My grandfather went to sea on square-riggers in 1900 and my Dad served as an Able Seaman all through World War 2. He was 400 miles ENE of Honolulu on 12/7/41 and heard the distress calls of the SS Cynthia Olson, sunk by a Japanese sub 200 miles North of them and 4 hours before the attack occurred. He went on to see action in the invasions of Attu, Kiska, North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, Anzio and Iwo Jima. So he had the dubious honor of being shot at by representatives of all Three Axis Powers(4 if you count the Vichy French). He told me the following story about seeing this film.

He and his shipmate, Dudley, a fellow San Franciscan, had returned to the states after Anzio and were on a bus trip back to San Francisco. They had an overnight stay at some Podunk town in western Nebraska. With nothing else to do, they decided to see what was playing at the local theater. When they saw it was this film, wild horses couldn't keep them from watching it. They attended the screening and just laughed up a storm through the entire movie; especially at the scenes of an old Liberty ship slewing around the ocean like a Fletcher-Class Destroyer. They were SO loud and boisterous that the rest of the local crowd thought they were Nazi saboteurs and laid hands on them with the intention of beating the crap out of them THEN hanging them. Dudley and my Dad had to produce THEIR merchant seaman's documents and Sailor's Union of the Pacific and Seafarer's International Union cards to the crowd to save their skins. Once the crowd realized WHO they were, they were immediately carried to the local saloon and gotten rip-roaring drunk on the townspeople's dime.

I finally got a chance to watch it on TCM sometime back and agree to the potboiler and propaganda elements of the film. That said, I DO think the screenplay is a lot better than he gave credit for. Especially considering it was nominated for an Academy Award. The language and characters ring more true than false and I could swear to knowing many old salts just like the crew. My Dad later went on to sail with Jim Thorpe in 1947/48 and was an able seaman into the early 1960's. But I'll always remember "Action In Northern Nebraska" as one of his favorite sea stories.

So I leave you all with the admonishment and reminder he told me before I went to sea on Destoryers: "Keep her between the anchors!" "Just remember son. No matter WHERE you are at sea, you're NEVER more than seven miles from land...STRAIGHT DOWN!"