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      The Wackiest Ship in the Army

      1961 1 hr. 39 min. Comedy Drama List
      Reviews 44% 1,000+ Ratings Audience Score Lt. Rip Crandall (Jack Lemmon) is entrusted with one of the most important missions of his World War II career: to shuttle an Australian spy (Chips Rafferty) into enemy territory. Unfortunately, he'll be doing it with one of the Navy's least seaworthy vessels, the USS Echo. But even in a clunker of a ship, Crandall and his madcap crew -- including his enthusiastic young ensign (Ricky Nelson) -- do their best to make their ill-equipped mission a success. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Oct 24 Buy Now

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      Audience Reviews

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      Steve D Wacky? Yes, but never good. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Jack Lemmon is a lieutenant given command of a small and decrepit sailing schooner. He initially tries to refuse this command, but after quite a bit of cajoling and intrigue, he finally accepts. And why does the Navy want him so badly to do it? As a civilian, he was a racer of sailing ships-and people in the Navy knew nothing about how to operate one, not even the crew assigned to this ship. And why is the Navy even using a sailing schooner to begin with? To reach a port in Japanese waters that neither a regular ship nor a submarine could access. A good potential idea, perhaps, but this comedy has few laughs in it. There were a couple of good scenes, such as a sailor crossing a big ship by being taken up in a crane standing on a hook, then moving to the hook of a second crane to be taken to the ship's opposite side, and there was a scene of the schooner fighting not to get crushed between two bigger boats coming alongside them. But most of the movie is insipid and unfunny, and we were too bored to make it to the end. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review robert p I did not find this movie funny at all, I swear they broke every rule in the Navy Book. Thus the *3* star rating. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Fun WWII comedy about Lemmon as the captain of a sailboat commissioned to indiscreetly spy on Japanese military movements. Ricky Nelson is his first mate and he, of course, gets to sing. Nothing brilliant, but it's a fun little film. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Yikes....boring movie. I thought it would be funny for a while there, but I became quite the "yawner". Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Better than I expected and Ricky Nelson sings in it too! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Dwight MacDonald Esquire Magazine I should have realized that any one who could invent, or endure, such a title might be presumed to have no sense of humor. Such is the case. Jul 22, 2019 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews A muddled WW2 slapstick comedy. Rated: C= Jul 14, 2017 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Aug 14, 2005 Full Review Steve Crum Kansas City Kansan Passable service comedy featuring Rick Nelson. Rated: 3/5 Jan 3, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Lt. Rip Crandall (Jack Lemmon) is entrusted with one of the most important missions of his World War II career: to shuttle an Australian spy (Chips Rafferty) into enemy territory. Unfortunately, he'll be doing it with one of the Navy's least seaworthy vessels, the USS Echo. But even in a clunker of a ship, Crandall and his madcap crew -- including his enthusiastic young ensign (Ricky Nelson) -- do their best to make their ill-equipped mission a success.
      Director
      Richard Murphy
      Production Co
      Columbia
      Genre
      Comedy, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Apr 16, 2012
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