Introduction

Up Periscope is a 1959 World War II submarine film drama directed by Gordon Douglas, produced by Aubrey Schenck and starring James Garner and Edmond O’Brien.

The supporting cast features Andra Martin, Alan Hale Jr., Edd Byrnes, Warren Oates and Saundra Edwards. The film was shot and processed in WarnerScope and Technicolor and was distributed by Warner Bros. The screenplay was written by Richard H. Landau and Robb White, adapted from White’s novel of the same name.

Refer to Down Periscope (1996).

Outline

Lieutenant Kenneth Braden, a newly trained US Navy frogman, is unexpectedly ordered to report for duty without being able to notify his new girlfriend Sally Johnson. He learns that she is a naval intelligence officer responsible for a recent confirmation of his character and fitness for a special mission.

Submarine commander Stevenson, whose crew’s morale has been shaken by the recent unnecessary death of a crew member, is ordered to take Braden to the island of Kusaie (Kosrae) to photograph a code book at a Japanese radio station. Stevenson waits in Lelu Harbour while Braden executes his covert mission.

After Braden returns, Stevenson dictates a letter accusing himself of endangering his submarine and crew in order to make Braden’s mission easier. When they reach Pearl Harbour, Braden informs Stevenson that his crew “lost” the letter. To Braden’s surprise and delight, Sally is waiting at the dock to greet him.

Cast

• James Garner as Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Kenneth M. Braden
• Edmond O’Brien as Commander Paul Stevenson
• Andra Martin as Sally Johnson
• Alan Hale Jr. as Ensign/Lt. (j.g.) Pat Malone (billed as Alan Hale)
• Carleton Carpenter as Lt. Phil Carney
• William Leslie as Lt. Doherty
• Frank Gifford as Ensign Cy Mount
• Henry Kulky as Chief Petty Officer York
• Edd Byrnes as Pharmacist Mate Ash (billed as Edward Byrnes)
• Richard Bakalyan as Seaman Peck
• Sean Garrison as Seaman Floyd
• Warren Oates as Seaman Kovacs
• Saundra Edwards as a bar girl (uncredited)

Trivia

• This film inspired many comparisons to the 1943 submarine film “Destination Tokyo”, and in fact uses some underwater footage from the earlier film despite being in black and white.
  • The “Up Periscope” production did not bother to tint the black and white footage blue, but since the underwater shots were already quite dark it helped to slip them by 1950s audiences who were not that discerning.
• Garner called the film “another piece of crap that Warner Bros. stuck me in while I was under contract.”
• The film casually uses terms and references particular to the military of the time.
  • When briefing Lieutenant Braden on his mission, Commander Stevenson reminds him that he is “not to be captured”.
  • This is not stating the obvious, but code for suicide-if-captured. He then refers to Braden as a “90-day wonder”.
  • This was military slang for lieutenants, who were more often than not college educated men who entered the military at the very lowest grade of officer in times of war, after having had only the most basic training possible.
  • Malone refers to another submarine as a “sewer pipe”. Braden quietly refers to Commander Stevenson as “Captain Bligh” to Malone, which is code for a tyrant, based on the legendary British naval captain of the HMS Bounty.
  • A radar crewman uses the term “bogey”, which is military slang for an unidentified presence which could be hostile.
  • When Braden pops in on radio crewmen Shelton he asks him what he’s got there “the Milkman’s Matinee?”
  • This was a radio programme famous for its long, all-night broadcasts designed to entertain Americans who worked graveyard shifts, like police, firefighters, cabbies, and milkmen.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • Gordon Douglas
• Producer(s):
  • Howard W. Koch … producer (uncredited)
  • Aubrey Schenck … producer
  • Edwin F. Zabel … producer (uncredited)
• Writer(s):
  • Richard H. Landau … (screenplay) (as Richard Landau)
  • Robb White … (novel)
• Music:
• Cinematography:
  • Carl E. Guthrie … director of photography (as Carl Guthrie)
• Editing:
  • John F. Schreyer … (as John E. Schreyer)
• Production:
  • Aubrey Schenck Productions (Lakeside Productions)
  • Lakeside Productions
• Distributor(s):
  • Warner Bros.
• Release Date: 04 March 1959.
• Running time: 112 minutes.
• Rating: U.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.

Video Link(s)