Humphrey Bogart Rocks the Boat

Rating: 8/10 (8 July 2011)

Nearing the end of World War II, handsome Princeton and military school graduate Robert Francis (as Willis "Willie" Keith) is assigned duty on the Navy destroyer / minesweeper "U.S.S. Caine" in the Pacific. Leaving behind his singing sweetheart May Wynn (as May Wynn) and domineering mother, Mr. Francis is surprised to find himself aboard a fouled-up, slacker ship. Then, the disheveled old "Caine" welcomes a new Captain, glassy-eyed Humphrey Bogart (as Philip Francis Queeg)...
Letting everyone know he intends to run a tight ship, Mr. Bogart raises eyebrows with some irrational decisions and paranoiac orders. Ensign Francis watches senior officer Van Johnson (as Stephen "Steve" Maryk) and novel-writing Fred MacMurray (as Thomas "Tom" Keefer) debate whether Bogart has lost his marbles, and should be relieved of command. The title gives up the ship. A treasure trove of career peak performances led by a superb Bogart make this film recommended viewing.
******** The Caine Mutiny (6/24/54) Edward Dmytryk ~ Humphrey Bogart, Fred MacMurray, Van Johnson, Jose Ferrer