Suicide Fleet

This is not a great movie, but it has some great shots of post World War I-era four-stacker destroyers, submarines, and three-masted wooden sailing ships that play combatant. A young Ginger Rogers is the love interest in a fairly hokey plot but I am glad that I watched it. The future Hopalong Cassidy plays the hero as a recalled to active duty Chief Petty Officer. Based upon a book by an active duty Navy Commander.

...at least during its first half. If it had started out with the three buddies in the navy and concentrated on the naval action scenes, it would have been a much better and tighter film. The second half of the film is worth it, especially for the action sequences and close up shots of early 20th century ships, but it's like a dull toothache getting there. Also, don't watch this film just because Ginger Rogers is in it. She has an important role, but it's a small one.

The film starts out showing three New York City buddies working the tourist trade and also in good-natured competition for the hand of Sally (Ginger Rogers), a singing candy salesgirl along the avenue. World War I breaks out, the three buddies seem completely indifferent to the struggle, yet enlist in the navy anyways. The one of the three with the least industry as a civilian (Bill Boyd as Baltimore) winds up the commanding officer to the other two (Robert Armstrong as Dutch and James Gleason as Skeets). To make matters more complex, Sally has fallen in love with one of the three, but doesn't have the chance to tell him before the three sail off to war.

The film is a little more interesting on board ship, mainly because of the close shots we have of the ship itself, and also because the chemistry among the three buddies is believable. However, James Gleason at age 49 looks a bit long in the tooth to be a swabby, especially when the sign at the enlistment office said you had to be between 17 and 35 to be eligible.

One real obvious flaw in the film that made me believe that everything outside the naval scenes was slapped together with minimum care is the costume design, or, I should say, the lack of it. In the scenes in New York just prior to WWI we have everyone dressed in the fashions of 1931 and everyone driving the cars of 1931 - no effort was taken to bring this film into period.

In conclusion, if you watch the few scenes with Ginger Rogers in them and the last 45 minutes involving the naval suicide mission, you've seen everything here worth seeing. The rest is padding.

Three carnival workers romance the same girl until WWI interferes with their plans. They join the Navy and the plot meanders all over the place with tiresome effect.

WILLIAM BOYD (later "Hopalong Cassidy") spouts his dialog in a slow-moving way, and ROBERT ARMSTRONG and JAMES GLEASON mug their way through some silly shenanigans as sailors looking for a good time. Boyd is the Chief Petty Officer who comes out of retirement to rejoin the service. GINGER ROGERS is the carnival gal who can't seem to decide whether to get serious about Boyd or not, until the finale.

It's hopelessly contrived and full of hokey situations, dated dialog and interesting only for a glimpse of the Naval ships.

Summing up: Totally unsatisfying from almost every standpoint.

Skeets O'Reilly (James Gleason), Baltimore Clark (Bill Boyd), and Dutch Herman (Robert Armstrong) are three friends who all work on the Coney Island Boardwalk and all are in love with Sally (Ginger Rogers). WWI breaks out and the guys all enlist in the Navy.

The guys are a bit too old to start in the Navy although wartime could make them desperate enough to take older guys. Ginger is not yet twenty and doesn't get to dance. This is an interesting time on the seas. There are still sailing ships with more modern Navy ships. There are plenty of ships provided by the cooperation of the Navy. The guys try to be funny, but they're no Three Stooges. This has a bit of everything and not great at anything.

There were two sailing ships used in this film: "Bohemia" and "Indiana" Both were part of the de Mille "fleet". Both were built on the Kennebec River, at Bath, Maine, in the 1880s. The Indiana was built by and for the Sewell Family. The Bohemia was built by and for the Houghton Bros. and sailed for them until 1897, when she was sold to Alaska Packers. Bohemia sailed the West Coast for 20 years before acquired by Hollywood.

Bohemia was used in "Wreck of the Hesperus", "Blood Ship" and "Yankee Clipper", all 1927. ("Yankee Clipper" also starred "Indiana"; William Boyd and his real-life Wife, Eleanor Fair.)Bohemia is the ship destroyed in "Suicide Fleet".

One of the "four-piper" destroyers used in "Suicide Fleet" was built by Bath Iron Works, which bought the former Houghton yard during World War I.