Movies: “In Harm’s Way”

Apr. 6, 1965 - Opening today is “In Harm’s Way,” an epic war film produced and directed by Otto Preminger and starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, and Patricia Neal, with a supporting cast featuring Henry Fonda in a lengthy cameo, Tom Tryon, Paula Prentiss, Stanley Holloway, Burgess Meredith, Brandon deWilde, Jill Haworth, Dana Andrews, and Franchot Tone.

Produced with Panavision motion picture equipment, it was filmed in black and white. The screenplay was written by Wendell Mayes, based on the 1962 novel “Harm’s Way,” by James Bassett.

The setting of the film is the entry of the United States into World War II. It depicts the lives of several U.S. naval officers based in Hawaii and their wives or lovers. The title of the film comes from a quote from an American Revolutionary naval commander:

“I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast, for I intend to go in harm’s way.” —  John Paul Jones

The film presents a relatively unromantic picture of the U.S. Navy and its officers from the night of Dec. 6, 1941, through the first year of the U.S. participation in World War II, complete with bureaucratic quarreling among the senior officers and sometimes disreputable private actions by individuals. 

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