The Fighting Seabees
Tags: violence, romantic

Plot synopsis:
Wedge Donovan (John Wayne) is a tough construction boss, building airstrips in the Pacific for the U.S. Navy during World War II. He clashes with his liaison officer, Lieutenant Commander Robert Yarrow (Dennis O'Keefe), over the fact that his men are not allowed to arm themselves against the Japanese. When the enemy lands in force on the island, he finally takes matters into his own hands, leading his men into the fray. This prevents Yarrow from springing a carefully devised trap that would have wiped out the invaders in a murderous machinegun crossfire, with minimal American losses. Instead, many of Donovan's men are killed unnecessarily.
As a result of this tragedy, Yarrow finally convinces the US Navy to form Construction Battalions (CBs, or the more familiar "Seabees") with Donovan's assistance, despite their mutual romantic interest in war correspondent Constance Chesley (Susan Hayward). Donovan and many of his men enlist and receive formal military training.
The two men are teamed together on yet another island. The Japanese launch a major attack, which the Seabees barely manage to hold off, sometimes using heavy construction machinery such as bulldozers and a clamshell bucket. When word reaches Donovan of another approaching enemy column, there are no sailors left to oppose this new threat. In desperation, he rigs a bulldozer with explosives on its blade, intending to ram it into a petroleum storage tank. The plan works, sending a cascade of burning liquid into the path of the Japanese, who retreat in panic, right into the sights of waiting machine guns. However, Wedge is shot in the process and dies in the explosion.

Review: That this is one of the few Wayne war movies of the WW2 time frame that is as close to accurate as they could portray a unit of the Armed Forces!
So the idea of a separate service for the construction trade was born.Now that we know that the plot of The Fighting Seabees is so much hogwash, let me say that what the film does do very well is show the hazards of what the men in that service faced.
The scenario in this film is repeated many times over on the islands of the Pacific.As to the story of this film, John Wayne reverses roles here.
Wayne and Navy Commander Dennis O'Keefe are both interested in war correspondent Susan Hayward.
This was Hayward's second film with John Wayne, who along with Clark Gable, and Dean Martin, she once described as her three favorite leading men.
Susan Hayward has always been a favorite of mine, but it's on the strength of her performances in her starring roles in the Fifties, not as the sex object in The Fighting Seabees.The Fighting Seabees isn't one of the Duke's top 10 or even top 20, but it's a decent enough film to sit through even with the World War II heroic bravado that was obligatory at the time this was made.
Movies like "The Fighting Seabees" were made for one reason alone: as propaganda pieces designed to bolster public support for our fighting men overseas.
As such, they were an important part of the war effort, and helped ensure that fifty years later, we'd have the luxury of sitting at our computers and hashing about their qualities as movies.With all that in mind, "The Flying Seabees" is really pretty good..
My father, who was a Seabee in the Pacific during World War II, always considered this film to be 99% absolute rubbish.
He insisted that the only aspects of this movie that had any basis in fact were that the Seabees actually did recruit professional engineers and construction workers, that many of them were considerably older than other service men, that they were occasionally called upon to defend themselves, and that they really could build anything.
John Wayne is the boss of a civilian construction company building for the Navy in WW2.
While working on a remote Pacific island the attacking Japanese forces interrupt construction and Wayne must convince the Government to let his men help the Navy fight back; thus the world renowned 'fighting Seabees'.
This is a very good war drama and a fine cast that also features Susan Hayward, Dennis O'Keefe and William Frawley..
And what better image of this than the ever-vigilant John Wayne--the embodiment of the Hollywood image of heroism.This film reminds me a lot of The Flying Tigers, though the plot isn't so melodramatic.
This movie's great patriotic musical score is also a fine example of strong & very well-written harmonies for male chorus; the score sounds like the U.S. Navy Band's men's chorus (an astounding group of music professionals by the way) and is a dramatic performance that supports this very positive story of the Seabees.
With some added drama along the way, this movie demonstrates some of the work done by the SeaBees - building facilities & runways on remote islands during WWII; massive runway construction with PSP grid materials, bulldozing, & hut construction, which were all representative of the basics that needed accomplishing during this campaign.
John Wayne and Dennis O'Keefe butt heads in The Fighting Seabees, and not just over military strategy.
This WW2 war movie is also a love triangle, as both men fight over the beautiful and smart Susan Hayward.
However, if you're looking for a straight war movie, you'll probably think the romantic scenes are the unnecessary ones!The film was made during WW2, and it was mostly a pro-American propaganda film to boost morale and ensure the folks at home, "Have no fear, we'll lick this thing!" The Duke is the head of a construction company building in the South Pacific.
Werner's rather tepid 6 out of 10 evaluation of THE FIGHTING SEABEES notwithstanding (I'd have given the film much higher, but that is just opinion), the allegation that Wayne failed to perform military service during World War II owing to "disabling restrictions" is simply not true.
Still, Susan Hayward was a bright spot in this picture if only for her occasional glimpse of potential as an actualized professional woman and her undeniable attractiveness.View if you must but don't expect any great (or even small) expositions about Seabees, war or love.
Fine Story of our Navy in World War II, Tops in Action, True to Life an d very well Written, Casted Directed and Acted!.
With the release of THE FIGHTING SEABEES (Republic Pictures, 1945) not only filled the bill, but also turned out to be one of the finest movies to come out of that studio.BEING the Studio which had the (deserved) reputation of producing mostly attractions for the Saturday Matinée crowd; these of course being mainly the "B" Western Series and the Serials;Republic did such titles as THE RED PONY, SANDS OF IWO JIMA and THE QUIET MAN;all "A" Films.IN addition to those listed above, we must add what is today's analyzed specimen, the screen story of the Naval Construction Battalion, much better known as THE FIGHTING SEABEES.
ONE would certainly not have to be a film buff to come up with the answer in John Wayne.DUKE had put in a lot of time and paid his dues with a long stint as the featured player in that series of Lone Star Western Productions, which of course was a subsidiary of Monogram Pictures.
In one of his loan-outs, Director John Ford borrowed his services from Republic for the male lead in STAGECOACH (Walter Wanger Productions/United Artists, 1939) It gave a big boost to Duke's value and her saw his stock go sky high.WORKING for about all of the other Studios in various types of roles (mostly those of a Man of Action of some sort or another), Wayne's name and reputation grew considerably.
The insertion of her character (or any lovely lady) into the story would almost always be cause for an example of "the Eternal Triangle." And so it was; but this was Wartime and it would be handled in such a way as to remind all that this was a time of sorrow and self-sacrifice.REPIUBLIC spared no expense in adding to the cast in a great number of tried and true character actors in supporting roles.
The task was accomplished with the employ of such names as: William Frawley (Fred Mertz and 'Bub', later on TV), Grant Withers, Chief Thundercloud, J.M. Kerrigan, Leonid Kinskey, Paul Fix (Mica), Ben Welden and many others.WHILE Republic gave THE FIGHTING SEABEES a much larger budget than most, they still got their money's worth in every respect; for while the movie called for a great deal more outdoor shooting on location than most any other of what they usually made in their Westerns and Serials.
Even the 'Big 5' Studios of MGM, Paramount, 20th Century-Fox, RKO Radio and Warner Brothers all looked covetously at Republic's Special Effects team.OUR STORYFollowing the events of December 7, 1941 the need to have an all military construction unit; as the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces had no respect for unarmed civilian workers who were employed in building air strips, military compounds, etc., all throughout the Philippines and other locales in the South Pacific, They waste not a frame of film in giving background, the problems and the solution.POUND for pound or rather frame for frame, we can't think of a better example of a great World War II Movie, BAR NONE!
***SOME SPOILERS*** One of John Wayne's best WWII movies has him in charge of the first Seebee construction battalion in the Pacific building airfields and port facilities for the US Navy and Air Force as well as fighting off hundreds of wild eyed and charging Japanese soldiers.
are busy fighting the main Japanese forces on the many islands contested by in that theater of war.Demanding to be armed and part of the US military, not contract workers, has Donovan's men incorporated into the Army.
Donovan's Seebees are then sent fully armed to island X-214 to build a base for the US Navy to refuel it's war-ships.
Yarrow,Dennis O'Keefe, to stay in the barracks and, in what looks like an American version of a Bonzai charge, Donovan has almost his entire construction company wiped out by the invading Japanese forces!
That resulted in his, and Yarrow's, girlfriend war corespondent Constence Chesley, Susan Hayward,to be gunned down but not killed by a wounded Japanese soldier.
Rip roaring battle scenes, some of the best ever put on film without the benefit of computer enhancement, makes "The Fighting Seebees" stand out among the score of war movies released during WWII by the major Hollywood studios.
Having nothing but earth-moving and construction equipment to fight off the hoards of highly motivated and heavily armed Japanese troops supported by tanks the Seebees still hold on to the fuel tanks that's desperately needed for the US Navy Task Force in the area.
With a steam shovel loaded with explosives Donovan drives it into one of the fuel tanks causing it to explode and smoke out and drive into the open the attacking Japanese troops, their then mowed down by the Seebees and US Army and Marines.Donovan for his bravery got a medal, posthumously, not a court-martial at the end of the film, Let. Cmdr Yarrow gets the girl that both he and Donovan left behind Constance Chesely..
It's quite understandable that wartime this ultra nationalism propaganda make sense,war is war including this unreliable movie even more with John Wayne leading the process,works to Americans who needed to be convincing your people to die for the country....typical movie that didn't add to much in nothing...only to Americans whose are blind about the war!!
John Wayne plays a stubborn construction boss who wants to build stuff for Uncle Sams Navy on remote Pacific islands.
The Navy then decides to form the now legendary "SeaBees" and Waynes character Wedge Donovan is their main man.
Good WW2 John Wayne movie about the formation of the seabees (CBs = construction battalion).
Typical John Wayne at War. Typical WWII era movie in terms of fighting the Japs.
It makes you want to see them killed!Basically, any movie with John Wayne is appealing.
Construction workers fighting on an island in World War II.
See it –In a nutshell, it's the story of a group of construction workers in World War 2 who are contracted to build airfields in the Pacific.
But fans of John Wayne movies like "Back to Bataan" will enjoy it.
One of the Duke's earlier films, there are parts of The Fighting Seabees that haven't aged well.
Still, considering that it was released during the course of World War II , it's fairly justified.There is plenty of action including impressive hand-to-hand combat and firefight engagements; surprisingly, the Japanese two-man tanks employed against the Seabees (Construction Battalion)towards the climax definitely resembled the Imperial Japanese Army Type 94 tankettes (wonder how Republic Pictures pulled that one off)!
John Wayne portrays the hot headed owner of Donovan Construction Company, who offers his services to the government in building airfields and related support fortifications for the war effort.
Boiled down, Wayne's role was to make a lot of foolish mistakes that got many of his men killed, both out of uniform and as soldiers.Complicating matters for Donovan is a three way love triangle supplied by reporter Connie Chesley (Susan Hayward) and her fiancé Lieutenant Commander Robert Yarrow (Dennis O'Keefe).
The surreal nature of the exchange makes one wonder if such fighting actually could have taken place, though I imagine it would have been possible.Only John Wayne could go into battle without a weapon, and in seconds take out three attacking Japanese while securing a rifle in the process.
Most of his men suffer the same fate, a colorful supporting cast that includes William Frawley, Leonid Kinskey, Grant Withers, Paul Fix and Ben Welden.With no sense of a time dimension for the history of the Seabees, and a hit and run approach to the Wayne/Hayward/O'Keefe romance, the movie has a disjointed feel and is best approached as an entertainment piece and not a serious exploration of it's subject matter.
They do a hard unglamourous job, but they do have a great cohesion among themselves and I'm sure they are proud to have the name Seabee, no doubt in part to being associated with this John Wayne comic book tale and that great fight song that you hear in the beginning (and that cool bee mascot with the machine gun).
I think you have to take this for what it is : A propaganda flick from the home front in the midst of WW II, and a vehicle for the "Commanding movie general" of the home front, John Wayne (not serving one minute due to disabling restrictions).
Well so were the propaganda movies the Nazis and the Japanese were putting out but I don't see anyone say what good films they were.
This is one of only 10 movies out of hundreds that He made that John Wayne actually dies or is killed in.
THE FIGHTING SEABEES is a standard WW2 propaganda film featuring John Wayne in a typically gruff role as a leader of men.
It's an example of routine wartime heroics that follows the adventures of one of the Construction Battalions that toured the Pacific islands, helping to build bases and providing aid to the soldiers and pilots using the area.The film is briskly plotted and follows all of the usual routines, with a little romance and characterisation of the main characters and plenty of action for the ground-level troops.
- get it?) by the U.S. Navy during World War II also includes a love triangle subplot involving its three top-billed actors: John Wayne, Susan Hayward, and Dennis O'Keefe.
Wayne plays a well known (and well liked, by his crews) construction company owner Wedge Donovan, who's recruited by Lieutenant Commander Robert Yarrow (O'Keefe) to help sell his idea to train and arm the construction specialists to his superiors.But Wayne's character (who dances the Jitterbug with Adele Mara, uncredited) is a bit of a hothead who doesn't take direction nor orders from others very well and that, in addition to his interest in Yarrow's girlfriend Connie Chesley (Hayward), is the basis for the story's conflict.
The film's Score was nominated for an Academy Award.After Donovan's construction crew returns from doing a job for the Navy, during which several of his men are killed, Lt. Cmdr.
During the invasion, when a few of his men are killed (because they weren't in the Navy's provided shelter), Donovan's temper gets the best of his judgment and he leads his construction crew into the middle of the crossfire that Yarrow had set–up to contend with Japan's invading force.
Yarrow heard it all, but that doesn't keep him from forgiving and apologizing to Donovan's men for his error when, after realizing what he'd wrought, Wedge is at a loss for words.Wedge seems to have learned his lesson because he then helps Yarrow to form the Seabees, by recruiting construction specialists into training by the Navy for specific battalions (e.g. to build and repair runways and other requirements).
But, like the cavalry, Donovan and his men who had been hunting the snipers return just in time to save the day (tractors & cranes in combat!), causing Wedge to lose his life heroically.After a ceremony honoring the brave Seabees and their successful defense, Yarrow and Connie decide that they can be together once again..
The idea that America's Enemy in the South Pacific is some sort of sub-human creature (not unlike the Orcs in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middlearth Saga) is fleshed out during the Japanese attack on our valiant Seabees near the end of this story, when the demonic leering gargoyle-like visages of the lead tank crew are shown in close-up.
It's small wonder that the lead Seabee here, played by John Wayne, is no match for those declared to be barbaric beasts at best by the U.S. government.
Both Wayne and the gal who loves him get gunned down by heartless Japanese snipers by the end of THE FIGHTING SEABEES.The message of this movie, then and now, is clear.
If I remember, Japanese combatants weren't much better portrayed in other war films of this era..
Twice, John Wayne, as commander of the Seabees on this island, disobeys orders not to allow his men to defend themselves against snipers and Japanese mass attacks.
In the first instance of disobedience, Wayne should have contacted Commander Yarrow(Dennis O'Keefe) before he armed his men and sent them looking for Japanese.
But Wayne's men were moving right into the line of fire, and too many were killed by Japs.Probably, the 2 most important structures the Seabees built on this island were a pair of petrol tanks and the air strip.
Susan Hayward's character, serving as the love interest for both Wayne and Yarrow, was essentially decorative, she being quite a cutie.
Excellent world war 2 action movie.
The fighting seabees is an excellent little war movie and John Wayne is terrific in the lead role.The film has a good storyline and there is a lot of action and battles.
The final battle is the best part of the movie, in which the duke heroically risks his life to blow up a fuel tank.I liked the fighting seabees because of the action and the storyline.
Its just as good as the dukes other war movies like back to bataan and flying tigers.
John Wayne, looking youngish and handsome, is Wedge Donovan, head of a civilian construction company whose workers include such familiar faces as Paul Fix, J.
The roustabouts all work hard, drink hard, and get into brawls.Wayne's labor force is working on a Pacific island occupied by the U.S. Navy, mainly in the person of LTCDR Yarrow, Dennis O'Keefe, when they are attacked by Japanese aircraft and three of the men are killed.