The Frogmen (1951) on Netflix
NR19511h 36mActionAdventureDramaWar
A Navy Underwater Demolition Team loses its commander in action. Lt. Cmdr. John Lawrence is given charge of the unit, and its grieving divers, called frogmen, distrust the new man.
- Netflix3.3/5
- IMDb6.5/101,753 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
In World War II, Lt. Cmdr. John Lawrence, a strict disciplinarian, takes over Navy Underwater Demolition Team 4, whose divers clear obstacles and scout beaches ahead of landings. The men, known as frogmen, are still grieving the death of their former leader, Lt. Cmdr. Jack Cassidy, and they distrust the new commander. Aboard their transport ship they brawl with sailors. Lt. Cmdr. Pete Vincent, the transport's captain, understands why the divers resent Cassidy's death and offers leniency at captain's mast. Lawrence convenes his own mast instead and disciplines the men just before a mission to find a safe landing beach for an invasion of a Japanese-held island.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Frogmen (1951)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The Underwater Demolition Team the film depicts was the forerunner of the Navy SEALs, and many SEALs, including Richard Marcinko, first commanding officer of SEAL Team Six and Red Cell, Medal of Honor recipient Michael E. Thornton and Dennis Chalker, cited The Frogmen as their inspiration for joining.
- Producer Paul Short of Allied Artists protested Twentieth Century-Fox's use of the title The Frogmen, claiming he had established prior claim to it; he eventually dropped his claim and the studio was allowed to keep the title.
- Richard Conte was originally set to play Lt. Cmdr. Pete Vincent in The Frogmen, Jack Elam was first cast as Sleepy and Craig Hill was set to play Lt. (jg) Franklin.
- Centered on the U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Team frogmen, The Frogmen was the first film about scuba diving and became a popular cultural hit.
- Because of the working conditions during production, all female roles were removed from the screenplay of The Frogmen, and no woman appears in the completed film.
- During production, assistant director Dick Mayberry briefly substituted for director Lloyd Bacon on The Frogmen when Bacon fell ill with influenza.
