Need help identifying an old war movie...

I remember watching this as a kid in the 1980s during a sunday afternoon matinee on television. I can't remember the title but there was some conflict going on involving a submarine and there was a crane barge or something that had a single torpedo hanging from the crane. I think in the end the torpedo was dropped by a cord and destroyed the submarine underwater? Does anyone remember this film?

Maybe it's worth seeing again? Thanks in advance.

 

I THINK the film that you may be talking about is probably: either Operation Pacific or possibly They Were Expendable. Anyway, in one of them, they show that a new torpedo exploding device was needed for our torpedoes, so some Navy types get together and test many torpedoes as you described-by a rope, howerver, none were ever dropped for exploding on any subs.

Also, it would help me to know if the movie you saw was in black & white ;-)) If so, then I definately know the movie your asking is a John Wayne war-time made movie. It's been awhile since I last saw either of the movies listed above so I can't rightly remember which movie it's from.

 

Hi Jeff, thanks for the correction and, I hadn't thought of Murphy's War as the movie. Anyway, I had thought that the torpedo had been dropped by a bi-plane? or am I thinking of still yet, another war movie? ;-))

It's been probably 25 years or more, since I last saw this one.

 

I don't think I've seen this one! Worth watching Jeff?

 

Yep, I'm almost positive that is it - Thanks, Slipdigit! I remember it being in a river delta or something similar and it was in color to answer an earlier question. I'll have to check this one out again.

Thanks for the help, friends!

It features Peter O'Toole..here's the box art:

 

I'm pretty sure Jeff's nailed it.... Murphy's War.... and yes, Carl, he does use a biplane ... a Grumman J2F Duck, if I remember correctly.... to locate the submarine and, I believe, 'lure' it close to shore, where it got stuck on the bottom and he was able to go out with the derrick barge and drop the torpedo.

I remember it as being a mildly interesting film.... some rather humorous flying sequences.... but utlimately, a little too 'talky' for my tastes (at least at the time I watched it...which was a number of years ago, and, back then, if there wasn't something either blowing up or taking her clothes off about every 5 minutes or so, I tended to lose interest.)


-whatever

-Lou

 

Hi Lou, thanks for more info on it. I guess it's about time for me to rewatch that movie ;-))

 

Oh it just hit me! I have seen this one, Peter Otoole repairs the plane time and again, not a bad movie!

 

To continue that train of thought.....When I was about 10 years old I stayed up late unbeknownst to my family and watched a war film and the images stuck in my mind ever since, I can't remember the name of the film. I'd like to see it again with adult eyes to see if it was a decent film. The hero climbs into an enemy fox hole where the machine gunner lay dead, took the mg and shot all the other machine gun fox hole emplacements up. Then as the enemy tanks and troops marched forward, he jumped up onto a burning tank and used the top mounted machine gun to mow down all the enemy, while the flames got bigger and bigger. I just remember the purple flames and the machine gun (i think it could have been a black and white film that had been coloured afterwards?) ring any bells?

 

I would say that it is "To Hell and Back".

 

Both Jeff and Ike are correct: the movie is: To Hell and Back. And i've seen more than "parts" of thie movie ;-D

 

Thanks guys....i guess the next question would be...was it a decent film?

 

If your talking about: To Hell and Back, being a decent movie to watch, it certainly is. In fact, I think it's the best movie that Audie Murphy ever made.