Destination Tokyo
Encyclopedia
Destination Tokyo is a 1943 submarine
war film
. It was directed by Delmer Daves
and written by Daves, Steve Fisher and Albert Maltz
, and stars Cary Grant
and John Garfield
with featured performances by Dane Clark
, Robert Hutton
and Warner Anderson
. Production began on June 21, 1943 and continued through September 4, 1943, and the film premiered in Pittsburgh
on December 15, 1943. It was released generally in the U.S. on December 31, 1943.
), departs San Francisco on a secret mission. At sea, Cassidy opens his sealed orders, which direct him to proceed first to the Aleutian Islands to pick up meteorologist Raymond (John Ridgely
), then to Tokyo Bay
to obtain vital weather intelligence for the upcoming Doolittle Raid
.
Two Japanese planes attack; both are shot down, but one pilot manages to parachute into the water. When Mike (Tom Tully
) goes to pick him up, he is stabbed to death. New recruit Tommy Adams (Robert Hutton
) shoots the pilot, but because he was slow to react, Tommy blames himself for Mike's death and volunteers to defuse an unexploded bomb stuck under the deck. When Mike is buried at sea, Greek-American Tin Can (Dane Clark
) does not attend the service, which angers the other men until he explains that every Allied death causes him great pain. Meanwhile Raymond, who lived in Japan, discusses how the Japanese people were led into the war by the military faction. He hopes after victory Japanese children will be raised in peace.
As the submarine nears Tokyo Bay, the Copperfin has to somehow negotiate its way through protective minefields. When a Japanese ship enters the bay, Cassidy follows in their wake. That night, a small party goes ashore to make weather observations. Meanwhile, Tommy is diagnosed with appendicitis. Pills, the pharmacist, has to operate following instructions from a book, using improvised instruments. (There were actually a few emergency appendectomies performed in the course of wartime submarine patrols.)
Raymond broadcasts the information in Japanese in an attempt to avoid detection, but the Japanese are alerted and search the bay. Fortunately, the Copperfin remains undetected, allowing the men to watch part of the raid through the periscope
. After recovering Raymond and his team, the submarine then slips out following an exiting ship. (In reality no American submarines ever got into the inner part of Tokyo Bay.)
Later, the Copperfin sinks an aircraft carrier
and is badly damaged by its escorts. In desperation, Cassidy attacks, sending a destroyer
to the bottom and enabling the crew to return safely to San Francisco.
is given the treat of seeing a submarine-movie, it is this film they are shown. Tony Curtis
enlisted in the United States Navy
after Pearl Harbor
was bombed and war was declared. Having been inspired by Grant's role, he chose submarine duty and served aboard USS Proteus
, a submarine tender. The film influenced Ronald Reagan
(according to his autobiography) in his decision to accept the lead, as a World War II-submarine captain, in the 1957 movie Hellcats of the Navy
. Also, Cary Grant once again starred as a World War II-submarine captain in the 1959 movie Operation Petticoat
(with Tony Curtis), which in its turn led to a television series. The film's screenwriter, Albert Maltz, was later brought before The House Committee on Un-American Activities
on the premise that some lines of dialogue in the film reflected Communist sympathies.
marked a thematic if not wholesale return to both the plot and storyline of Destination Tokyo. Even the musical score of this later movie echoed its roots.
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
war film
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
. It was directed by Delmer Daves
Delmer Daves
Delmer Daves was an American screenwriter, director, and producer.-Life and career:Born in San Francisco, Delmer Daves first pursued a career as a lawyer...
and written by Daves, Steve Fisher and Albert Maltz
Albert Maltz
Albert Maltz was an American author and screenwriter. He was one of the Hollywood Ten who were later blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses....
, and stars Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
and John Garfield
John Garfield
John Garfield was an American actor adept at playing brooding, rebellious, working-class character roles. He grew up in poverty in Depression-era New York City and in the early 1930s became an important member of the Group Theater. In 1937 he moved to Hollywood, eventually becoming one of Warner...
with featured performances by Dane Clark
Dane Clark
Dane Clark was an American film actor who was known for playing, as he labeled himself, "Joe Average".-Early life:...
, Robert Hutton
Robert Hutton (actor)
-Early life:Robert Hutton was the son of a hardware merchant and was a cousin of the Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton. He attended Blair Academy, a small, exclusive boarding school in Blairstown, New Jersey...
and Warner Anderson
Warner Anderson
Warner Anderson was an American actor. He had a small part in a film in 1915. He had supporting parts in several films through the years....
. Production began on June 21, 1943 and continued through September 4, 1943, and the film premiered in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
on December 15, 1943. It was released generally in the U.S. on December 31, 1943.
Plot
On Christmas Eve, the submarine USS Copperfin, under the command of Captain Cassidy (Cary GrantCary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
), departs San Francisco on a secret mission. At sea, Cassidy opens his sealed orders, which direct him to proceed first to the Aleutian Islands to pick up meteorologist Raymond (John Ridgely
John Ridgely
John Ridgely was an American film character actor with over 100 film credits. He appeared in the 1946 Humphrey Bogart film The Big Sleep as blackmailing gangster Eddie Mars and had a memorable role as a suffering heart patient in the film noir Nora Prentiss .The Chicago, Illinois-born actor...
), then to Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
to obtain vital weather intelligence for the upcoming Doolittle Raid
Doolittle Raid
The Doolittle Raid, on 18 April 1942, was the first air raid by the United States to strike the Japanese Home Islands during World War II. By demonstrating that Japan itself was vulnerable to American air attack, it provided a vital morale boost and opportunity for U.S. retaliation after the...
.
Two Japanese planes attack; both are shot down, but one pilot manages to parachute into the water. When Mike (Tom Tully
Tom Tully
Tom Tully was an American actor.-Biography:Born in Durango, Colorado, Thomas Kane Tulley served in the United States Navy, was a private pilot and worked as junior reporter for the Denver Post before going into acting because he felt the pay was better. Tully started out on stage before eventually...
) goes to pick him up, he is stabbed to death. New recruit Tommy Adams (Robert Hutton
Robert Hutton (actor)
-Early life:Robert Hutton was the son of a hardware merchant and was a cousin of the Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton. He attended Blair Academy, a small, exclusive boarding school in Blairstown, New Jersey...
) shoots the pilot, but because he was slow to react, Tommy blames himself for Mike's death and volunteers to defuse an unexploded bomb stuck under the deck. When Mike is buried at sea, Greek-American Tin Can (Dane Clark
Dane Clark
Dane Clark was an American film actor who was known for playing, as he labeled himself, "Joe Average".-Early life:...
) does not attend the service, which angers the other men until he explains that every Allied death causes him great pain. Meanwhile Raymond, who lived in Japan, discusses how the Japanese people were led into the war by the military faction. He hopes after victory Japanese children will be raised in peace.
As the submarine nears Tokyo Bay, the Copperfin has to somehow negotiate its way through protective minefields. When a Japanese ship enters the bay, Cassidy follows in their wake. That night, a small party goes ashore to make weather observations. Meanwhile, Tommy is diagnosed with appendicitis. Pills, the pharmacist, has to operate following instructions from a book, using improvised instruments. (There were actually a few emergency appendectomies performed in the course of wartime submarine patrols.)
Raymond broadcasts the information in Japanese in an attempt to avoid detection, but the Japanese are alerted and search the bay. Fortunately, the Copperfin remains undetected, allowing the men to watch part of the raid through the periscope
Periscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position. In its simplest form it consists of a tube with mirrors at each end set parallel to each other at a 45-degree angle....
. After recovering Raymond and his team, the submarine then slips out following an exiting ship. (In reality no American submarines ever got into the inner part of Tokyo Bay.)
Later, the Copperfin sinks an aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
and is badly damaged by its escorts. In desperation, Cassidy attacks, sending a destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
to the bottom and enabling the crew to return safely to San Francisco.
Cast
- Cary GrantCary GrantArchibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
as Captain Cassidy - John GarfieldJohn GarfieldJohn Garfield was an American actor adept at playing brooding, rebellious, working-class character roles. He grew up in poverty in Depression-era New York City and in the early 1930s became an important member of the Group Theater. In 1937 he moved to Hollywood, eventually becoming one of Warner...
as Wolf - Alan HaleAlan Hale, Sr.Alan Hale, Sr. was an American movie actor and director, most widely remembered for his many supporting character roles, in particular as frequent sidekick of Errol Flynn. His wife of over thirty years was Gretchen Hartman , a child actress and silent film player and mother of their three children...
as Cookie Wainwright - John RidgelyJohn RidgelyJohn Ridgely was an American film character actor with over 100 film credits. He appeared in the 1946 Humphrey Bogart film The Big Sleep as blackmailing gangster Eddie Mars and had a memorable role as a suffering heart patient in the film noir Nora Prentiss .The Chicago, Illinois-born actor...
as Lieut. Raymond - Dane ClarkDane ClarkDane Clark was an American film actor who was known for playing, as he labeled himself, "Joe Average".-Early life:...
as Tin Can - Warner AndersonWarner AndersonWarner Anderson was an American actor. He had a small part in a film in 1915. He had supporting parts in several films through the years....
as Exec Officer - William PrinceWilliam Prince (actor)William LeRoy Prince was an American actor who appeared in numerous soap operas and made dozens of guest appearances on primetime series as well as playing villains in movies like The Gauntlet and Spontaneous Combustion.-Biography:Prince was born in Nichols, New York, the son of Myrtle , a nurse...
as Pills - Robert HuttonRobert Hutton (actor)-Early life:Robert Hutton was the son of a hardware merchant and was a cousin of the Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton. He attended Blair Academy, a small, exclusive boarding school in Blairstown, New Jersey...
as Tommy Adams - Tom TullyTom TullyTom Tully was an American actor.-Biography:Born in Durango, Colorado, Thomas Kane Tulley served in the United States Navy, was a private pilot and worked as junior reporter for the Denver Post before going into acting because he felt the pay was better. Tully started out on stage before eventually...
as Mike - Faye EmersonFaye EmersonFaye Margaret Emerson was an American film actress and television interviewer, known as "The First Lady of Television". She acted in many Warner Brothers films beginning in 1941...
as Mrs. Cassidy - Peter WhitneyPeter WhitneyPeter Whitney, was an American actor in film and television. Born as Peter King Engle in Long Branch, New Jersey, Whitney's corpulent, heavy build qualified him to play villains in many Hollywood movies in the 1940s and 1950s.From the late 1950s, he was more prolific playing character roles in...
as Dakota
- Warren Douglas as Diving Officer
- John ForsytheJohn ForsytheJohn Forsythe was an American stage, television and film actor. Forsythe starred in three television series, spanning four decades and three genres: as single playboy father Bentley Gregg in the sitcom Bachelor Father ; as the unseen millionaire Charles Townsend on the crime drama Charlie's...
as "Sparks" Reynolds - John AlvinJohn Alvin (actor)----John Alvin was an American film, stage and television actor. He appeared in over 25 films for Warner Brothers and numerous television and theater roles throughout his career, which spanned from the 1940s to the 1990s....
as Sound man - Bill KennedyBill Kennedy (actor)Willard "Bill" Kennedy was an American actor, voice artist, and host of the long-running Detroit-based television show, Bill Kennedy at the Movies. He began his career as a staff announcer in radio; Kennedy's voice narrates the opening of the television series Adventures of...
as Gunnery Officer - Ralph McColm as Ensign
- William Challee as Quartermaster
- Whit BissellWhit BissellWhitner Nutting Bissell , better known as Whit Bissell, was an American actor.-Early life:Born in New York City, Bissell was the son of prominent surgeon Dr. J. Dougal Bissell. He trained with the Carolina Playmakers, a theatrical organization associated with the University of North Carolina at...
as Yoyo - Stephen RichardsStephen RichardsStephen Richards may refer to:* Stephen Richards , lawyer and politician from Ontario, Canada* Stephen L Richards , American religious leader* Sir Stephen Richards , Lord Justice of Appeal...
as Admirals's aide - Jack MowerJack MowerJack Mower was an American film actor. He appeared in 526 films between 1914 and 1962.He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:* Destination Tokyo...
as Admiral's aide - John Whitney as Communication Officer
- George LloydGeorge Lloyd (actor)George Lloyd was an American character actor. Born in Edinburg, Illinois, Lloyd appeared in over 270 films between 1932 and 1956.-Career:...
as Chief of boat
Influence
The film had some impact: when the crew of a World War II-submarine in the 1951 movie Operation PacificOperation Pacific
Operation Pacific is a 1951 World War II submarine film starring John Wayne and directed by George Waggner. The technical advisor for this film was Admiral Charles A...
is given the treat of seeing a submarine-movie, it is this film they are shown. Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
enlisted in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
after Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
was bombed and war was declared. Having been inspired by Grant's role, he chose submarine duty and served aboard USS Proteus
USS Proteus (AS-19)
The third USS Proteus was a in the United States Navy.Proteus was laid down by the Moore Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Oakland, California, 15 September 1941; launched 12 November 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Charles M. Cooke, Jr.; and commissioned 31 January 1944, Capt. Robert W...
, a submarine tender. The film influenced Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
(according to his autobiography) in his decision to accept the lead, as a World War II-submarine captain, in the 1957 movie Hellcats of the Navy
Hellcats of the Navy
Hellcats of the Navy is a World War II submarine movie starring Ronald Reagan and his wife, billed as Nancy Davis, her then professional name...
. Also, Cary Grant once again starred as a World War II-submarine captain in the 1959 movie Operation Petticoat
Operation Petticoat
Operation Petticoat is a 1959 comedy film directed by Blake Edwards, and starring Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. It was the basis for a television series in 1977 starring John Astin in Grant's role...
(with Tony Curtis), which in its turn led to a television series. The film's screenwriter, Albert Maltz, was later brought before The House Committee on Un-American Activities
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
on the premise that some lines of dialogue in the film reflected Communist sympathies.
Thematic return
The 1959 movie Up PeriscopeUp Periscope
Up Periscope is a 1959 World War II drama starring James Garner as a Navy frogman fighting the Japanese. The supporting cast includes Edmond O'Brien, Andra Martin, and Alan Hale, Jr.. The film was written by Richard H. Landau and Robb White from White's novel, produced by Aubrey Schenk, and...
marked a thematic if not wholesale return to both the plot and storyline of Destination Tokyo. Even the musical score of this later movie echoed its roots.