While it may have spawned a popular TV series, there's very little that's "wacky" about this big screen origin which doesn't seem to settle into an even pattern for either a comedy, or a light war-action film. Lemmon is the newly recruited and reluctant skipper of the Navy's laughing stock - a ragtag group of social rejects and dull blades, all affable types, just lacking the mettle required of active service. Lemmon has three days to turn them into a competent outfit, capable of piloting their lemon of a yacht on an ostensibly routine journey. Suffice to say that with the aid of inexperienced but promising young officer Ricky Nelson and no-nonsense chief mate Mike Kellin, the crew silence their detractors and unwittingly undertake a secret mission in enemy waters.
The subsequent TV series with Jack Warden and Gary Collins was several years beyond its nexus, but superior in most facets, despite only lasting a couple of years. The dialogue is busy (Lemmon typically written in hyper-speed), there's plenty of slapstick humour much of it courtesy of pea-brained radioman Berlinger and some well orchestrated sea-faring action, but it never gels properly. Nelson sings (but doesn't act) while the fairer gender representation is left to Patricia Driscoll who performs an impressive down under accent.
It's capable in its discreet elements, but collectively, disappointingly flat. Sort of a light-humoured marine Dirty Dozen that I'd recommend only to Lemmon fans or perhaps those who enjoy Nelson's expressionless crooning.
The subsequent TV series with Jack Warden and Gary Collins was several years beyond its nexus, but superior in most facets, despite only lasting a couple of years. The dialogue is busy (Lemmon typically written in hyper-speed), there's plenty of slapstick humour much of it courtesy of pea-brained radioman Berlinger and some well orchestrated sea-faring action, but it never gels properly. Nelson sings (but doesn't act) while the fairer gender representation is left to Patricia Driscoll who performs an impressive down under accent.
It's capable in its discreet elements, but collectively, disappointingly flat. Sort of a light-humoured marine Dirty Dozen that I'd recommend only to Lemmon fans or perhaps those who enjoy Nelson's expressionless crooning.