Photo that should have been studied by Michael Dukakis

THE DEEP SIX as a slang saying means “to throw overboard”, which is a fitting enough title for this trope-bombing war flick, with the issues-beset crew of a US Navy destroyer operating in the Japanese-contested Aleutians during 1942. A decent cast is slackly directed by Rudolph Maté (for some reason billed as R. Maté) in one of seven 1958 pix that dealt with naval duty during WW2.*

Best way to prove you’re not a wuss: pick up unexploded Japanese bomb and heave it over the side like a man

When war knocks on December’s door, ad agency artist ‘Alec Austen’ (Alan Ladd) is among the draftees. Placed by the Navy on the destroyer ‘USS Poe’, mild-mannered Alec faces repeated doubts, insinuations and challenges from many in the crew (especially a jerk officer, played by Keenan Wynn) because it’s revealed he is a Quaker, whose pacifist philosophy would likely interfere when enemy dice were thrown. Nonetheless, in time-honored blockhead tradition, he’s made Gunnery Officer. During liberty, Alec seeks to manage a brewing relationship with the art director (Dianne Foster) of his former employer. Fretting and fun at home takes a back seat to life-on-the-firing-line when the Poe heads to Alaska and into the Aleutians, some of them having been seized by Japan. Can a conscientious objector cease gnashing and pull the friggin’ trigger? Didn’t anyone see Friendly Persuasion? Heck, everybody saw Sergeant York.

Veteran industry warhorses Harry Brown, Martin Rackin and John Twist handled the screenplay, which, aside from feeding Hoary the Cliche Dog, mangled the much more complex and considerably harsher novel published five years earlier by Martin Dibner, 321 pages based on his time serving aboard a cruiser, the USS Richmond. Like other post-war books that painted a less-flattering portrait of military life (“The Caine Mutiny”, “From Here To Eternity”, “The Naked And The Dead”) the transfer to film was watered down. Otherwise the Pentagon and given offended branch would nix cooperation, as they did on Attack for director Robert Aldrich. So almost all the ‘grownup’ material was jettisoned (or ‘deep-sixed’) to do the safer “will he open fire with that 40mm or stand there Quaking” angle, and the dull romance fodder. Ladd isn’t as engaged as in his other 1958 entries (two good westerns), even though he gets to reunite with pro scene-stealer William Bendix, 51, as ‘Frenchy Shapiro’ (lest we leave anyone irked in Brooklyn), one crewman who befriends Alec: the two actors had worked together five times and were close pals. Others aboard include James Whitmore and Efrem Zimbalist Jr., while standing watch for the Poe was the USS Stephen Potter, a decommissioned WW2 destroyer poised to be mothballed. So no model work was necessary, but an obvious over-use of stock footage was duly locked & loaded for the few action scenes. Some brief shore combat is unexcitingly staged. For the bitter, non-glamorous slugging match in the Aleutians, stick to a documentary, perhaps an episode of Victory At Sea.

Telling her he knows Sinatra. Whatever works…

With Joey Bishop (40, debut, as ‘Kowalski’—you could fill the Warsaw phone book with how many movie servicemen were named Kowalski), Ross Bagdasarian, Peter Hansen, Perry Lopez, Jeanette Nolan, Nestor Paiva, Francesca Bellini, Edd Byrnes (25, like Zimbalist, he’d just signed onto 77 Sunset Strip), Ann Doran, Paul Picerni and Jerry Mathers (9, he’d just begun Leave It To Beaver).

Gee, don’t let the passion overwhelm you

* All hands on deck— The Deep Six‘s dereliction of interest was court-martialed by the year’s other men-at-sea sagas: The Silent Enemy, The Key, Onionhead, Torpedo Run, South Pacific and Run Silent, Run Deep. It was also the low-ball performer of the three Ladd flicks playing in theaters. Both The Proud Rebel and The Badlanders did more business and are considerably better entertainments.  

From ’44 to ’77—actual combat vet Zimbalist (Army lieutenant, Bronze Star, Purple Heart) was 39 in 1958, when he knocked off this contract item and began the six years and 163 episodes of 77 Sunset Strip. New recruit Bishop was also in Onionhead as well as The Naked And The Dead. The Big One left behind, a Rat Pack lay in wait. Bodies would not be injured, but they for sure would be strewn.

Look before you leap—reading the Wikipedia entry on Martin Dibley’s bestseller “The Deep Six” is enough to turn you into a c.o. and get as far away from an ocean as possible. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Deep_Six_(novel)