Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.

Odd, not in a good way.

In a lot of parts, 'Lt. Robin Crusoe U.S.N.' does feel like a retread of 1960's 'Swiss Family Robinson' - the plot has differences, but you could possibly make a case for it being a paint job on that aforementioned film. Too cynical? Probably.

For a comedy, there's a real lack of entertainment and humour. I don't think I laughed once. As for the cast, Dick Van Dyke is the best part of this film, though his character is rather forgettable. Nancy Kwan is decent but hardly gets to show off any of her acting abilities to be honest.

I'm not sure I entirely get the message, either. Women's rights? The ending, which kinda comes out of nowhere, goes against that. As a whole, this is too slow paced and uninteresting for me.

This is an all time classic Disney flick, and TOTALLY underrated. I used to watch this all night long when I was sick. The humor and silliness of the film always made me feel better. Now, as an adult, I see so much more in the film. Of course you have Dick Van Dyke, who is a comic genius, who steals the show with his physical comedy, but underneath it, the film takes on some serious issues. I've used the film to teach about the women's rights movement in the USA, and even to explain the spread of democratic ideals, and the effect it can have on a society. Really! The most important thing is that this is a wholesome, family fun comedy. It makes hardened teenagers laugh, and I always get comments about how good it is. They always say "I thought it was going to be stupid, but it was really ________ (good, funny, cute, fun, fill in your own positive). High praise indeed! I was frequently told that "The guy from Mary Poppins is funny, but Floyd steals the show!" I absolutely recommend this flick. It is one of the all time best!

I really liked this movie. I think it was the first Dick Van Dyke movie I can remember seeing. It was hilarious. I highly recommend it for a rollicking good time!

While flying over a remote area of the Pacific Ocean, a U. S. Navy pilot named "Lt. Robin Crusoe" (Dick Van Dyke) is forced to bail out after his fighter jet develops engine problems. After drifting at sea for several days without food or water, he eventually washes ashore on a deserted island and, thanks to his remarkable survival skills, makes the most of the situation. However, as time passes, he becomes increasingly lonely. It is then that he discovers the remnants of a Japanese submarine and, to his delight, finds a friendly chimpanzee named Floyd residing inside. Yet, it isn't until he finds human footprints on his island that he realizes he is not truly alone. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this could have been a much better movie had it not relied so heavily on the slapstick comedy provided by Dick Van Dyke--especially considering that much of the comedy fell flat. On a more positive note, having an attractive actress like Nancy Kwan (as "Wednesday") along with the beautiful tropical scenery definitely enhanced what, in my opinion, would have been a rather drab comedy otherwise.

The Aircraft Carrier in this movie is USS Kitty Hawk. I was a radioman stationed on the 'Hawk when Disney came aboard in San Diego and filmed some launches and recoveries. When we returned to San Diego the Disney crew left to go make the movie, and Kitty Hawk left for the Western Pacific and Viet Nam. When we returned eight months later, the world premiere of Lt. Robin Crusoe, USN was held right there on the ship. Disney studios came aboard and turned Hangar Bay #1 into quite a nice theater. Having been an usher in theaters in my home town of Las Vegas NV, I was assigned some ushering duty for that premiere (and I got to meet Dick van Dyke and Nancy Kwan!) Not the "greatest" movie of all time, but very entertaining.