Destination Tokyo

I saw it at age seven, and the impact on me was no different than on adults. We struck back at the sneaking enemy. We were on the road to revenge for Pearl Harbor. Aside from all that, here is what I think today. Cary Grant was the perfect hero for us. He was calm and determined. He was real. Then there was John Garfield who spoke for all of us when he branded Japan as a police state. Dane Clark was very good, if somewhat emotional And Charlie of the Angels, John Forsythe, made his debut and he too was good. There was some propaganda, but really not that much. The movie demonstrated the perfect resolve of the USA to destroy the "Japs" as we called them in wartime. It is still a good flick.

This movie is a great example of a thriller, not looking to be a non-fiction account of a WWII sub, just a great story with a group of true professionals. Cary Grant was so compelling in this role that Tony Curtis said he based his famous part in Some Like It Hot on Cary Grant's performance in this picture, and that Curtis always wanted to do a movie with Grant on a submarine from that moment forward---and of course got his wish with Operation Petticoat. A previous reviewer slammed this movie for its anti-Japanese propaganda. Perhaps a slight bit of history would help. Statisitically, an American POW was FOUR times likely to die as a prisoner of the Japanese than of the Germans. The end of the war saved the lives of thousands of Americans because their treatment in Japanese camps was so horrifying. Six foot tall sailors weighing 100 pounds was not an uncommon site. The same Japanese military also starved its own people in places like Okinawa to feed itself, and I would hope that all people would now be familiar with the 'rape of Nanking,' so what was called propaganda was more just the way of the world at the time. This is one reason that the people who fought for America during World War II are revered and treasured so much.

Have not seen this film in years and it was a great experience seeing this film and the great veteran actors who made this into a great WWII story. Cary Grant, (Capt. Cassidy) plays the commander who manages to take his submarine right into the backyard of the Japanese Nation. John Garfield, (Wolf) plays a great role who charms the crew with his tales of all the women he met along with a great deal of exaggeration. Alan Hale, (Cookie Wainwright) was a cook on the submarine and was able to give a great deal of comedy to his role as the chef. This film will keep you on the edge of your seat when the sub comes under fire from the Japanese Destroyer's while one of the crew is having surgery by a man who knows nothing about appendicitis. Dane Clark, (Tin Can) gave a great supporting role in this film and this film started a great career for Dane in Hollywood. Great film, don't miss it, you can see this film over and over.

With all the stir over Bruckheimer and Bay's silly PEARL HARBOR action ride, you might want to see some more realistic and gritty war films. Among them should be the historical retelling of Pearl Harbor in TORA! TORA! TORA! and the Doolittle raid in THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO.

The Doolittle raid would not have been possible without the scouting job of the submarine that snuck into Tokyo bay to guide the plains in over the city. This film gives a rousing account of that mission as well as a beautifully done propaganda job to keep the troops and folks back home energized during the war.

The film still stands up well as a genuine action adventure. Definitely a movie for those who enjoy great film.

Great propaganda film for WWII. However, can anyone really believe that Cary Grant is from Oklahoma City? Since the Doolittle raid was in April of 1942, the movie has to begin on Christmas day 1941 - a little less that three weeks after the US got into the war. But the Captain says that this is their 5th tour. Cookie says that the previous Christmas (1940) they spent getting depth charged. Unless they decided to get into the war before it was declared. By the way, the actor who played Cookie is not the Alan Hale who went on to become the Skipper in Gilligan's Island. Alan Hale died in 1950. The Skipper was his son, Alan Hale, jr.