leave (i.e., service on the new D-1) sooner or later'. HOWEVER, this film, while formulaic, did surprise me a bit--so my prediction above was not completely on the mark. Sure, one of these men ended up leaving the sub and all the usual heroics occurred. But HOW it occurred took me a bit by surprise and was amazingly well done--really. Like all these films, lots of footage was allowed on the subs, in the training facility and at naval bases. However, fortunately, very little stock footage is used and what is used looked really good--particularly with the finale. I know it kept me guessing and was a bit harrowing as well--something you wouldn't expect from such a film.
If you liked this sort of thing, try a few similar films--some dramas and some comedies. They include: "Here Comes the Navy", "I Wanted Wings", "Dive Bomber", "Buck Privates", "Caught in the Draft", "High Flyers", "Tanks a Million" and I am sure MANY more.