Customer Reviews

Operation Petticoat [VHS]

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Cary Grant is cast as the commander of the Sea Tiger, a sub held together by a lick and a promise. Tony Curtis is cast as Lt Nick Holden. He was assigned sea duty as a punishment, and is very outside of his element. Since the country is at war, supplies are very scarce, and Holden discovers that he does have a talent in being a thief. If they can't get a requisition filled, Mr. Holden can find it. This crew has one catastrophe after another, and then they get stuck with team of nurses that are stranded. This is a hilarious movie that will make you laugh out loud. The cast is superb, and not just the talent of Grant and Curtis, but all the supporting players.

Operation Petticoat is one of those movies that makes you laugh no matter how many times you see it. The cast is led by none other than Cary Grant as the commander of a decrepit submarine, caught behind the Japanese advance in the Pacific, trying hard to sail her back to safety and repair at a US base. Grant makes a fine picture as a tough yet sentimental commanding officer. In counterpoint is Tony Curtis as a totally amoral rascal with a talent for getting things done, usually by breaking all rules. Despite their mutual dislike, the two have to work together to get the sub home and the result is a truly bizarre voyage. Curtis' expertise in scrounging supplies for the damaged sub extends to a group of stranded army nurses, who predictably create havoc on the submarine. And as the sub approaches safety, it improbably ends up as a maternity ward to the consternation of Grant and the delight of the crew. I would hate to spoil the surprises but let me say the manner of the sub reaching safety is simply hilarious. Of course, all ends well - this is a movie after all - and the right lessons are learned by all. A great movie to laugh over with some superb dialog lines for Grant in particular and a string of great one-liners all around. Highly recommended.

Tony Curtis and Cary Grant are perfect in this movie.

Cary Grant is the Commander of the Sea Tiger, a submarine with more problems than crew members.

His troubles begin when the sub sinks before even leaving the harbor during a Japanese raid. Commander Sherman (Grant) and his men begin working to repair and bring up their beloved sub despite the fact that their requisition orders rarely are filled.

Due to the fact that some of his men were reassigned to other duties after the raid, Sherman is granted some "replacement's"--enter Lt. Nicholas Holden (Tony Curtis).

Holden is in the Navy not for the purpose of country but for the uniform so he can impress his rich girlfriend back home. Since he is no longer winning the rumba championships with the Admiral's wife he must settle into a role on the Sea Tiger--scavenging for items to repair the sub.

With new and inventive ways of obtaining supplies (taking the wall from headquarters and stealing supplies from beneath the noses of MP's) the Sea Tiger once again becomes sea worthy--barely.

None of the scavenging trouble Nick Holden causes Commander Sherman can even compare to the new passengers he brings aboard: a crew of female doctors, pregnant women and goats.

Cary Grant is charming as ever and deals with the many, many problems and situations thrown at him in such funny ways. Tony Curtis is equally charming and lends very much to this film.

The supporting cast can be likened to the "Down Periscope" crew of 1959. Each character brings something new and unusual to the storyline.

You definitely will not be disappointed if you buy this DVD. I recommend it highly.

This movie is absolutely hysterical! I've rented it from a local video store several times.

If you're in the mood for a laugh watch this. Cary Grant as the straightlaced, straight faced commander of the Sea Tiger a submarine badly damaged by Japanese bombs. He tells his Commander that the Sea Tiger deserves a better record than launched July 1941, sank December 1941, no missions, no prizes etc.

Tony Curtis is the Admiral's aid who is assigned to the Sea Tiger, apparently after angering the Admiral. He and one of the Admiral's wives won a rhumba contest the year before. He shows up in his dress whites for duty aboard a combat ship with a native carrying his golf clubs.

He may not have combat experience and he may look silly wearing his dress whites when he reports for duty aboard a combat vessel badly in need of repairs, but no one can out scavange him.

When the Sea Tiger needs equipment and supplies, it's Lt. Holden that they turn to. He even steals the Commander's wall.

He funds poker games to gain more supplies and equipment.

When a group of Army nurses joins the crew out of necessity, things get even livlier.

The best line in the whole movie comes from Cary Grant. It seems that one of the nurses is extremely klutzy and she shoots off the one torpedo they have which they intend to sink a tanker ship sitting at anchor. Instead of the tanker they sink a truck.

Arthur O'Connell is the engine room chief who hates having females aboard ship, especially when one of them puts her girdle to use in place of a spring or group of springs they need.

No bad language. No violence to speak of but definitely a lot of laughs.

This is by far a movie classic. Lots of great humor from two of my favorite actors Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. If you have a standard TV (4:3 aspect ratio) you will enjoy the widescreen version of this very funny movie.

If, however, you have a widescreen TV (16:9 aspect ratio) this DVD may not be for you. Artisan has chosen to record the DVD in a non-anamorphic format so the best you can do (and still retain the proper vertical to horziontal proportions) is gray bars on the sides and black bars top and bottom.

"Operation Petticoat" was produced 1959 and was directed by Blake Edwards who would go on to direct the more famous Pink Panther movie sreies. This film starred Cary Grant as Commander Matt Sherman, the captain of the U.S. Navy submarine Sea Tiger and Tony Curtis as his social climbing supply officer. Most of the supporting cast are relative newcomers although many viewers will recognize actors that made their names later on in television like Dick Sargent, Marion Ross, and Gavin MacLeod.

The story revolves around the observations of Commander Sherman and his efforts to get his badly damage submarine and its crew from the Philippines to Australia during the opening days of the second World War. At the start of this trek, Sherman is assigned Nick Holden who initially appears to be incapable of anything but organizing Navy social events but quickly reveals himself to be the most ruthless scrounger even unleashed on a military installion (one base commander laments about being a victim of "Sherman's March To The Sea"). Sherman, however, has mixed feelings about Holden's abilities and his disregard for submarine protocol. Sherman's problems grow more complex when Holden returns from an island recon with five Army nurses who had been stranded there. Much of the comedy in "Operation Petticoat" involves the interaction between the crew and the nurses and the gags between Sherman and the accident-proned Lt. Dolores Crandall (played by Joan O'Brien) are especially funny.

Although some of the script is dated, "Operation Petticoat" is still a very funny movie and except for "A Shot In The Dark" and "Victor, Victoria", it may be the funniest movie Blake Edwards ever directed. The chemistry between Grant and Curtis was very good and it's a shame that they were not used together more. If comedy is your kind of genre, "Operation Petticoat" is essential to your collection.

My favorite part of this hilarious Cary Grant and Tony Curtis romp was when Tony Curtis reports for duty to a WW II submarine in his dress whites. The rest of the crew -- greasy and grimy from trying to get their critically damaged boat into good enough condition to limp to another friendly base laugh their heads off when looking through the periscope they spot Curtis looking a little out of place on the busy pier. However, much to their surprise, Curtis proves himself invaluable as the boats "Supply" officer who does an unequalled job in "procuring" the badly needed parts for the boat in early supply shortened portion of the war in pacific. Come to find out this smoozing, angle hunting "idea man" who had been on the Admiral's staff and "Champion Rumba Dancer" (with the Admiral's wife) really was a street-wise guy from wrong side of the tracks in NY City.

And to top it off the Boat ends up with stranded Army Nurses all this makes for a great movie -- how the submarine ends up pink and how they torpedo an enemy truck I will leave to you find out. Do yourself a favor and get this movie. What a hoot!

Blake Edwards directs an all star cast in this 1959 world War ll comedy where Cary Grant, Captain of the criticly wounded submarine Sea Tiger, systematicly looses complete control of his comand. Lt. William Holden, played by Tony Curtis, is assigned to Sea Tiger as a replacement officer. The problem is that Lt. Holden has never been on a submarine. He is more suited to entering rumba contests with the Admiral's wife. Showing up on his first day in his dress whites the crew, who are despratly trying to salvage what is left of their boat, begins to laugh and so does the audiance. Lt. Holden proves to be the greatest scavenger in the Navy, and before the trip is over, he proves to be capable of scavenging more than replacement parts. Five Army nurses, one Army prisoner, two pregnant women, a pig, and a goat all come together to sink a truck with a pink submarine. I'll leave it to you to see how it happens You will not stop laughing throughout the movie. This is one you need in you collection. This one gets five out of five stars.

Operation Petticoat is one of Cary Grant's best films. The script keeps the viewer in stitches for most of the movie. My boyfriend (who was skeptical) loved it and is buying one for his parents and his niece (who is 10 years old). Filled with good clean laughter and superb casting this film is guarenteed to be a favorite of any viewer regardless of their age!

This is a great movie for the entire family! It has stars that most of the younger generation probably don't know but when they watch it, they will enjoy it. It's about the pink sub in WW II and you'll just have to watch it. It's one for your dvd collection!