Crash Dive

Crash Dive
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Archie Mayo
Produced by	Milton Sperling
Written by	W.R. Burnett (story) Jo Swerling
Starring	Tyrone Power Anne Baxter Dana Andrews
Music by	David Buttolph
Cinematography	Leon Shamroy
Editing by	Ray Curtiss Walter Thompson
Distributed by	Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
Release date(s)	April 22, 1943
Running time	106 min.
Country	USA
Language	English/German

Crash Dive is a World War II film in Technicolor released in 1943. It was directed by Archie Mayo, written by Jo Swerling and W.R. Burnett, and starred Tyrone Power, Dana Andrews and Anne Baxter. The film was the last for Power, already enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, before assignment to recruit training also known as boot camp.

Plot

A US Navy submarine, the USS Corsair, is operating in the North Atlantic, hunting German merchant raiders that are preying on Allied shipping. Its new executive officer, Lt. Ward Stewart (Power), has been transferred back into submarines after commanding his own PT boat. At the submarine base in New London, Connecticut, he asks his new captain, Lt. Cmdr. Dewey Connors (Andrews), for a weekend leave to settle his affairs before taking up his new assignment. On a train bound for Washington D.C., Stewart accidentally encounters New London school teacher Jean Hewlett (Baxter) and her students. Despite her initial resistance to his efforts, he charms her and they fall in love.

His infatuation with PT boats irritates Connors but the two become friends after a combat action with a Q ship in which Connors is injured and Stewart sinks it. Connors, unbeknownst to Stewart, is already in love with Jean but delays marrying her until he gains a promotion to commander. Tension between the men ensues when Connors discovers that the woman Stewart is wooing is Jean. The film culminates in a commando raid by the Corsair on an island supply base for the German raiders.

Cultural Significance

Several factors make Crash Dive a movie worth watching.

First, the film was one of relatively few filmed in color during the Second World War. The color adds a vibrancy which sets it apart from similar films of its era.

Second, it features color footage shot at the submarine base in Groton, Connecticut. Naval historians will find this to be very interesting and useful in documenting the bases appearance during the war. Other historic facets, such as the admiral's office and the officer's club, are preserved and documented in the film. Close observation in a few shots also shows the Gold Star Memorial Bridge over the Thames River under construction.

Third, and of most significance, is the portrayal of Cook Oliver Cromwell Jones by Ben Carter. Although the character is in many ways stereotypical, it breaks through stereotypes and becomes a vital part of the film. Jones has a close relationship with the the submarine's chief petty officer "Mac" (James Gleason) and confronts him about his secret use of heart medication. Jones also breaks stereotypes when he is selected to go on a dangerous commando mission and performs bravely in combat. There is even a scene where Jones breaks out of his "station" in society and laughs when the white sailors are putting on black grease to hide their faces at night for the commando mission. Jones then says loudly, "I'm the only born commando here!" While by modern standards this would be seen as a cheap race joke it was undoubtedly on the edge for the 1940's when blacks were confined to being cooks in the Navy and it would unthinkable to have a black as a member of an elite commando unit.

While not a complex movie Crash Dive does provide excellent documentation of the Navy during the Second World War and places a dent in the entrenched racial barriers of that time.

Cast

As appearing in screen credits (main roles identified):

Actor	Role
Tyrone Power	Lt. Ward Stewart
Anne Baxter	Jean Hewlett
Dana Andrews	Lt. Cdr. Dewey Connors
James Gleason	Chief Mike "Mac" McDonnell
Dame May Whitty	Grandmother
Harry Morgan	Lt. J.G. "Brownie" Brown
Ben Carter	Oliver Cromwell Jones

External links

• Crash Dive at the Internet Movie Database