Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Operation Petticoat Blu-ray Movie Review

War is heck.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 4, 2014

If you were a casting agent in the late fifties or early sixties and given the task to provide actors to fill the roles of a World War II United States submarine commander and his supposedly patrician supply officer, chances are you might have considered two of that era’s biggest stars, Tony Curtis and Cary Grant, for the parts, though perhaps not for the parts they ended up playing in Blake Edwards’ fondly remembered romp Operation Petticoat. Despite Grant’s obvious British idiolect (something that is not even slightly explained in the film), his suave demeanor and innate charm would seem to make him tailor made to play a high falutin’ supply officer who supposedly comes from big money and who hasn’t spent a day in actual battle. Curtis’ somewhat more working class, brusque affect might blend perfectly with a put upon sub officer attempting to get his ship seaworthy again after a calamitous Japanese attack. And yet in one of this film’s surprising bits of “about face”, it’s actually Grant who plays the commander and Curtis who plays the supply officer. Grant of course had an air of authority which makes that choice a bit more obvious in hindsight, and when it’s ultimately revealed that Curtis’ character doesn’t have a penny to his name and has been pretending to be one of the landed gentry only to find a wealthy wife, things finally fall into place. Operation Petticoat doesn’t have the manic farcical sensibilities of many later Edwards efforts, but it's a genial enough comedy that blends a bit of slapstick, some passable verbal sparring, a dash of romance (once a coterie of stranded Army nurses are brought aboard the sub) and even an action sequence or two. The film was inordinately popular upon its release, coming in third behind the still potent Ben-Hur and Psycho as the biggest box office attraction of 1960. Modern day cynics may find Operation Petticoat a bit too slight by contemporary standards, but it’s never less than completely entertaining, buoyed by some expert performances and a sharp (Academy Award nominated) script by Stanley Shapiro and Maurice Richlin, adapting a story by Paul King and Joseph Stone.

Operation Petticoat is told in flashback as Rear Admiral Matthew Sherman (Cary Grant) arrives early one morning to the berth of his former command, a World War II era submarine called the Sea Tiger which is about to be decommissioned and scrapped. Sherman goes aboard and begins reading his wartime journal, which naturally segues the film back to a December morning in 1941 in the Philippines when the sub came under Japanese fire (a few days after Pearl Harbor). The damage is rather disastrous, and then Lt. Commander Sherman has to argue with his commanding officer that he can somehow rehabilitate the sunken sub and make it at least seaworthy enough to hobble into a real repair station in Australia.

Sherman is repeatedly stymied by a Navy bureaucracy that seems to defy reason (a repeated requisition for toilet paper —of all things—is met with confounded questions not understanding what is meant). When a nattily dressed Lieutenant named Nick Holden (Tony Curtis) shows up, much to the amusement of the grease stained grunts who are attempting to repair the submarine, Sherman’s exasperation begins to blossom, especially when he finds out Holden has absolutely no seagoing experience. But when Holden sees the straits that Sherman and his crew are in as they attempt to get parts (not to mention toilet paper) for the sub, he offers his own special brand of “services”, and Sherman reluctantly makes him the Sea Tiger’s new supply officer.

Holden turns out to be a scrappy kid from the wrong side of the tracks who is perfectly equipped to do his own “private” requisitioning, something that provides the film with much of its comedy in the early going, and which ultimately also provides the Sea Tiger with enough supplies to actually get underway. On a quick pit stop on the way to Australia, Holden is surprised to find a gaggle of Army nurses stranded on an island, and brings them aboard the sub, much to Sherman’s consternation. That development provides the comedy for the second half of the film, with some extremely comely women attempting to survive in cramped quarters with a bunch of salivating men. It’s here that Edwards reveals some of the physical humor which would later become his trademark, with good bits involving one woman’s bosom (replete with what sounds like a kick drum sound effect when her profile is first revealed) and a number of calamities brought on by various females pressing buttons they shouldn’t have. It’s a quaint and even unabashedly sexist formulation, but one that provides good doses of humor.

The film is not especially surprising as it lines up romantic interests for Sherman (in the form of Joan O’Brien), Holden (in the form of Dina Merrill) and an elderly engineer played by Arthur O’Connell (in the form of the great Virginia Gregg). But the sheer ebullience of the players, as well as little sight gags like the sub getting painted pink (when there’s not enough white or red paint to go around), keeps the film afloat, if occasionally listing just like the Sea Tiger itself. Baby Boomers will delight in a glut of future television stalwarts like Dick Sargent, Gavin MacLeod and Marion Ross in various supporting roles, but it’s the effervescent comedic chemistry between Grant and Curtis which provides most of the allure here. Edwards hadn’t quite hit his comedic stride yet (and would frankly fare better once he had a hand in his own screenplays), but there are some wonderful bits scattered throughout this film which will keep a smile on most viewers’ lips, even if they occasionally wonder how the United States ever managed to win World War II with misfits like the crew of the Sea Tiger.

Operation Petticoat Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Operation Petticoat is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. There's largely good news with regard to this release, though persnickety videophiles may still find a few things to quibble over. There has been slight but still noticeable fading to the elements, with flesh tones just ever so slightly skewed toward the brown end of things and an overall blue tint to much of the film. That said, these anomalies are much less prevalent than in other color films from this era that Olive has released. The elements also have typical age related wear and tear, including several scratches and other blemishes which pop up at various points. The film is awash (sorry) in opticals, all of which offer the expected uptick in grain and softness (see an example of one of the more prevalent opticals—the "periscope" point of view—in screenshot 18 for a good example). The increased resolution of the Blu-ray also makes the use of miniatures even more obvious than it's been in previous home video releases. However, these qualms are counterbalanced by a nicely stable and well saturated image that is generally clear and which offers a natural looking grain field. As is Olive's tradition, there has been no major restoration done here, but likewise there has also been no invasive digital tweaking of the image.

Operation Petticoat Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Operation Petticoat's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix is narrow but problem free, giving a good accounting of dialogue, David Rose's sparking score (reportedly aided by an uncredited Henry Mancini, who would become Edwards' go- to composer), and the occasional boisterous sound effect in a couple of battle scenes. There is no damage of any kind to report here, and while the sound isn't quite as crisp as later vintage mono tracks, it's certainly listenable and even rather surprisingly full sounding in the lower ranges.

Operation Petticoat Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As is typical of Olive Films Blu-ray releases, there are no supplements included on this disc.

Operation Petticoat Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Operation Petticoat puts a new and perhaps slightly literal spin on the war of the sexes, with some charming interplay between a colorful cast aboard a submarine that is barely able to function most of the time. While some elements of the script are almost shockingly out of date now, the film has such an affable ambience that it's hard to get too worked up in any sort of politically incorrect lather. Grant and Curtis play off of each other perfectly, and the supporting cast is bright and often quite funny. This Blu-ray has a few video issues, but still stands heads and shoulders above previous home video releases. Recommended.