The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1953-06-03
HOLLYWOOD
NOTES
By BOB THOMAS


tied USS Game gets under way
this week on a ga million dollar
voyage into mutinous waters.
Shipping aboard are Humphrey
Bogart as the infamous captain,
Queen; Jose Ferrer (Greenwald);
Van Johnson (Maryk), Fred Mac
Murray (Keefer); and a newcomer
named Robert Francis as the green
ensign, Willie Keith. Commanding
this crew is the ace director, Ed
ward Dmytryk, who has been com.
missioned by the Stanley Kramer
Company.
Many people said it was voy-
age that never could be made. The
Navy would never give permission
for film version of THE Game
Mutiny," they-predjcted. Dmytryk,
an earnest, athletic looking fellow,
explained to me the reasons for
the doubts.
when the book first came out, !"
he related, two studios thought
they might buy it. They submitted
synopses of the story TO the Navy
Department These synopses were
hurried and crude and distorted
the true story. The Navy turned
thumbs down."
But Stanley Kramer was I'M
daunted. He plunked down an es-
timated $1,000 10 author Herman
Wouk and submitted nothing to the
Navy until he had a completed
script by Stanley Roberts. The buy
is the biggest film bargain since
David Selznick laid out $50, 900 for
"Gone With the Wind" "Caine"
is still on best-seller lists after IS
months.
The Navy is offering full coop
Grafton for the picture. 1t has as
signed as technical advisor Comdr.
James C. Shaw, a st. Paul, MINI,
veteran who is al expert on small
ships.
"The Game was an old four
stacker, but you just can't find
them any more" reported Dmy-
tryk. "Comdr. Shaw said the last
one he saw was in England a year
or so ago. 1t was one of the so
given to Britain ard was tied up
at dock as a training ship"
The picture starts this week in
Yosemite Valley. where the ro-
nance of Willie Keith and May
Wynn takes place. (She'S played
by New York actress Donna Lee
Hickey, who viii now be known
professionally as May Wynn Then
the company spends a few days
at San Francisco, where the USS
Thompson will be used.
The sea stuff will be shot in
Hawaii with the USS Boyle. The
picture viii be finished up in Hol.
lywood, where the typhoon will be
staged on the Columbia lot. An
exact replica of the court martial
room at Yerba Buena Island will
be used for the trial sequence.
''The Navy couldn't be more CO.
operative" said the director. II
have talked to dozens of admirals,
captains and other Navy men, and
nine out Of 10 Of them liked the
book and thought ii was good for
the Navy. Some Of the terms in
the book have come into the Navy
language. A 'Queeg,' for example
is the name for Z unreasonable
officer.
| 1.-The officers can laugh about
Queeg too. Comdr. Shaw told me
about the reunion of his Annapolis
class of 1896, which was the class
of the mythical Queeg. There were
two empty chairs at the banquet
for Mr.. and Mrs. Queeg."
The picture win cost about ga
million: shooting schedule is II
days, a super-epic iu these econ
omic times. But don't get Dmytryk
started on that
II get mad when ! hear ali this
talk about schedules" he rants.
"A director Is hero because he
brings a picture ia 10 days under
schedule. But nobody says any
thing about whether its a good