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All Hands on Deck (1961 film)

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All Hands on Deck
Original British quad poster
Directed byNorman Taurog
Written byJay Sommers
Based onWarm Bodies
1957 novel
by Donald R. Morris
Produced byOscar Brodney
StarringPat Boone
CinematographyLeo Tover
Edited byFredrick Y. Smith
Music byCyril J. Mockridge
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • March 30, 1961 (1961-03-30)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,115,000[1]
Box office$1,500,000 (US)

All Hands on Deck is a 1961 American DeLuxe musical film in CinemaScope directed by Norman Taurog and starring Pat Boone as a naval officer. It is based on the novel Warm Bodies by Donald R. Morris.

Plot

Lt Donald (Pat Boone) of the US Navy is assigned to look after a troublesome sailor, Garfield (Buddy Hackett), who is from an oil-rich Indian tribe. He also romances journalist Sally Hobson (Barbara Eden).

Cast

Original novel

The film was based on a 1957 novel, Warm Bodies by Donald R. Morris, based on his experiences in the Navy. The New York Times described it as "a delightful book, fresh, warmhearted and full of fun."[2] The Los Angeles Times called it "the best funny novel about the navy since... Mr Roberts".[3]

Production

In 1958 screenwriter Jay Sommers optioned the rights to the novel and wrote a script, which he succeeded in selling to 20th Century Fox as a vehicle for Pat Boone. Part of the deal was that Sommers was kept on as writer; Oscar Brodney was assigned to produce.[4]

It was Pat Boone's first film in a number of months. He had been studying with Sanford Meisner for two years and felt in this film he was finally a "good actor".[5]

Diana Dors was mentioned as a possible co star but did not appear in the final film.[6] Jody McCrea made an early appearance.[7]

Filming started 14 November 1960.[8]

It was photographed in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color.[9]

Release

The studio did not create a pressbook to market the film in the rush to release it. Instead, the studio's marketing of the film centered on interviews with the cast.[10]

Diabolique magazine says "The racism against native Americans here is both casual and formal, but it's a rare Hollywood film at the time where they are shown to have some status in the modern world... It is all done with high spirits. Boone is quite animated, and it is a relaxed performance: his best to date. The Meisner training did pay off. Director Norman Taurog worked several times with Elvis Presley, and this feels like it could have been a Presley vehicle."[11]

Songs

The film features four songs by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston:

  • All Hands on Deck
  • Somewhere There's Home
  • There's No One Like You
  • I've Got It Made[9][10]

References

  1. ^ Solomon, Aubrey. Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1. p253
  2. ^ E. B. GARSIDE (Oct 27, 1957). "The Navy Did It His Way". New York Times. p. BR2.
  3. ^ Kirsch, Robert R. (Dec 10, 1957). "THE BOOK REPORT". Los Angeles Times. p. B5.
  4. ^ Michael A. Hoey, Elvis' Favorite Director: The Amazing 52-Film Career of Norman Taurog, Bear Manor Media 2013
  5. ^ "Rumors Have Marlon Married to Movita" By Dorothy Kilgallen. The Washington Post and Times-Herald 12 Mar 1961: G3.
  6. ^ "FILMLAND EVENTS: 3 Story Purchases Announced by 20th". Los Angeles Times. Sep 9, 1960. p. 24.
  7. ^ Hopper, Hedda (Nov 10, 1960). "Jody McCrea, Boone to Star in Navy Film". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. c11.
  8. ^ Scheuer, Philip K. (Nov 15, 1960). "Harrison, Portman Up for 'Sherlock': Stevens Directs Gail Russell; Production in Spurt at 20th". Los Angeles Times. p. B7.
  9. ^ a b Reid, John Howard. 20th Century-Fox: CinemaScope 2. [Morrisville, North Carolina]: Lulu Press, 2009, pages 15-16, ISBN 9781411622487
  10. ^ a b Kibbey, Richard D. Pat Boone: The Hollywood Years. Mustang, Oklahoma: Tate Publishing & Enterprises, 2011, page 190, ISBN 9781613461341
  11. ^ Vagg, Stephen (10 September 2019). "The Surprisingly Interesting Cinema of Pat Boone". Diabolique Magazine.
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