Operation Petticoat (1959)

Operation Petticoat is yet another military farce directed by Blake Edwards. It is in pretty much the same military "farce" style that he used in other movies such as Operation Mad Ball, and What Did You Do In The War Daddy? He makes a thing as horrific and serious as the concept of war, and transforms it into something quite witty and jocose. Blake does this without causing any offense however, and therefore he did it well. Basically, the movie has an astonishing likeness to Down Periscope, or I should say that Down Periscope has a peculiar likeness to this movie. In essence, a naval submarine commander is given command over a broken down sub, and a motley, ragtag crew. The most rowdy crew member however, is the supply officer Lt. Holden. He displays a blatant disregard for rules, and yet still portrays as likable. Even more surprising is the fact that somehow, despite his various behaviors, Holden manages to get the job done and have some fun along the way.The commander encounters various "obstacles" because of his supply officer, but nothing that isn't purely entertaining. The commander is portrayed by Cary Grant, and Holden is played by Tony Curtis. Both Grant and Curtis do a fantastic job in this film, and play off of one another quite well. Grant, as you know, is an amazing actor, and has been in many classics like Arsenic and Old Lace, An Affair to Remember, North by Northwest, Only Angels Have Wings, To Catch A Thief, and The Bishop's Wife, just to name a few. This is a classic Grant performance, his style predictable, yet this litany is somehow appealing. Tony Curtis is also one of my favorite actors, at least in his older films. As of late, Curtis' movies have been losing a lot of their former luster. It's only one more reason that this light-hearted movie is enjoyable, seeing Curtis in one of his finer performances. I would put it right up there with his performances in movies such as Houdini, Spartacus, Some Like it Hot, not to mention the Boston Strangler, and Six Bridges to Cross. In some of their finer performances, Curtis and Grant dominate the film with their clever acting. However, the acting aside from Curtis and Grant was actually good, not specifically notable, but never was there a moment in which I was aware of bad acting. The only small exception was in some of the dialogue referring to women, in which the lines were rather cliché for war movies. Also, aside from the actors and directors of course, the camera work is as fine quality as it could have been. The musical score fit perfectly in with the style of the movie, and writing was well done on the parts of the writers; especially Maurice Richlin, who has worked with Blake on quite a few of his productions, including some of the Pink Panther movies, as well as the aforementioned, "Daddy What Did You Do In The War?" The situations that the writers came up with for a war scenario are ridiculous, but very entertaining. Overall, this is a higher quality film, and noteworthy in the long run. Despite this, it certainly was not amazing by any means. This movie in the end was a very appealing, satirical, and splendid production. A movie which is definitely worth a view, but not important to have seen.

Fmovies: World War 2 comedy about a submarine commander (Gary Grant , though Jeff Chandler was originally offered the role that went to Gary) teams with a cocky wheeler-dealer (Tony Curtis, though Bob Hope always said it was his biggest regret that he turned down this character), both of whom to make the sub seaworthy . Captain finds himself stuck with a decrepit (and pink) sub . The sub's commander experiences a certain amount of surprises at the unconventional methods used by his first lieutenant . They are joined by a group of army nurses (such as Nurse Barbara performed by Dina Merrill and Nurse Crandall played by Joan O'Brien , though Tina Louise was offered but turned down the role) whose lingerie is put to some unusual uses and the gags begin .

Agreeable comedy set in Pacific Ocean during WWII with plenty of humor, laughters , tongue-in-cheek and results to be pretty funny , though some jokes may be considered sexist these days . Top-notch performance by two masters of comedy , as Gary Grant was his hero in the genre and likable acting by Tony Curtis as a con-man executive officer . Great teamwork from Grant and Curtis keep things rolling . The whole film is a happy and at times comic vehicle for its wonderful stars . However , Grant himself was at first reluctant to take his role , knowing he was much too old to play a wartime captain . Some of the plot points of the movie were based on real-life incidents . Most notable were scenes set at the opening of WW II, based on the actual sinking of the submarine USS Sealion , sunk at the pier at Cavite Navy Yard, the Philippines ; Cmdr. Sherman's letter to the supply department on the inexplicable lack of toilet paper, based on an actual letter to the supply department by Lt. Cmdr. James Coe of the submarine Skipjack ; and the need to paint a submarine pink, due to the lack of enough red lead or white lead undercoat paint . Later remade , as nurse Barbara interpreted by Dina Merrill, the love interest for Tony Curtis' character, was played in the 1977 remake by Curtis' daughter, Jamie Lee Curtis ; furthermore TV series .

The motion picture was well directed by Blake Edwards , as he directs with good pace and enjoyable sense of humor . Blake is a classic comedy filmmaker and director of his own dialogue , there's no doubt he knows what he's about . His stories are amusing and well-realized though uneven , but thanks to Sellers many movies stand out . He had successes with ¨Pink Panther¨ series who became him a world-wide celebrity as ¨A shot in dark¨ , ¨Return of pink panther , ¨Revenge of pink panther¨ , ¨Curse of Pink Panther¨ , ¨Pink Panther strikes again¨ , ¨Trail of Pink Panther¨ , ¨Son of Pink Panther¨ , among others . Since then , there have been many more hit-and-miss comedies , some wildly unsuitable vehicles for his second wife Julie Andrews as ¨The Tamarind seed¨ , ¨Darling Lili¨, ¨SOB¨ , ¨10¨ , ¨That's life¨ . His greatest hits were ¨The party¨ , the travestite comedy ¨Victor/Victoria¨ and of course the joyously ¨Breakfast at Tiffany's ¨. The flick will appeal to Gary Grant and Tony Curtis fans . This is arguably one of the Blake Edwards' best . This consistently fun comedy deserves 'Two thumbs up' .

Be warned that this film has great comic dialogue delivered with fine timing by good actors, but if you are prissy about political correctness and hung up on "gender issues", it might discomfort you. But that's your problem, not the film's. Most viewers can just come aboard and enjoy the voyage, appreciating the comic situations and energetic pace. Grant and Curtis are in top form, playing their contrasting characters with skill. Virginia Gregg's and Arthur O'Connell's characters' love/hate relationship is a clever use of classic "gender issues" to elicit laughs and sympathy. The women in this film are more than just sexy ballast. In any case, as a great French comedian noted, "Vive la difference!" Relax, enjoy, and anchors aweigh.

Operation Petticoat fmovies. I have read this film called "fluff" with which I can most certainly not agree. I first saw in in first run forty seven years ago and it remains just as fresh and delightful today after many more viewings. Tony Curtis is at his very best in this picture as a shore-side con man reassigned to sea duty aboard the USS Sea Tiger in the opening days of WWII. Suave Cary Grant is as always flawless in his performance as the captain of the badly damaged sub, trying to keep it in the war with bailing wire and sealing wax. Edwards uses tight camera shots, well cut to maintain the illusion of the claustrophobic conditions of the sub, and witty dialog to keep the plot rolling. The chemistry between the principals and the supporting cast make this one of the best ever. That Edwars would go on to many other comedy triumphs is not at all surprising after seeing this film. I must see for anyone with a funny bone.

This movie was made in 1959???!!! My kids just love this movie and learned something of W.W.II, too. Great fun and somewhat hysterical; uh historical. During Vietnam era we had some days as these. A few anyway. The best ones I remember. Kind of takes some of the stress off real war tragedy. Well made and edited. Easy to follow and understand. Can be watched repeatedly. Grant at his usual best with company as "North By Northwest" , "Father Goose" and the like. Great, well made movies the younger fans can understand and enjoy.

I thought the movie was quiet delightful. A classic for the whole family Brought back alot of great memories as a child. Not a war movie for the serious war buff's. Two thumbs up. Glad I found this one!!