A naval officer who had deserted several years earlier is drawn back to the Navy when World War II begins. He re-enlists under an assumed name, and is assigned to a minesweeper, where he has to perform hazardous duties while at the same time keeping his real identity a secret.
Practical Effects
Real naval vessels and actual Coast Guard cooperation — no CGI nonsense here.
Acting
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams steals every scene as the comic relief sailor.
Director
William Berke
Richard Arlen
Richard Houston
Jean Parker
Mary Smith
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams
CPO Ichabod Ferdinand 'Fixit' Smith
Emma Dunn
Mom Smith
Charles D. Brown
Commander Lane
Frank Fenton
Lt. Ralph Gilpin
Chick Chandler
Seaman 'Corny' Welch
Douglas Fowley
Cutter Lieutenant Wells
Robert Mitchum
Seaman Chuck Ryan
Ralph Sanford
Seaman Cox
Dub Taylor
Seaman Stubby Gordon
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released during peak WWII, this Monogram Pictures quickie was part of Hollywood's massive effort to boost Coast Guard recruitment — actual service members appear as extras.
Richard Arlen and director William Berke cranked out multiple naval films together in 1943 alone — this was assembly-line patriotism.
US
