This is what I said three years ago!

Another month and I’m still “sheltering in place” due to the current Covid -19 Pandemic. There are so many jobs around home that I have tackled and for the most part I have not been bored. Activity is therapeutic, and I have been very active,(at least for an 80-year-old guy). What do you think about that? In spite of what I just said, I must confess that some depression has crept into my life.

I did go out a little while yesterday afternoon. My hearing aids needed to be repaired, so I drove them to the hearing aid place and enjoyed a little contact with the outside world.

Now I am ready to begin again.

My state of depression was more than I thought. I will not give the details of my life during this period now; perhaps indeed, I won’t, even at a future time.

What does anything I have said so far have to do with my premise that Run Silent Run Deep is a movie that you should see at least two times? That’s a great question, and I will endeavor to provide a good answer. (I hope.)

First of all, we all require distractions

There are times that we must step away from our problems or difficult situations and get away, (st least figuratively), for a while. Now, I ask you what kind of distraction is beneficial in a time of crisis like we are embroiled in right now? Some of us have been deeply impacted by what is going on. Therefore, we need to get our mind away from whatever situation may be at hand once in a while. I suggest that a good movie (at least a movie that is a “good” one in our opinion) can be therapeutic.

Secondly, looking at other peoples’ difficulties

from a different time in history gives us insights that we may never otherwise would think about. There are circumstances presented in a well crafted war movie that most of us have never personally encountered. When the plot is intriguing enough to draw the viewer into the story, the viewer very often will be empathetic with the characters of the story.

Run Silent Run Deep (1959) – Has an interesting back story

Run Silent Run Deep was based on a novel written by Commander Edward l Beach, USN. Commander Beach was a highly decorated submarine Captain during WWII.

During World War II Beach served aboard the submarines USS Trigger and USS Tirante, and took command of USS Piper just as the Pacific War was ending.

Beach in 1945

After graduating from Submarine School, Beach was assigned to USS Trigger (SS-237), which was commissioned on 30 January 1942. Aboard Trigger
Beach held several shipboard positions, including communications
officer, engineering officer, navigator, co-approach officer, and
executive officer. While aboard Trigger, he participated in the Battle of Midway and served on 10 war patrols. Trigger was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation and the Navy Unit Citation during Beach’s time aboard her.

Beach was assigned to the new commissioned USS Tirante (SS-420) late in 1944. He served as executive officer under Lieutenant Commander George L. Street, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for making a daring attack in a heavily defended Japanese harbor during Tirante‘s first war patrol from 3 March to 26 April 1945. Beach received the Navy Cross for heroism during the same patrol and Tirante received the Presidential Unit Citation.

Beach assumed command of USS Piper (SS-409) at Pearl Harbor on 25 June 1945. Piper departed on her third war patrol on 19 July and entered the Sea of Japan on 13 August. The war ended on 14 August and Piper was in Japanese waters when the formal surrender was signed on 2 September and started her return to Pearl Harbor the next day.

During World War II, Beach earned 10 decorations for gallantry, including the Navy Cross and three unit citations, and participated in 12 war patrols that damaged or sank 45 enemy vessels.[2]

While his novel was “fiction”, it was historical fiction. When I use the term Historical fiction I mean that the people and events could have happened during the era that the story is set in. A prime example is captured in the first scene of the movie when a submerged submarine is sunk. We find out late in the movie that that sub was sunk by another submerged submarine. Although the story of Run Silent Run Deep takes place in the Pacific theater of World War II, There was an actual case in the North Sea of a British sub sinking a German sub while both were submerged. There were several incidents of one sub sinking another sup while both were on the surface. An American sub sank a Japanese sub while both were on the surface in Run Silent Run Deep.

Also, many of Commander Beach’s own experiences were woven into his story. I do not want to spoil the movie by describing his experiences. Many of characters were based on people he knew.

 

Run Silent Run Deep (1959) – Has
an excellently chosen cast:

• Clark Gable as Commander P.J. “Rich” Richardson

• Burt Lancaster as Lieutenant Jim Bledsoe
• Jack Warden as Yeoman 1st Class “Kraut” Mueller
• Brad Dexter as Ensign Gerald Cartwright
• Don Rickles as Quartermaster 1st Class Ruby
• Nick Cravat as Russo was a circus performer partnered with Burt Lancaster in their younger years.
• Joe Maross as Chief Petty Officer Kohler
• Mary LaRoche as Laura Richardson
• Eddie Foy III as Larto
• No known picture is available in public domain. (However, if you click here on his name you will see him when he was much older than he was at 24 years of age when the movie was made).
• Rudy Bond as Sonarman 1st Class Cullen
• By Ted Manyon – IMDb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67643642

In Summary

This drama has interesting and fascinating twists and turns that will keep your interest. For those ;purists among us, please ignore the fact that the actors were much older than the average American submarine crew of the Second World War and just enjoy the story.
And don’t be embarrassed to get immersed in the plot. The reason to see it two times is simple. It’s that good. (In my opinion, of course.)

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