The Deep Six

I recently read the Bev Linet book on Alan Ladd. The book consistently talks about Alan's decline at Warner Bros. The problem with that is the half dozen of his post Paramount pictures I've seen have all been good. Linet's book, written in the 1970's, uses the old New York Times reviews as reference. The trouble there is the Times seemed to hate movies, not just Alan Ladd's. So when you are basing his films on Times reviews and not watching the actual films, you might be off target.

This is a good film. It looks good. The star looks good. It's not 1942 Ladd. But he's trim and fit. The supporting cast is excellent and deep. William Bendix; Keenan Wynn; James Whitmore; Efrem Zimbalist Jr,; Peter Hansen and Joey Bishop. All brings something to the story and their roles. The romance is believable. It's right to have Diane Foster, a 30 year old executive, engaged to another man in the beginning. Too many films gloss the romantic subplot and pretend a beautiful 30 year old woman has waited her whole life for "The man of her dreams" to appear.

The plot is simple but interesting. Ladd plays a commercial artist of a Quaker upbringing. He's a reserve Navy Lieutenant who is called to service during WW2. His superior officer doesn't like Ladd's religious background and fears he won't deliver when needed. Events conspire to make other sailors also question if Ladd can be depended on in action. Will he come through, when needed most?

Alan was a sensitive actor. When he was at ease he was brilliant. For example, with Van Heflin in Shane. His scenes with Bill Bendix here are of the same class. Two old friends back together doing what they do best. Entertaining the public.

THE DEEP SIX made a big impression on me as a kid. (I don't recall seeing more than bits and pieces since then.) At that time, World War II movies were big, as were afternoon matinees. After watching this we turned a friend's backyard tree into a submarine conning tower, which gave us hours and hours of play.

Two scenes I particularly remember:

One is when the Japanese, on the pretext of surrendering on a beach, have a machine gun hidden on the back of one of their soldiers. Suddenly he bends over and the guy behind him opens fire with the machine gun, mowing down the helpless and gullible Yanks.

And of course the key scene is when the conscientious objector, played by Alan Ladd, finally fires his gun in defense of his fellow soldiers.

8 out of 10 for the fond memories of youth....

Early scenes : French Restaurant and Ladd's Beach House are Paradise Cove, Malibu area.

This is one of a series of films made by Alan Ladd on the downhill side of his career after he left Paramount. A lot of them were good routine action stuff that had made him so popular in the 1940s. But he was getting older and wouldn't transition into older character parts.

The Deep Six concerns a naval reserve officer who because of his Quaker upbringing freezes in a combat situation. The men on the ship lose confidence in him and his only friend is the CPO on the destroyer, played by William Bendix.

In fact Bendix gives the best performance in the film. Ladd and Bendix did several films together at Paramount in the 1940s and they had a deep friendship and an easy camaraderie that comes through in The Deep Six. Bendix was a cut above a lot of the other character actors at Paramount, whereas he may have been doing character roles at Paramount, from the mid 40s on he was a popular radio and then TV star with his Life of Riley series.

The rest of the cast fills their roles out nicely. James Whitmore, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Dianne Foster, and especially Keenan Wynn as the ship's hardnosed executive officer who is Ladd's chief tormentor. Look for Joey Bishop in a small role as one of the sailors.

With the exception of William Bendix and James Whitmore the performance of the cast is flat. Alan Ladd sleepwalks through the picture as if he would rather be somewhere else. Film does not achieve its goal of exploring the inner turmoil between the Quaker beliefs and the need to fight in war.