The Wackiest Ship in the Army

1960
Approved
1h 39m

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During WW2, Lt. Rip Crandall, who was a yachtsman before the war, takes command of the USS Echo, a sailing ship, for a secret mission in waters patrolled by Japanese warships.During WW2, Lt. Rip Crandall, who was a yachtsman before the war, takes command of the USS Echo, a sailing ship, for a secret mission in waters patrolled by Japanese warships.During WW2, Lt. Rip Crandall, who was a yachtsman before the war, takes command of the USS Echo, a sailing ship, for a secret mission in waters patrolled by Japanese warships.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.3/10

2.6K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The original name of the boat in the movie was the "Fiesta". She was built in Hong Kong in 1932 entirely of teakwood. She was a 72 foot gaff-rigged schooner and came with a 165hp auxiliary diesel engine, weighed 28 net tons, drew 8 feet of water and could make 7.5 knots under power. She was also equipped with 3 tiled heads (bathrooms), two of them with showers, 1400 gallon fresh water tank, a 19 cubic foot deep freezer, and a 24 cubic foot refrigerator. Prior to the movie the Fiesta was owned by Martin J. Vitousek and his wife the former Beatrice Leiseder. (Source: The San Francisco Chronicle Sept. 14, 1952).

Goofs
The aircraft that flies Lt. Crandall (Lemmon) from the carrier to his new assignment on the Echo appears to be an S-2 Tracker or its variant, the C-1 Trader. Both planes first saw service in the mid 1950s, several years after the time frame of the movie.

Quotes
Lt. Rip Crandall: [the crew is abandoning ship] What, aren't you going to stay here and die for the "Rising Sun"?
Capt. Shigetsu: Are you out of your mind?
[Jumps overboard with the rest of the crew]

Crazy credits
Opening credits: THE WACKIEST SHIP IN THE ARMY...................IN THE ARMY?

Connections
Features Beachhead (1954)

Soundtracks
Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans
(uncredited)
Music by Louis Alter
Lyrics by Edgar De Lange
Performed by Ricky Nelson
[Hanson sings the song in the officers' club]

User reviews23

Review

Featured review

6/10

Decent Jack Lemmon Vehicle

Lieutenant Rip Crandall is hoodwinked into taking command of the "Wackiest Ship in the Navy" -- a real garbage scow with a crew of misfits who do not know a jib from a jigger.

Columbia Pictures acquired the rights to a story in the July 1956 issue of Argosy titled Big Fella Wash Wash, inspired by reminisces from former Echo skipper Meredith "Rip" Riddle. The story was advertised on the cover of the magazine as "The Wackiest Ship in the Army", because the naval vessel had been under Army command while in port, and Columbia used that title when purchasing the story in 1957. The movie never explained any connection between the ship and the Army, puzzling some viewers.

Oddly enough, it never occurred to me that "Army" was strange, since I think of "army" as a general term for the military as well as the specific branch. But yeah, I can see how that might be confusing... now I feel foolish I had not noticed sooner.