ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

MartinHafer The term Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was coined more recently, so you won't hear it used in "Submarine Command". However, some of the symptoms clearly are what Lt. Cmdr. Ken White (William Holden) are clearly what he's struggling with...making it one of the earlier war films to tackle this.The film begins during the closing days of WWII. Ken is second in command on the USS Tiger Shark, a sub. When the ship is under attack from a Japanese plane, he orders the ship to dive in order to save it from being sunk. Unfortunately, the Captain and one other man are stuck on the deck...injured and unable to make it in time. The CPO aboard (William Bendix) holds Ken responsible for losing the men...though he had no other choice. Even the widow and father of the Captain assure Ken he did the right thing...but Ken won't forgive himself or forget it.When he returns to the US, he gets married...and proves to be a surly husband. His wife has difficulty getting close to him and he is a jerk. When the Korean War arrives, the Tiger Shark is once again activated...and Ken is in command. Can he work through his anxieties and self-doubt? Or, will he simply remain a surly jerk?This is a decent but not great sub film...and there are quite a few great sub films out there. My biggest gripe is that the CPO was insubordinate at times and it seemed ridiculous for Ken to keep him on the ship as well as bring him aboard years later. But still, this is a minor problem and overall it's very good and worth seeing.

bkoganbing The problem that Submarine Command had from the start is that it came out in the same year as Operation Pacific which had similar plot situations. It might be better known today if that were not the case. As it is it's not a bad action adventure film and no disgrace to its star William Holden or any of the supporting cast.When I reviewed Operation Pacific I said that I like submarine films, but inevitably the same situations and clichés follow into each film. In this case William Holden was a newly assigned Executive Officer to the USS Tiger Shark and he was a recent Annapolis graduate who had just done a few shakedown cruises and had never seen any real combat. And it's the summer of 1945.In action Holden like John Wayne in Operation Pacific is forced to leave his wounded captain, John Gregson on top and dive the submarine and take command. This gains the enmity of CPO William Bendix who was devoted to captain Gregson. Wouldn't you know it, the day this happens, Holden's only experience under fire during World War II is the day the Japanese surrender and news of it comes when the Japanese suddenly break off an engagement with the Tiger Shark.Unlike the Duke who got an opportunity in this war to redeem himself in a few eyes, Holden had to wait until Korea for his chance. In the meantime he marries Nancy Olson. Submarine Command was their fourth and final film together, the two had been teamed for Sunset Boulevard, Union Station, Force Of Arms, and now Submarine Command. Three good films and one classic isn't a bad record. Olson seemed to be Paramount's answer to MGM's June Allyson in those good girl next door roles. She and Holden clicked very well on screen.Of course the incomparable William Bendix is here as well. That man never gave a bad performance in anything he was in. He and Holden worked together at Paramount in Blaze At Noon and Streets Of Laredo. They would not be teamed again as well.Although I liked Operation Pacific better, Submarine Command is a fine film on its own that just suffered from bad timing. Fans of William Holden will like it.

PWNYCNY This movie has to be William Bendix's finest role. Noted for his portrayal of comic characters, such as Chester A. Riley in "The Life of Riley," in this movie Bendix is a moody, brooding sailor harboring a deep-seeded resentment toward the commander of a submarine, played by William Holden. The other characters in the movie are quite forgettable and the storyline itself, although interesting, is nothing particularly special and as a post-World War Two movie, it lacks the intensity of movies made during the war. But William Bendix's portrayal makes this movie worth watching and makes this movie, if not a classic, at least a work of art that merits consideration and an honorable mention.

Bill Esser William Holden is Cmdr. White a quite mature man who suffers through the boredom of the post WW II Navy. He is chained to a desk on a base near his old submarine, which has been decommissioned and mothballed. He visits it periodically to experience his wartime ghosts. He is so bored that he seriously considers chucking the Navy and taking a more lucrative civilian job. Nancy Olson plays his understanding Navy wife. William Bendex is also on hand with old time Chief Petty Officer wisdom and to remind Holden of his ghosts.Don Taylor portrays the fun and games Navy pilot who is anything but mature. He is teaching ROTC at a nearby college. They met at the end of the war when White's submarine rescued him. They maintain a friendship even though White is at times disturbed by his happy-go-lucky well adjustment.When The Korean War starts White is rescued from his desk and placed in command of ----- (You guessed it!) his old submarine. Taylor and Holden are united again off the Korean Coast where boat and men undertake a movie ending dangerous mission.This was a feel good war movie that wasn't loaded with dated propaganda. Holden narrates as he did in Sunset Blvd. where he first played opposite Olson.If you like military movies, this is a good one.