''Don't Go Near the Water'' is a 1957 American

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

about a U.S. Navy public relations unit stationed on an island in the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It is an adaptation of the 1956 novel of the same name by William Brinkley.

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006), known as Glenn Ford, was a Canadian-born American actor. He was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-office draws of th ...

and

Gia Scala Gia Scala (born Josephine Grace Johanna Scoglio; March 3, 1934 – April 30, 1972) was a British and American actress. Early life Scala was born March 3, 1934, in Liverpool, England, to Sicilian father Pietro Scoglio, and Irish mother Eileen ...

star. This is the first of several service comedies that Ford appeared in after the huge success of '' The Teahouse of the August Moon''. The movie was very successful and further solidified Ford's reputation as an adept comedic actor.

Plot

Lieutenant (j.g.) Max Siegel and other US Navy personnel are stuck in a public relations unit far from the fighting. Lieutenant Commander Clinton T. Nash, their commanding officer and a stockbroker in civilian life, refuses to allow anyone to transfer out. Much of Siegel's time is spent showing war correspondents (like obnoxious Gordon Ripwell) and visiting Congressmen around the island. One day, Siegel spots beautiful local schoolteacher Melora Alba. Despite some formidable obstacles, he eventually wins her love. However, they break up when he wants to live in New York City to further his career, while she feels she is needed on the island. Meanwhile, Siegel's

yeoman Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of Serfdom, servants in an Peerage of England, English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in Kingdom of England, mid-1 ...

, Adam Garrett, falls in love with Navy nurse Alice Tomlen, which constitutes a serious breach of Navy regulations, as Tomlen is an officer while Garrett is only an enlisted man. However, Siegel pretends to be dating her himself in order to give Garrett the opportunity to spend time with her. This couple also fall in love. When Nash finds out, Siegel suggests a fitting punishment would be a transfer to a fighting unit (something Garrett very much wants). With the Army hogging the news headlines, Nash comes up with the idea to take an ordinary sailor and send him on a morale-boosting tour, all highly publicized. He chooses Farragut Jones. Unfortunately, Jones turns out to be foul-mouthed and heavily tattooed, not exactly what Nash had hoped for. He assigns Siegel to smooth out Jones's rough edges, with limited success. Later, Siegel has to escort another war correspondent, the shapely and blonde Deborah Aldrich, when she finagles her way aboard a

heavy cruiser A heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in calibre, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval Treat ...

on its way to a combat operation, much to Admiral Junius Boatwright's disapproval. With the end of the war, Siegel realizes that he cannot live without Melora, and decides to remain on the island.

Cast

as Lieutenant (j.g.) Max Siegel *

as Melora Alba *

Earl Holliman Henry Earl Holliman (September 11, 1928 – November 25, 2024) was an American actor, animal rights activist, and singer known for his many character roles in films, mostly Westerns and dramas, in the 1950s and 1960s. He won a Golden Globe Award ...

as Adam Garrett *

Anne Francis Anne Francis (September 16, 1930 – January 2, 2011) was an American actress known for her ground-breaking roles in the science fiction film ''Forbidden Planet'' (1956) and the television action-drama series '' Honey West'' (1965–1966). ...

as Lieutenant (j.g.) Alice Tomlen *

Keenan Wynn Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his wikt:stock-in-trade, stock-in-trade; though he rarely carried the leading actor, lead role, h ...

as Gordon Ripwell *

Fred Clark Frederick Leonard Clark (March 19, 1914 – December 5, 1968) was an American movie and television character actor, often playing in authoritative roles. Early years Born in Lincoln, California, Clark was the son of Fred Clark Sr. He attended S ...

as Lieutenant Commander Clinton T. Nash *

Eva Gabor Eva Gabor ( ; February 11, 1919 – July 4, 1995) was a Hungarian-American actress and socialite. Gabor voiced Duchess and Miss Bianca in the Disney animations ''The Aristocats'' (1970), ''The Rescuers'' (1977), and ''The Rescuers Down Under'' ...

as Deborah Aldrich *

Russ Tamblyn Russell Irving Tamblyn (born December 30, 1934), also known as Rusty Tamblyn, is an American film and television actor and dancer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Tamblyn trained as a gymnast in his youth. He began his career as a child actor ...

as Ensign Tyson * Jeff Richards as Lieutenant Ross Pendleton *

Mickey Shaughnessy Joseph C. Shaughnessy (August 5, 1920 – July 23, 1985), better known as Mickey Shaughnessy, was an American actor and comedian. Early life Joseph C. Shaughnessy was born in New York City. He began in show business working as a singer at reso ...

as Farragut Jones * Howard Smith as Admiral Junius Boatwright *

Romney Brent Romney Brent (born Romulo Larralde; 26 January 1902 – 24 September 1976) was a Mexican actor, director and dramatist. Most of his career was on stage in North America, but in the 1930s he was frequently seen on the London stage, on television ...

as Mr. Alba, Melora's father *

Mary Wickes Mary Wickes (born Mary Isabella Wickenhauser; June 13, 1910 – October 22, 1995) was an American actress. She often played supporting roles as prim, professional women, secretaries, nurses, nuns, therapists, teachers and housekeepers, who made ...

as Janie, a nurse who enjoys the attention resulting from being one of the few American women on the island * Jack Straw as Lieutenant Commander Gladstone * Robert Nichols as Lieutenant Commander Hereford * John Alderson as Lieutenant Commander Diplock *

Jack Albertson Harold "Jack" Albertson (June 16, 1907 – November 25, 1981) was an American actor, comedian, dancer and singer who also performed in vaudeville. Albertson was a Tony, Oscar, and Emmy winning actor, which ranks him among a rare stature of 24 ...

as Rep. George Jansen * Charles Watts as Rep. Arthur Smithfield

Reception

According to MGM records, the film earned $4,265,000 in the US and Canada, and $1,875,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $1,004,000.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Don't Go Near The Water (Film) 1957 films 1957 romantic comedy films CinemaScope films American romantic comedy films Films based on American novels Films directed by Charles Walters Films scored by Bronisław Kaper Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Military comedy films Pacific War films Films about the United States Navy in World War II 1950s English-language films 1950s American films English-language romantic comedy films

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links