Down to the Sea in Ships *** (1949, Richard Widmark, Lionel Barrymore, Dean Stockwell) – Classic Movie Review 9877

Captain Birdseye.

The very spitting image of Captain Birdseye, Lionel Barrymore has a whale of a time with his role as sea Captain Bering Joy, a spectacularly grizzled ship’s captain, in this entertaining, old-fashioned sea saga about Massachusetts whalers.

Little Dean Stockwell plays his grandson Jed Joy who wants to follow in his wake and Richard Widmark plays Dan Lunceford, the new-breed first mate old Captain Lionel Barrymore despises.

Director Henry Hathaway’s 1949 action adventure drama Down to the Sea in Ships is a bit over-long at 120 minutes, and shot in black and white, but it is nicely done with a friendly tone, a good production and a clutch of fine character turns.

It was first made by director Elmer Clifton in a silent version as Down to the Sea in Ships in 1922 starring William Walcott, Marguerite Courtot and Clara Bow.

The new, revised story by Sy Bartlett is based on the 1922 screenplay by John L E Pell.

Also in the cast are Cecil Kellaway, Gene Lockhart, Berry Kroeger, John McIntire, Harry Morgan [Henry Morgan], Harry Davenport, Paul Harvey, Jay C Flippen, Fuzzy Knight, Arthur Hohl, Dorothy Adams and Hubert E Flanagan.

Widmark said Hathaway wanted Van Johnson instead of him and kept trying to pick a fight with him during the early weeks of shooting so he could replace him, but studio boss Darryl F Zanuck wanted him to stay. Hathaway did not want Widmark on Kiss of Death (1947) either, but the two became friends.

Lionel Barrymore.

The old sailor with a white beard Captain Birdseye, also known as Captain Iglo in parts of Europe, is the advertising mascot for the Birds Eye (or Iglo) frozen food brand founded by Clarence Birdseye.

Down to the Sea in Ships is directed by Henry Hathaway, runs 120 minutes, is made and released by 20th Century Fox, is written by John Lee Mahin (screenplay) and Sy Bartlett (story and screenplay), based on the 1922 screenplay by John L E Pell, is shot in black and white by Joseph MacDonald [Joe MacDonald], is produced by Louis D Lighton, and scored by Alfred Newman, with Art Direction by Ben Hayne and Lyle R Wheeler.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9877

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com