Fighting Coast Guard is a 1951 American adventure film directed by Joseph Kane and written by Kenneth Gamet. The film stars Brian Donlevy, Forrest Tucker, Ella Raines, John Russell, Richard Jaeckel, William Murphy and Martin Milner. The film was released on June 1, 1951, by Republic Pictures.[2][3][4]

Fighting Coast Guard
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoseph Kane
Screenplay byKenneth Gamet
Story byCharles Marquis Warren
Produced byJoseph Kane
StarringBrian Donlevy
Forrest Tucker
Ella Raines
John Russell
Richard Jaeckel
William Murphy
Martin Milner
CinematographyReggie Lanning
Edited byArthur Roberts
Music byDavid Buttolph
Production
company
Distributed byRepublic Pictures
Release date
  • June 1, 1951 (1951-06-01)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$532,111[1]

Plot edit

Shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor, shipyard foreman Bill Rourk is feuding with a former football star, Barney Walker, who now works there. He is romantically attracted to Louise Ryan, an admiral's daughter working as a wartime welder, but she is dating Ian McFarland, a naval commander.

McFarland launches an officers training course once America becomes active in World War II. Bill signs up, but his record is tainted by lies told by Walker. He is also caught out after curfew by the military police, while trying to romance Louise.

Walker is fatally injured in battle and confesses his lies about Bill before dying. When a former shipyard colleague, young Tony Jessup, is stranded and endangered, Bill disobeys orders and heroically tries to save Tony, who dies while being rescued. McFarland commends his bravery, then confides to that his sweetheart, Louise, has fallen in love with Bill.

Cast edit

Reception edit

Bosley Crowther, critic for The New York Times, wrote, "Directed and played in a florid fashion, this story falls flatly in the class of low-grade adventure fiction that makes neither point nor sense."[3]

References edit

  1. ^ Flynn, Charles; McCarthy, Todd (1975). "The Economic Imperative: Why Was the B Movie Necessary?". In Flynn, Charles; McCarthy, Todd (eds.). Kings of the Bs : working within the Hollywood system : an anthology of film history and criticism. E. P. Dutton. p. 28.
  2. ^ "Fighting Coast Guard (1951) - Overview". TCM.com. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  3. ^ a b Crowther, Bosley (1951-05-12). "Movie Review - Fighting Coast Guard - THE SCREEN; The Coast Guard". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  4. ^ "Fighting Coast Guard". Afi.com. Retrieved 2015-11-28.

External links edit