Submarine Command (1951) User Reviews

Bill Holden Had To Wait For Another War

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 6 March 2009]

The problem that Submarine Command had from the start is that it came out in the same year as Operation Pacific which had similar plot situations. It might be better known today if that were not the case. As it is it's not a bad action adventure film and no disgrace to its star William Holden or any of the supporting cast.

When I reviewed Operation Pacific I said that I like submarine films, but inevitably the same situations and clichés follow into each film. In this case William Holden was a newly assigned Executive Officer to the USS Tiger Shark and he was a recent Annapolis graduate who had just done a few shakedown cruises and had never seen any real combat. And it's the summer of 1945.

In action Holden like John Wayne in Operation Pacific is forced to leave his wounded captain, John Gregson on top and dive the submarine and take command. This gains the enmity of CPO William Bendix who was devoted to captain Gregson. Wouldn't you know it, the day this happens, Holden's only experience under fire during World War II is the day the Japanese surrender and news of it comes when the Japanese suddenly break off an engagement with the Tiger Shark.

Unlike the Duke who got an opportunity in this war to redeem himself in a few eyes, Holden had to wait until Korea for his chance. In the meantime he marries Nancy Olson. Submarine Command was their fourth and final film together, the two had been teamed for Sunset Boulevard, Union Station, Force Of Arms, and now Submarine Command. Three good films and one classic isn't a bad record. Olson seemed to be Paramount's answer to MGM's June Allyson in those good girl next door roles. She and Holden clicked very well on screen.

Of course the incomparable William Bendix is here as well. That man never gave a bad performance in anything he was in. He and Holden worked together at Paramount in Blaze At Noon and Streets Of Laredo. They would not be teamed again as well.

Although I liked Operation Pacific better, Submarine Command is a fine film on its own that just suffered from bad timing. Fans of William Holden will like it.

The actors make this routine plot enjoyable.

[kfo9494 · 7/10 · 11 August 2018]

William Holden did a nice job in this patriotic movie but for the most part this film seemed be the same plot from so many war-time movies. A commander had to make some hard decisions by letting people die in order to save the ship. Of course, at least a few of the people disagree with the decision- and there we have the rub of the story. The only difference in this tale than others. is the fact that most of the mental conflict about the decision comes at the close of the war instead of playing out during the war. So this seemed like a reused plot with names being changed for the audience approval.

Do not get me wrong, the movie has some gifted actors that gave nice performances. Along with Holden, William Bendix and Nancy Olson did a nice job keeping the story interesting and the viewer involved in the story. Even when the writing (at the end) was rushed and forgiveness came like a flash, the actors made the transition flawlessly. Perhaps a bit more time should have been planned for the ending instead of feeling rushed to an conclusion. But since this was not to be, we are left with a film that is at least entertaining and we can enjoy the talent of the actors. Nice watch.

A Submarine Commander Wracked by Guilt

[Uriah43 · 6/10 · 27 December 2020]

This film begins in the waning days of World War 2 with a new officer by the name of "Ken White" (William Holden) being assigned as the Executive Officer to the American submarine U.S.S. Tiger Shark. Although the boat and crew have recorded 18 confirmed kills Lt. Cmdr. White feels somewhat disappointed that he had no part in any of them having spent most of the war on shore with other duties. He finally gets his chance when the commander allows him to take temporarily take command of the U.S.S. Tiger Shark after a small Japanese convoy is spotted. He then manages to sink two enemy ships before they take evasive maneuvers to escape. Having now resumed command "Cmdr. Joshua Rice" (Jack Gregson) orders the submarine to surface to look for survivors and is the first to go topside. It's at this time that a Japanese Zero attacks the submarine requiring Lt. Cmdr. White to dive immediately. Needless to say, this order seals the fate of both Cmdr. Rice and another sailor who were on deck at the time. It also infuriates one of the senior enlisted men by the name of "CPO Boyer" (William Bendix) who feels that there was sufficient time to bring both of them back inside despite the fact that a Japanese destroyer has spotted them and is approaching fast. From that point on Lt. Cmdr. White is wracked by guilt even though everyone within his chain-of-command concurs with his action once they get back to port. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a rather somber submarine film which focuses heavily upon the post-traumatic stress that Lt. Cmdr. White had to endure which also affected his marriage and his relationships with others as well. Admittedly, I didn't care for the rather quick ending but all in all I found this to be an enjoyable movie for the most part and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

The Nightclub in Submarine Command was the Club Royal

[bertojame · 14 March 2009]

The nightclub pictured in Submarine Command was the Club Royal located at 3rd and C street in downtown San Diego. The wallpaper was black with chartreuse horses pictured, the booths were red. Walter Fuller was the band leader and played trumpet. This nightclub was owned at the time by Albert Bertolino who appears briefly in the bar scene. His wife,Una was the attractive blond seated at the bar. William Holden and Nancy Olsen were on the set at the time and were kind enough to visit with me and my family during the filming of this scene at a restaurant next door to the club. Third street at that time consisted of one bar after another. These clubs were razed in the latter part of the 20th century.

Good...not great. But it does talk about PTSD.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 24 June 2017]

The term Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was coined more recently, so you won't hear it used in "Submarine Command". However, some of the symptoms clearly are what Lt. Cmdr. Ken White (William Holden) are clearly what he's struggling with...making it one of the earlier war films to tackle this.

The film begins during the closing days of WWII. Ken is second in command on the USS Tiger Shark, a sub. When the ship is under attack from a Japanese plane, he orders the ship to dive in order to save it from being sunk. Unfortunately, the Captain and one other man are stuck on the deck...injured and unable to make it in time. The CPO aboard (William Bendix) holds Ken responsible for losing the men...though he had no other choice. Even the widow and father of the Captain assure Ken he did the right thing...but Ken won't forgive himself or forget it.

When he returns to the US, he gets married...and proves to be a surly husband. His wife has difficulty getting close to him and he is a jerk. When the Korean War arrives, the Tiger Shark is once again activated...and Ken is in command. Can he work through his anxieties and self-doubt? Or, will he simply remain a surly jerk?

This is a decent but not great sub film...and there are quite a few great sub films out there. My biggest gripe is that the CPO was insubordinate at times and it seemed ridiculous for Ken to keep him on the ship as well as bring him aboard years later. But still, this is a minor problem and overall it's very good and worth seeing.

Good But Slow

[boblipton · 6/10 · 3 April 2023]

Sub commander William Holden makes the right calculation and three men under his command die after peace is declared. Admiral Moroni Olsen says he did right, but engineer William Bendix doesn't like it. Neither does Holden. He broods from the end of the Second World War until he resigns, then changes his mind, so wife Nancy Olson leaves him. Admiral Olsen says the resignation wouldn't have been accepted, because it's the Korean War now, and he's needed to command his old sub's namesake. Is Holden going to make the right decision and brood himself into a padded cell, or the wrong one and a well-adjusted court martial.

There's talk that this is an early example of the serious consideration of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, but it looks more like survivor's guilt to me. In any case, there are lot of scenes of Holden looking moody and arguing with Miss Olson. Director John Farrow may have been an expert movie guy for Men Under Stress, but this one is a bit too slow. With Don Taylor, Arthur Franz, and Darryl Hickman.

Stand By For Surface Action!

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 11 September 2015]

Handsome young Navy Commander William Holden boards the submarine Tigershark, just out of mothballs, ready for war in Korea. In films these boats are always named after aggressive fishes. No submarine is named Flounder or Guppy. Alone on the empty boat he reminisces about his experience as Executive Officer in World War II. His narration carries us through the flashback. "Yes. You might as well get used to it again. It's HIS boat. It will always be his boat. Funny how things work out." It's the kind of thought that people have in movies but rarely in real life.

No matter. This isn't designed to be a poetic masterpiece. It's functional and familiar and exciting, rather like a submarine chasing a convoy.

In World War II, we witness the familiar scene of the captain being wounded by a strafing Japanese airplane and Holden, next in command, having to order the boat to dive -- under the fierce protestations of Chief William Bendix. By the time they are able to make a search, the skipper's body is long gone. But Holden has earned Bendix's eternal enmity. Moreover, he loathes himself.

He marries his girl friend, Patricia Olsen, but he's haunted during the post-war years, is mean to friends, excoriates his wife until she decides to leave him. Then, the Korean War. The Tigershark is taken out of mothballs and Holden is the skipper again. Guess who the Chief Torpedoman is. So the troubled Holden is once again helming the Tigershark, this time towards wintry Korean waters.

The mission is to help evacuate troops surrounded by the enemy. Holden succeeds courageously, brilliantly, and earns back Bendix's respect and his own. Furthermore, Nancy Olsen appears willing to resume their marriage.

These submarine movies are usually fun, and this one lacks most of the familiar incidents, the extended depth charges, taking her below the design limits, the popping rivets, the shattered chronometer, the panicky crew member. In real life, it must have been a very cozy existence with everyone living on top of everyone else in a steel tube, the wardroom the size of a walk-in closet.

An enjoyable and stylish genre movie.

You know you're in trouble when the voice-over narration is more gripping than the story...

[moonspinner55 · 4/10 · 19 May 2009]

Another military drama via submarine, this time giving William Holden his turn underwater. He plays a Naval Commander aboard the Tiger Shark in the final days of WWII; as second-in-command to the captain, he makes a decision in the midst of battle which costs the captain his life. Haunted by this alleged failure (which the captain's own widow tells him was not his fault), Holden hopes to redeem himself during the Korean War. One-part military drama, another part soul-searching soaper. Holden gets surly as his self-confidence plummets, lashing out at his new bride (Nancy Olson, who gave up a $300-a-week advertising job just to play housewife!), while disgruntled Chief Petty Officer William Bendix gives Holden such a rough time--when nobody else does--that his personal motives come under question. The dialogue is so rote that only exceptionally talented actors could get by with it, with Holden doing double-duty, narrating in flashback (a device which fared better for Holden in "Sunset Blvd."). Still, that grave voice-over gives the movie its only dramatic thrust, as what we're seeing on the screen is rather dull and predictable. Film is curiously stifled emotionally, though it has solid cinematography by Lionel Lindon. ** from ****

September 11, 1943

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 14 October 2022]

September 11, 1943

A world war and another war that most people have forgotten about, this navy film isn't exactly the easiest film to get into although it isn't horrible. It's a reunion of William Holden and Nancy Olson from "Sunset Boulevard", and gives William Bendix one of his best performances even though it's a typical Bendix character. Holden is involved in a tragic mission during World War II which leads to some hidden emotional problems which affects his relationship with the beautiful Olson. After nearly a decade of hidden animosity, Bendix finds himself working once again with Holden on the Tiger Shark, the very same ship that they were on during the last years of World War II. For the sake of the mission, they must put their past behind them, and in a cramped space, it becomes all about succeeding in preventing this conflict from escalating into something worse than what happened before.

The claustrophobic setting for me was a metaphor for the closed-in setting and emotions which become complicated to truly understand as the plotline develops into something a bit convoluted and often slow. It's very different than other war movies I've seen, but that doesn't make it an automatic classic or a film I could genuinely say I loved or hated. Holden doesn't age at all in the near 10 years span, but I did find it ironic that September 11th is listed as the date everything begins to fall apart for Holden in the prologue that he narrates. I can see that director John Farrow was going for something different, and I can also see why people either seem to love or hate this movie basically have little to no feelings about it being memorable. Perhaps the issue is in the script because it is photographed in great detail and at times, it's easy to feel that agony of the men and what they are going through. So this is not a complete disaster, but just when I'm glad I watched once but would never dane to revisit.

Down We Go

[telegonus · 8/10 · 28 June 2004]

Submarine Command is an excellent example of the type of good entertainment that Hollywood used to grind out regularly back in the fifties. The story isn't deep, but the writing (Jonathan Latimer) and direction (John Farrow) are very fine, and the actors, especially William Holden, in the leading role, are all in good form. William Bendix provides a kind of stubborn, moral center in the movie, and one can only hope that Holden can get into his good graces. Most of the technical military-professional side of the film is realistically or at least convincingly (to me) handled. The movie's otherwise ho-hum submarine stuff, with all the usual cliches, but so much life is breathed into the old material that it feels fresh and original, no small accomplishment in this kind of film.

Feel Good Old Movie

[essers · 8/10 · 27 March 2005]

William Holden is Cmdr. White a quite mature man who suffers through the boredom of the post WW II Navy. He is chained to a desk on a base near his old submarine, which has been decommissioned and mothballed. He visits it periodically to experience his wartime ghosts. He is so bored that he seriously considers chucking the Navy and taking a more lucrative civilian job. Nancy Olson plays his understanding Navy wife. William Bendex is also on hand with old time Chief Petty Officer wisdom and to remind Holden of his ghosts.

Don Taylor portrays the fun and games Navy pilot who is anything but mature. He is teaching ROTC at a nearby college. They met at the end of the war when White's submarine rescued him. They maintain a friendship even though White is at times disturbed by his happy-go-lucky well adjustment.

When The Korean War starts White is rescued from his desk and placed in command of ----- (You guessed it!) his old submarine. Taylor and Holden are united again off the Korean Coast where boat and men undertake a movie ending dangerous mission.

This was a feel good war movie that wasn't loaded with dated propaganda. Holden narrates as he did in Sunset Blvd. where he first played opposite Olson.

If you like military movies, this is a good one.

William Bendix's finest role

[PWNYCNY · 9/10 · 26 July 2005]

This movie has to be William Bendix's finest role. Noted for his portrayal of comic characters, such as Chester A. Riley in "The Life of Riley," in this movie Bendix is a moody, brooding sailor harboring a deep-seeded resentment toward the commander of a submarine, played by William Holden. The other characters in the movie are quite forgettable and the storyline itself, although interesting, is nothing particularly special and as a post-World War Two movie, it lacks the intensity of movies made during the war. But William Bendix's portrayal makes this movie worth watching and makes this movie, if not a classic, at least a work of art that merits consideration and an honorable mention.

Better than average film

[lbailey52-1 · 8/10 · 28 April 2009]

Just saw the movie on TCM. Recommended for submarine buffs. Fairly accurate commands and procedures. They took bits of true stories as most of these kinds of movies tend to do. Howard Gilmore was awarded the Medal of Honor for ordering his boat down after being wounded and realizing that to make it below would delay the dive and probably lose the boat. Gene Fluckey, another Medal of Honor winner and also known as The Galloping Ghost of the China Coast, took his boat into a Chinese harbor filled with Japanese shipping, sank a few and ran in shallow water, dodging gunfire until he had enough water to dive. Bill Holden should have been running as soon as he surfaced to send his radio message. In summary, better than average and pretty enjoyable if you know a little historical background.

Not the best WIllam Bendix roll

[Bronco46 · 9/10 · 24 May 2009]

I couldn't disagree more with the reviewer who credits this as Mr. Bendix's best roll. He was good in most of the rolls he took on with the possible exception of The Babe Ruth story. I have three best William Bendix films: Life Boat, Wake Island, and Kill the Umpire. In this film he's play the chief torpedo-man on the Tiger Shark a boat and crew haunted by the loss of their captain on the last day of the war. Bendix's character blames the man who took command during the emergency that resulted in the loss of the captain. After the war William Holden's character has to come to grips with the memory of that day and the loss of his friend. The piece time navy and his conscience put to much pressure on his marriage and he finds himself redeployed aboard the Tiger Shark with many of the old crew for a new war in Korea. The sub is used to assist in the rescue of some commando's stranded ashore in Korea. During this mission the captain finds he has to use tactics he wouldn't have used before.

A submariner's torment.

[michaelRokeefe · 8/10 · 23 April 2015]

John Farrow directs a story and screenplay by Jonathan Latimer about a decision questioned for too long of a time. It is said that star William Holden put up $20,000 of his own money to see this film was made. Holden plays Lt. Commander Ken White, who under attack by Japanese fighters, orders his submarine to crash-dive while his commander is still topside on the deck. This decision not only torments and haunts White, he also loses a lot of respect of fellow submariners. Once again in his command, White must make another life or death decision.

A star-studded cast features: Nancy Olson, William Bendix, Jack Gregson, Peggy Weaver, Arthur Franz, Darryl Hickman, Jack Kelly and Jerry Paris.

An interesting study in a different sort of war trauma

[clanciai · 9/10 · 7 February 2020]

An excellent war drama presenting many interesting war problems with an excellent cast: William Holden and William Bendix match each other perfectly, both partly as victims of war traumas. Holden enters his submarine on the very day when the war ends by the Japanese capitulation, but before that moment occurs there is a critical action which leaves Holden and Bendix both traumatized. As someone said, this is actually a very valuable presentation of the PTSD problem, as neither Holden nor Bendix ever get over it. Fortunately there is also Nancy Olson who can provide a happy end after all. The story, like generally all submarine stories on film, is extremely interesting and exciting, while at the same time it is a typical William Holden film: he almost always played the same character, always serious, always deep in trouble, always getting into intricately difficult situations, usually losing his life in the bargain, while here he has some difficulty in finding himself obliged to survive and endure ordinary life. It is only really difficult in peace time, though - as soon as the Kore war begins he is at it again, and, as usual, he makes it.