''Assault on a Queen'' is a 1966 American

action-adventure film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as ...

directed by Jack Donohue and starring

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

and

Virna Lisi Virna Lisa Pieralisi (; 8 November 1936 – 18 December 2014), known as just Virna Lisi, was an Italian actress. Her international film appearances included ''How to Murder Your Wife'' (1965), ''Not with My Wife, You Don't!'' (1966), ''The Secre ...

. Based on a 1959 novel by Jack Finney, it was adapted for the screen by

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter and television producer best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his Anthology series, anthology television series ''The Twilight Zone (1 ...

and released by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

on June 15, 1966. The supporting cast features

Tony Franciosa Anthony George Franciosa (né Papaleo; October 25, 1928 – January 19, 2006) was an American actor most often billed as Tony Franciosa at the height of his career. He began his career on stage and made a breakthrough portraying the brother of t ...

and

Richard Conte Nicholas Peter Conte (March 24, 1910 – April 15, 1975), known professionally as Richard Conte, was an American actor. He was known for his starring roles in films noir and crime dramas during the 1940s and 1950s, including '' Call Northside ...

Plot

After a World War II-era German submarine that has been missing for 20 years is retrieved in the

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

by diver Mark Brittain, the wealthy Rosa Lucchesi and her partner Vic Rossiter, who have been searching for sunken Spanish

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships developed in Spain and Portugal. They were first used as armed cargo carriers by Europe, Europeans from the 16th to 18th centuries during the Age of Sail, and they were the principal vessels dr ...

s, hire the submarine. Eric Lauffnauer, a U-boat officer during the war, devises a plan to stage a daring million-dollar heist aboard the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

ocean liner while the ship is crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Brittain returns the submarine to operational order with the assistance of his partner Linc and new man Moreno, a war hero and expert with engines. Disguised as officers from a British submarine on a top-secret mission, Brittain, Rossiter and Lauffnauer bluff their way aboard the ''Queen Mary'' and threaten its captain with a torpedo attack if he or his crew refuse to comply with their demands to be granted access to the cash in the ship's safe. They reach the safe and stuff large bags full of cash. After trying to wrest a valuable ring from a lady's finger, Rossiter is shot and killed by a member of the ''Queen Mary''s crew. The two surviving men flee the ''Queen Mary'' and reach the submarine, but Brittain must abandon the stolen money when Lauffnauer prepares to dive the submarine without him. When a U.S. Coast Guard cutter in the vicinity comes to the ocean liner's aid, Lauffnauer wants to fire the submarine's torpedoes at it, but Brittain voices strong opposition. Lauffnauer draws a gun and a scuffle ensues in which Lauffnauer accidentally shoots his friend Moreno. Lauffnauer manages to fire the torpedoes but the Coast Guard men destroy them before they can reach the cutter. Brittain, Rosa and Linc dive off the submarine just before the cutter rams into it, killing Lauffnauer. The three remaining gang members survive, paddling a raft with no loot and headed for South America.

Cast

as Mark Brittain *

as Rosa Lucchesi *

as Vic Rossiter *

as Tony Moreno * Alf Kjellin as Eric Lauffnauer * Reginald Denny as Master-at-Arms * Errol John as Linc Langley * Murray Matheson as the Captain * John Warburton as Bank Manager

Production

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter seen in the film was portrayed by the Miami-based . The is also listed in the film's final credits, as it was shown in some scenes. At the time of filming, ''Minnetonka'' was homeported in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, close to Paramount's studio facilities in Hollywood.

Release

''Assault on a Queen'' was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

and

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

disc by Olive Films on March 27, 2012 in Region 1

widescreen Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratio (image), aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ...

Similar plot elements

*The Clive Cussler 1973 Dirk Pitt adventure novel '' The Mediterranean Caper'' involves a similar plot in which an international criminal using a salvaged U-boat engages in criminal enterprises.

References

External links

* *
Entry at TVGuide.comShot of a scene of the movie
{{Authority control 1966 films 1960s crime thriller films 1960s heist films American crime thriller films American heist films 1960s English-language films Films about ship hijackings Films about the United States Coast Guard Films based on works by Jack Finney Films based on American novels Films directed by Jack Donohue Films scored by Duke Ellington Films scored by Van Cleave Films with screenplays by Rod Serling Paramount Pictures films Submarine films 1960s American films English-language crime thriller films Films set on ocean liners