BoomerDT One of these true pieces of studio Hollywood hokum, although there are some good location shots. Just saw the entire film for the first time on TCM. On HD with wide screen it's not bad, great color. Virtually none of the crew try to even mimic any sort of German accent. On the crew a couple of familiar faces from the 60's, Claude Akins, Jim Arness (Gunsmoke)and Alan Hale (Skipper, Gilligan's Island) plus Tab Hunter. Not the Duke's best performance, not his worst. Lana Turner looks hot and somehow, on this tramp steamer in the middle of the S. Pacific her her is and she always has makeup on. No real chemistry between the 2 of them in this though.

lastliberal My John Wayne Marathon continues.This is one of those Wayne movies that might fit in on a double bill with Chained Heat. It is not one of his better efforts, but it is still watchable.John Wayne as a German might be a stretch, but it still features a strong woman part by Lana Turner, and a good supporting cast, including Paul Fix (Giant) as a former soldier turned cook, Lyle Bettger (The Lone Ranger) as a borderline psycho first officer, and James Arness (Gunsmoke) as a crewman frustrated to the point of near-mutiny.It's a pretty good yarn about sailors wanting to go home.

bkoganbing 1955 marked the last year of John Wayne's streak of being number one at the box office and it was films like The Sea Chase that helped bring about an end to his reign.I cannot understand for the life of me why John Wayne, as American as they come was cast as a German. Right around the same time there were players like Curt Jurgens or the newly arrived in Hollywood Yul Brynner who would have been far better and believable in the role of freighter captain Karl Ehrlich. Brynner in fact later on did quite well in the film Morituri playing a German freighter captain. James Mason would have done well also. What was the Duke thinking.Offhand I can only think of three films in which he played a non-American, this one, The Long Voyage Home, and The Conqueror. Of course The Conqueror was one of the biggest flops in film history with Wayne as Genghis Khan. He did all right in The Long Voyage Home, but it's a small part in an ensemble production. John Ford must have been very patient with him getting that proper Swedish accent there. Wayne did not have Robert Mitchum's ear for dialect. In fact Mitchum might have been able to play Karl Ehrlich.The story starts in Sydney harbor right before the Nazis march into Poland. With war talk in the air, Captain David Farrar visits his old friend Wayne on his tramp steamer and he brings his new fiancé, Lana Turner. Wayne knows her to be an adventuress and probably an agent for the Nazis. He tells her to leave Farrar while the leaving is good, little dreaming he'd be asked by the German consul to transport Turner back to Germany.Wayne sneaks his ship out of Sydney Harbor and the Royal Navy gives chase. While stopping at an island for supplies, second officer Lyle Bettger, a hardened Nazi, murders the survivors of a fishing vessel who were stranded there. Of course the atrocity redounds to Wayne's ship and gives the Royal Navy real reason to pursue.David Farrar is a fine British sea captain in the best stiff upper lip tradition. Of course Lyle Bettger adds to that wonderful group psychotics he developed a patent on during the fifties. Lana Turner is well cast in her role as femme fatale.A whole lot of young players are in the crew of Wayne's ship like James Arness, Tab Hunter, Richard Davalos, and Alan Hale, Jr. When the ship stops and makes some repairs and provisions, the crew is put to work cutting down trees. Lots of topless beefcake for the audience there.In addition Richard Davalos has a very touching death scene, probably the acting highlight of the film.It's not the worst film John Wayne ever did, but fans of the eternal Duke will find his playing a German incongruous to say the least.

nnnn45089191 John Wayne stars as a German skipper of an old steamer making his way back to the fatherland pursued by the British fleet. Lana Turner being the love interest,and looking like she stepped out of a night-club just a few hours before the shoot.She's gorgeous and what make-up she wears.Even through hell and high water she looks sexy and beautiful.But sadly there is no sparks flying between Wayne and Turner in the romance department.It feels superfluous to the whole storyline.Then we've got David Farrar playing a British sea officer as British as they come.He's also the narrator.In the supporting cast you will recognize some old Wayne compadres in John Qualen,James Arness and Paul Fix. A waste of time for everybody who don't like John Wayne.I happen to like him.