Destination Tokyo

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Destination Tokyo

Dutch language film poster for Destination Tokyo
Directed by Delmer Daves
Produced by Jerry Wald
Jack L. Warner
Written by Delmer Daves
Steve Fisher
Albert Maltz
Starring Cary Grant
John Garfield
Music by Franz Waxman
William Lava
Cinematography Bert Glennon
Editing by Christian Nyby
Vladimir Barjansky
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date(s) Flag of the United States December 31, 1943
Running time 135 min.
Country US
Language English
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Destination Tokyo is a war film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. in 1943. It was directed by Delmer Daves and starred Cary Grant and John Garfield. Production began on June 21, 1943 and continued through September 4, 1943. It premiered in Pittsburgh on December 15, 1943, and was released generally on December 31, 1943.

[edit] Plot

On Christmas Eve, the submarine USS Copperfin, under the command of Captain Cassidy (Cary Grant), departs San Francisco on a secret mission. At sea, Cassidy opens his sealed orders, which direct him to proceed first to the Aleutian Islands to pick up meteorologist Raymond (John Ridgely), then to Tokyo Bay to obtain vital weather intelligence for the upcoming Doolittle Raid.

Two Japanese planes attack; both are shot down, but one pilot manages to parachute into the water. When Mike (Tom Tully) goes to pick him up, he is stabbed to death. New recruit Tommy Adams (Robert Hutton) shoots the pilot, but because he was slow to react, Tommy blames himself for Mike's death and volunteers to defuse an unexploded bomb stuck under the deck. When Mike is buried at sea, Greek-American Tin Can (Dane Clark) does not attend the service, which angers the other men until he explains that every Allied death causes him great pain.

As the submarine nears Tokyo Bay, the Copperfin has to somehow negotiate its way through protective minefields. When some Japanese Navy ships enter the bay, Cassidy follows in their wake. That night, a small party goes ashore to make weather observations. Meanwhile, Tommy is diagnosed with appendicitis. Pills, the medic, has to operate following instructions from a book, using improvised instruments. (There were actually a few emergency appendectomies performed in the course of wartime submarine patrols.)

Raymond broadcasts the information in Japanese in an attempt to avoid detection, but the Japanese are alerted and search the bay. Fortunately, the Copperfin remains undetected, allowing the men to watch part of the raid through the periscope. The submarine then slips out following an exiting ship.

Later, the Copperfin sinks an aircraft carrier and is badly damaged by its escorts. In desperation, Cassidy attacks, sending a destroyer to the bottom and enabling the crew to return safely to San Francisco.

[edit] Cast

[edit] External links

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