A Escuna do Diabo

It's too bad Hollywood stopped making war flicks like this one. They were much more enjoyable than the kind of hand-wringing performances you see nowadays. Lemmon took a break from chewing the scenery in the classics "Some Like It Hot" and "The Great Race" and returned to a more straight-man character of the kind he played in Mister Roberts. Although Lemmon is, as usual, great, the movie suffers somewhat from a bland supporting cast and the insufferable Ricky Nelson, whose acting is as wooden as it was in "Rio Bravo." Although slow to get going, the movie eventually takes off and maintains a robust pace to the conclusion. Note that TV showings tend to trim this one heavily, so if you see it sitting in the bargain bin, be sure to pick it up!

For fans of Lemmon or the genre only!

this is a fun, wholesome movie suitable for all ages. Lemmon is captivating, as always and Ricky Nelson does just fine. actually, this is really a tailor made role for nelson. the young handsome, slightly misguided, yet sincere officer who admits past failures and looks forward to proving himself in the eyes of his superior, Lemmon. the move has a touch of romance, a bit of action and plenty of laughs and wholesome fun. check it out. i'll bet you'll be rooting for this bunch of misfits just like i was. and Clayton Trap, i have no opinion on you as a person, though i do have a great sympathy for that stick that's stuck up your....

This is an entirely watchable World War II film. I say this with surprise, because I avoided the movie for years. I was aware of it as a kid growing up in the '60s - it showed up on "Saturday Night at the Movies" on NBC but I steered clear of it - I was probably turned off by the not-very-good TV series with the same title.

Jack Lemmon is excellent here in a sort of Ensign Pulver sequel. Ricky Nelson, 20 years old (strongly resembling the young Mel Gibson) is pretty good. Nelson was at the height of his fame in 1960, with a multimedia thing going on, consisting of his daddy's TV show, movies, and, most prominently, hit records. (The man had 17 Top Ten hits in his career!)

There's a gritty authenticity to the picture - for example, the sailors sweat a LOT just like they did in the South Pacific during the war. The grit combines with some laughs; this combination works well. (See "Father Goose" and "Mr. Roberts" for additional examples of this genre, drama/comedy-during-WWII.) Mike Kellin is very effective as the chief petty officer. Tom Tully is solid and subtle as the port captain - Tully suffered a tragic fate a few years later, see his listing here at IMDb for the sad details.

"Wackiest Ship" kind of falls apart toward the end when Jack Lemmon isn't around as much; it might have benefited from a few more minutes of Tom Tully. But on the whole it's 99 minutes well spent (it seems a little too short).

Modern aircraft at start.

Aside from too many modern airplanes and ships (something that irritates history teachers, like me), "The Wackiest Ship in the Army" is a very good movie. However, one thing you should know is that despite the title, it's really NOT a comedy...which is also surprising since there were a LOT of military comedies around the time this was made (such as "Operation Petticoat", "See Here Corporal Hargrove" and "Mr. Roberts". I am not complaining...I liked the film and am glad it really isn't a comedy!

Lieutenant Crandall (Jack Lemmon) is an officer who has ambitions of commanding his own ship. While he might command a PT boat or destroyer or sub, he's shocked to see he's given command of an old sailboat! Of course he's disappointed and wants off the ship, but he tries to make the best of it. But WHY...why would the navy want a ship such as this to be commissioned in the first place??

The film is interesting because it's actually NOT ridiculous. Occasionally, the navy did commission yachts and sailboats for special duties and the film is well worth seeing. The acting and writing are very good and it's well worth seeing...even if Ricky Nelson sings an anachronistic song that in no way fits the plot!

Based on true events (we were at war with the Japanese in 1943 in the Pacific), "The Wackiest Ship in the Army" stars Jack Lemmon as, once again, a naval officer.

Lemmon made his first big film in 1955 when he played the con artist, Ensign Pulver, in "Mister Roberts," a movie that's attained classic status. In this 1961 film he dons the navy uniform again, this time as a lieutenant (senior grade). A reserve officer who was a dapper yachtsman in California before the war, Lemmon is assigned to command a sailing vessel with (barely functioning) auxiliary mechanical propulsion.

The U.S.S. Echo is hardly the dream command of any officer, reserve or regular. But the new C.O. gamely takes on training an eager but totally bemused crew in the art of sailing a vessel.

The Echo is assigned to land an Australian coast watcher on an island occupied by the stereotypically portrayed Japanese (more Japanese officers with U.C.L.A. degrees appear in film than ever showed up on the front). The heroic coast watchers were very important during the island hopping campaign and they deserve every bit of cinematic recognition they have received. Many died, some after being tortured by their captors.

Nowhere nearly as smoothly directed as "Mister Roberts," "The Wackiest Ship in the Army" (and there's no rational reason for the title-the Army doesn't even play a role here) teeters unevenly between some nice comedy and some very 1950s-1960s war action supplemented by combat footage (one Japanese plane has been shown blown out of the sky so often in movies that if the pilot's estate was entitled to royalties the heirs would be richer than Bill Gates).

The exploits of the Echo's crew led, we are told, to the American victory in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, an important engagement.

This is a good film for renting. Jack Lemmon plays the competent and caring C.O. very nicely and is the center of the story.

The Navy must have really liked the script. They put a fleet anchorage at the filmmaker's disposal. Here's a quiz for the sharp-eyed. At one point the stern of one of the most famous and important smaller combatant vessels of World War II is shown while Lemmon is instructing his crew. What ship is it?

6/10.