Movie Review - Destination Tokyo (1943), Interesting Trivia

posted March 14, 2007 - 6:48pm

Movie Review - Destination Tokyo (1943), Interesting Trivia

destination tokyo The film is especially poor in production value when it shows U.S.S. Copperfin in underwater sequences. It is so obvious the scenes were shot with a model submarine in a water tank that in certain frames one can actually see the sides of the water tank curving up in the background! It is a testimony to the low expectations of the WW2 movie going public that the director (Delmer Daves) did not even bother to re-shoot such scenes.

When he was late to the set one day, Cary Grant was bent over and spanked by a paddle by Director Delmer Daves in order to set a clear precedent for the other staff who were also showing up late.

The film featured Robert Hutton (as Tommy Adams, "The Kid") and John Forsythe (Sailor) in their first feature roles ever. Cary Grant pulled a prank on the whole crew pretending he was walking off the set in protest of the "too many" close-ups allowed for the rookie Robert Hutton. Cary and Hutton actually became close friends at the set and remained so throughout their lives. Cary Grant ended up marrying Robert's cousin, the super-wealthy socialite Barbara Hutton -- the heir to the Woolworth fortune.

Jack Warner, the head of Warner Brothers, sent the script of Destination Tokyo to Pentagon to get clearance from the Navy. Warner also had to assure President Roosevelt that the film would not mention anything about radar or advanced military electronics of the day.

A forgettable work. A minor footnote to Grant’s amazingly long film career. You haven’t missed anything if you haven’t seen it. And if you’d like to see what a tense nail-biting submarine warfare movie feels like, go rent “Das Boot.” It's a bit too long but infinitely better than Destination Tokyo.

Read the full review of this movie at http://www.xomba.com/movie_review_destination_tokyo_1943

Also by Cary Grant,

TO CATCH A THIEF
http://www.xomba.com/movie_review_to_catch_a_thief_1955

CARY GRANT'S "BOB PENDER YEARS"
http://www.xomba.com/movies_cary_grants_bob_pender_years

OPERATION PETTICOAT
http://www.xomba.com/movie_review_operation_petticoat_1959

HIS GIRL FRIDAY
http://www.xomba.com/movie_review_his_girl_friday_1940

BISHOP'S WIFE
http://www.xomba.com/movie_review_bishops_wife_1947

AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER
http://www.xomba.com/movie_review_an_affair_to_remember _1957

PENNY SERENADE
http://www.xomba.com/movie_review_penny_serenade_1941

WALK, DON'T RUN
http://www.xomba.com/movie_review_walk_dont_run_1966

PEOPLE WILL TALK
http://www.xomba.com/movie_review_people_will_talk_1951

PHILADELPHIA STORY
http://www.xomba.com/movie_review_the_philadelphia_story_1940