Tiens bon la barre matelot!

I do not know where these people got their info.,but for all intents and purposes,it's wrong.The movie,(or most of it)was filmed aboard the USS Gregory DD802.I was aboard the Gregory when it was filmed and participated in the filming as an extra.At least I guess thats what you'd call me,as I was a member of the crew.I was a BTFN at the time.Jerry Lewis tossed a ball with members of the crew and crewmen on a tender tied up opposite us at the pier during breaks and lunch.This was in 1955or56 I think,and I was transferred to the USS Vammen DE644 in June of 1958.I may be off a little on my dates but my memory of the filming is not.I cannot understand why anyone would say they were at the filming when they were not,unless they filmed at more than one location.

Fred Williams

It seems that the USS Cornblatt is missing. How can a USS Cornblatt be missing? Oh wait, Jerry Lewis was left in charge of it. In what I think is one of his best films, Jerry Lewis is at his funniest as he is trying to find this huge piece of metal, or else pay an exorbitant amount for it. But wait! He was just married and on his honeymoon, when he was shanghaied. Diana Spencer plays his new wife, and she is very good at being teasingly impatient. He tries to see his wife every chance he gets, but then he is quarantined to private quarters. Mabel Albertson is his mother who frowns on this inconvenience and especially the mention of Jerry's father, who was absolutely no good, absolutely. And, when Ensign Benson, played deliciously by Dina Merrill, is assigned to help Jerry look for the destroyer, he keeps trying to keep her away from his wife. Part of the story is told by way of flashback, when Ensign Benson puts him into hypnosis! Also costarring Mickey Shaughnessy, Gale Gordon, and Claude Akins, this is a feel-good film all over. Up there with "The Delicate Delinquent," this is simply Jerry Lewis at his best.

I must admit that I am not a huge fan of Jerry Lewis' films. While I've seen all the ones he did with Dean Martin, I have avoided his solo films because (in my opinion) he tended to overact and subtlety was NOT a concern. I think my view is colored by my having seen some of his very worst solo films first. It's hard to watch another Lewis outing after having seen (uggghh!) "Cracking Up" (1983)--a film so bad that it went straight to video and the only movie I've ever watched that made me physically ill (seriously). So, in fairness, I decided to watch a few of his earlier films to see if they are worth seeing.

While I would never say that "Don't Give Up The Ship" was no work of genius, it is a mostly pleasant little film. While Lewis DID occasionally mug and overplay things very badly, for the most part it's a decent little time-passer.

Lewis is a lieutenant in the Navy during the present day. He's just gotten married and is about to embark on his honeymoon when he is arrested and brought to account for a ship he apparently 'lost' back in 1945 when the war ended. Where exactly the boat got to is what the big-wigs want to find out--and it's inexplicable that a ship could be misplaced for a decade and a half until anyone noticed this! Much of the film consists of flashbacks of Lewis during the war (when he was an ensign) as well as his meetings with a psychiatrist (Dina Merrill) who tries to dig into the facts.

For the most part, there are no big laughs at all during this film--none. But, it also is pretty inoffensive as well--but could have been better had Lewis behaved like a relatively believable naval officer. As I said, his mugging and overplaying occasionally made the film tough viewing. But the film isn't bad in a mindless sort of way. Just turn off your brain and enjoy.

By the way, in the underwater diving scene near the end, note that Jerry is sweating--and you can see sweat dribbling off his arms. Yet, he is supposed to be under water! This is a particularly dumb portion of the film (with very a very fake looking shark and octopus). Try to look past this.

The raw talent of comic Jerry Lewis, has rarely been equaled, but not often surpassed. He has entertained American audiences for decades. Today, his star power has become a present staple in France. Here, is one of his finer offerings. It's called " Don't Give up The Ship. " In this movie, Jerry plays John Paul Steckler the VII, who as fate would have it, is the Jr. Officer of the U.S.S. KornBlatt. Shortly before the end of WWII, he is ordered to sail the ship to the U.S. where the ship is to be decommissioned. Unfortunately, he is accidentally stranded on a Japanese held island and fails to report the loss of his ship. Now, years later, he is summoned to Washington, by Congressman Mandeville, (Gale Gordon) and Adm. Bludde (Robert Middleton) to explain where he last left his ship. This on the eve of his wedding. Only with the help of Ens. Benson (Dina Merrill) and Stan Wychinsky (Mickey Shaughnessy) can he hope to remember where the missing ship is. This film is one of Lewis's finest examples of true laughter in it's purest form. A Classic by any other name which has stood the test of time. ****

I've always liked this film. It made me laugh when I first saw it as a youngster, and I got a bigger kick out of it as an adult. As a former Naval officer, I can appreciate some of the silliness that Jerry goes through in this movie; from "inheriting" his ship, to the naval bureaucracy.

Dina Merrill is great as Ensign Benson (I actually knew an Ensign Benson, and a Midshipman Shipman, but that's beside the point!) as is Mickey Shaugnessy as the Chief who helps him along (always listen to your Chief).

There's silliness galore, but it wouldn't be Jerry Lewis without it. Look for a nice homage/parody to the Caine Mutiny Courtmartial during the hearing scenes. Gail Gordon is at his ornery best in these scenes.

This is a lighthearted film that makes for an entertaining 90 minutes. Not a classic, but a lot of fun.