Operation Petticoat (1959)

82% of critics liked it
(17 reviews)
78% of users liked it
(8,323 ratings)

Rear Admiral Matt Sherman (Cary Grant) visits the submarine Sea Tiger on the morning of its decommissioning and reminisces about his time as the first commander of the boat, in 1941. Three days after Pearl Harbor, the sub is damaged during an enemy air raid in the Philippines; rather than abandoning… More Rear Admiral Matt Sherman (Cary Grant) visits the submarine Sea Tiger on the morning of its decommissioning and reminisces about his time as the first commander of the boat, in 1941. Three days after Pearl Harbor, the sub is damaged during an enemy air raid in the Philippines; rather than abandoning her, Sherman and his chiefs refloat the boat. He's forced to accept the services of Lt. (jg) Nick Holden (Tony Curtis), who has no sea experience. Sherman appoints Holden -- a born conniver, deal-maker, and scrounger (his motto: "In confusion, there is profit") -- as supply officer, and through a series of burglaries and petty thefts he gets the Sea Tiger seaworthy again. Up to this point, the movie is an increasingly amusing service comedy, akin to the lighter moments of Mr. Roberts, running on Grant's wry exasperation and Curtis's cool arrogance, coupled with Arthur O'Connell's periodic sardonic yet optimistic jabs at their situation and Gavin MacLeod's fidgety nervousness. The Sea Tiger puts to sea ahead of the Japanese with a quintet of stranded army nurses aboard. The film shifts to a new level of humor as the officers and crew try to cope with living in close quarters with five attractive women in their midst. Grant gives a very witty performance as a man who is both exasperated by the situation he is in, having to adjust his masculinity to keep it from clashing with the feminine sensibilities of his guests, and also trying to control the mating urges of his men, starting with Holden, who can't stay away from Lt. Duran (Dina Merrill). Complicating matters more is Grant's awareness that the Sea Tiger is a "virgin" -- she has never engaged the enemy, but when they finally do, the accident-prone Lt. Crandall (Joan O'Brien) causes their torpedo to miss a tanker and sink a truck (probably the funniest sight gag in the movie). The boat also gets an accidental coat of pink paint when their supply of red and white runs low, and ends up carrying several Filipino families -- including two pregnant women. Since neither the Japanese nor the Americans officially has a pink submarine, the Sea Tiger ends uphunted by both sides and come under attack by an American destroyer. That's where the women's presence becomes a godsend. The movie ends 18 years later, with Holden a serious career navy man and responsible father, married to Duran, and Grant married to Crandall, who is as accident prone as ever. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr.
Directed By: Blake Edwards
Written By: Stanley Shapiro, Maurice Richlin, Maurice Richling
Genres: Romance, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1959 Wide
On DVD: Sep 18, 2001
Studio: Universal Pictures

Critic Reviews

Don Druker, Chicago Reader
Blake Edwards directs with his customary wit, breeziness, and acute sense of pacing.
Variety Staff, Variety
Operation Petticoat has no more weight than a sackful of feathers, but it has a lot of laughs.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The gags are bright and Blake Edwards's direction adroit enough to make Operation Petticoat an enjoyable time.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Appealing but thin service comedy.
Cole Abaius, Film School Rejects
Without a true plot to speak of, you really watch the film for the comic set ups that all have fairly quick payoffs.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Not unpleasant, but the situations (including the inevitable invasion of women aboard the sub) are horribly familiar, and the dialogue none too inspired.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
With shining, contarsting turns from Cary Grant and Tony Curtis, Blake Edwards's slick and funny military comedy was one of 1959's most popular films and one of Grant's biggest commercial hits in a long and brilliant career.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
A n ice pairing of the talents of Cary Grant and Tony Curtis
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Splendid, if a little long, service comedy from Edwards.
Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com
Ah, Blake Edwards back when he was still a good director. Grant fans will want this thing, but everyone else should rent--it's worth seeing at least once.
Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com
Ah, Blake Edwards. I remember when he was not just funny--but really funny.
, Film4
Vaguely reprehensible but remarkably funny, this wartime comedy may hail from another era, but it's an enjoyably silly romp all the same.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Hilarious for its oh-so-taboo treatment of things like underwear.

Read all 13 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

The plot of this movie is pretty silly obviously, and the movie is goofy and funny some of the time, but overall it's not that good.
Ken S

A lot of good shtick.
xGary X

Another enjoyable WWII comedy from Cary Grant, and Tony Curtis provides some able support as a hustler who turns his now bright pink submarine into a refugee camp for the inevitable romantic interest. Formulaic but fun.
moon r

if i'm not mistaken this film was made shortly after mr. curtis' stint as cary's tongue-in-cheek doppelganger in "some like in hot", so this should've been a hoot if only to see if any sparks fly between the two...but it doesn't. too bad, but still a… More
if i'm not mistaken this film was made shortly after mr. curtis' stint as cary's tongue-in-cheek doppelganger in "some like in hot", so this should've been a hoot if only to see if any sparks fly between the two...but it doesn't. too bad, but still a fun film
ashley h

Its very cute,love Curtis and Grant.
Moe E

Cary Grant is just too cool, nothing rattles him. Lots of fun...

Read all 6 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Cary Grant as Adm. Matt Sherman

            Tony Curtis as Lt. Nick Holden

            Joan O'Brien as Lt. Dolores Crandall

            Dina Merrill as Lt. Barbara Duran

            Gene Evans as Molumphrey

            Arthur O'Connell as Sam Tostin

            Virginia Gregg as Maj. Edna Hayward

            Robert F. Simon as Capt. J. B. Henderson

            Robert Gist as Watson

            Gavin MacLeod as Ernest Hunkle

            George Dunn as Prophet

            Dick Crockett as Harmon

            Madlyn Rhue as Lt. Claire Reid

            Marion Ross as Lt. Ruth Colfax

            Clarence Lung as Ramon

            Frankie Darro as Dooley

            Robert Hoy as Reiner

            Nicky Blair as Kraus

            John Morley as Williams

            Hal Baylor as M.P. Sergeant

            William Bryant as Crewman

            Malcolm Cassell
            
            Francis De Sales as Captain Kress

            Vince Deadrick Jr.
            
            Alan Dexter as Navy Chief

            Preston Hanson as Lieutenant Colonel Simpson

            Harry Harvey Jr. as Soldier

            Robert Keys
            
            Joseph Kim as Filipino

            James Lanphier as Lieutenant Commander Daly

            Nelson Leigh as Admiral Koenig

            Leon Lontoc as Filipino Farmer

            Alan Scott as Chief of Demolition Crew

            Nino Tempo as Crewman

            Robert Gibson as Seaman

            Dale Cummings as M.P.'s

            Glenn Jacobson as Control Talker

            Bob Stratton as Marine Lieutenant

            Dick Sargent as Stovall
See full cast