A 1963 American Technicolor Panavision Bio War film directed by Leslie H Martinson and Lewis Milestone. It's a Bio Pic of then-President John F. Kennedy, who is played by Cliff Robertson. It depicts his time in the US Navy during World War II, particularly a 1943 incident in which Kennedy was in charge of a patrol torpedo boat; the ship was obliterated by a Japanese Imperial Navy destroyer, and he and his remaining crew members had to fight for survival.
The movie also stars Robert Culp, James Gregory, Ty Hardin, Grant Williams, and Lew Gallo, among others. George Takei makes an uncredited appearance as a helmsman of a Japanese destroyer.
It was released on June 19, 1963, five months before JFK was assassinated.
Tropes for the film:
- The '40s: Takes place in 1942 during World War II.
- Cool Boat: Averted. The PT-boats in general are referred to as "pieces of plywood," and the 109 in particular is (informed to be) in pretty bad shape.
- Historical Domain Character: John F. Kennedy, Skipper of the 109 and future president of the US.
- One-Note Cook: The boat's cook starts out only able to assemble peanut-butter sandwiches. When asked during an inspection if there is any hot food, he answers affirmatively. The boat's CO sarcastically challenges him, to which he brightly responds "Peanut butter on toast!" Later in the film he's seen fishing — with a hand grenade.
