Movielogr
The Deep Six (1958)
Directed by Rudolph Maté
Overview
The conflict between duty and conscience is explored in the WWII drama The Deep Six. Alan Ladd stars as Naval gunnery officer Alec Austin, a Quaker whose sincere pacifist sentiments do not sit well with his crew members. When he refuses to fire upon an unidentified plane, the word spreads that Austin cannot be relied upon in battle (never mind that the plane turns out to be one of ours). To prove that he’s worthy of command, Austin volunteers for a dangerous mission: the rescue of a group of US pilots on a Japanese-held island. The ubiquitous William Bendix costars as Frenchy Shapiro (!), Austin’s Jewish petty officer and severest critic. If the film has a villain, it is Keenan Wynn as ambitious Lt. Commander Edge, who seems to despise anyone who isn’t a mainline WASP.
Rated NR | Length 105 minutes
Actors
Alan Ladd | Dianne Foster | William Bendix | Keenan Wynn | James Whitmore | Efrem Zimbalist Jr. | Joey Bishop | Barbara Eiler | Ross Bagdasarian | Jeanette Nolan | Walter Reed | Peter Hansen | Richard Crane | Steven Marlo | Perry Lopez | Warren Douglas | Nestor Paiva | Barbara Stuart | Jerry Mathers | Steve Mitchell