Operation Petticoat
1959 · Movie · PG · 124 min · ★ 7.2 · 76% critics
In World War II, a submarine commander must keep a damaged sub running while dealing with a crafty executive officer and a surprising group of army nurses on board. As repairs continue and travel plans shift, cramped quarters and escalating mishaps push the crew into increasingly chaotic situations.
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Details
- Years
- 1959
- Release date
- 1959-12-05
- Language
- English
- Rated
- PG
- Runtime
- 124 min
- Critic score
- 76/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.2/10 (416 votes)
- Box office
- $23,300,000
About
If you enjoy light World War II comedies with bold leads and lots of crowd-pleasing gags, Operation Petticoat is a fun pick; Not for you if you want serious war drama, or if you prefer cleaner, modern sensibilities like in Pillow Talk.
Pros: fast, witty banter; strong comedy leads; memorable set-ups | Cons: jokes can feel dated; farce may get uneven; some moments borderline silly
Themes
- ship
- navy
- casino
- tattoo
- submarine
- pig
- date
- flirt
- world war ii
- naval officer
- philippines
- army nurse
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Original Screenplay · 1960 · nominated
Cast & crew
Cary Grant
as Lieutenant Commander Matt Sherman
Tony Curtis
as Lieutenant Nicholas Holden
Joan O'Brien
as 2nd Lieutenant Dolores Crandall
Dina Merrill
as 2nd Lieutenant Barbara Duran
Gene Evans
as Chief Molumphry
Dick Sargent
as Ensign Stovall (as Richard Sargent)
Virginia Gregg
as Major Edna Heywood
Robert F. Simon
as Captain J.B. Henderson
Robert Gist
as Lieutenant Watson
Gavin MacLeod
as Yeoman Ernest Hunkle
Directed by Blake Edwards