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Action in the North Atlantic Overview:

Action in the North Atlantic (1943) was a War - Drama Film directed by Lloyd Bacon, Byron Haskin (uncredited) and Raoul Walsh (uncredited) and produced by Jack L. Warner and Jerry Wald.

SYNOPSIS

Unusual WWII adventure shines a light onto the unsung Merchant Marines who risked their lives bringing supplies to the soldiers at the front. The story begins with the Merchant Marines' tanker being torpedoed by the Nazis. The surviving men are saved after 11 days adrift at sea, and return home. But soon, the men are called back into action with a new assignment that forces them to confront the deadly seas once again. Strong ensemble acting.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Academy Awards 1943 --- Ceremony Number 16 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best WritingGuy GilpatricNominated
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Action in the North Atlantic BlogHub Articles:

Action in the North Atlantic (1943)

By Beatrice on Oct 9, 2014 From Flickers in Time

Action in the North Atlantic Directed by Lloyd Bacon Written by John Howard Lawson; story by Guy Gilpatric 1943/USA Warner Bros First viewing/Amazon Instant Video The great action sequences make this film.  Humphrey Bogart and Raymond Massey don’t hurt either. The story is more or less a... Read full article

Action in the North Atlantic – 1943

By Bogart Fan on Apr 24, 2013 From The Bogie Film Blog

My Review —A Very Good Film— Your Bogie Fix:  out of 5 Bogies! Director:  Lloyd Bacon (Byron Haskin finished the film after Bacon was dismissed when the studio could not renegotiate a new contract.) The Lowdown Bogart is Lt. Joe Rossi, second in command on a Merchant Marine tanker that... Read full article

24 Bogie Movie Marathon #14: Action in the North Atlantic (1943)

By Google profile on Nov 22, 2010 From Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog

About MeBlogger, Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog and more. Please add my Google profile to your circles. A fine World War II movie, indeed. What a superb war movie. It's got all the right elements: action, adventure, interesting characters, a couple of love stories, brains versus brawn, patr... Read full article

Action in the North Atlantic (1943).

By Dawn on Nov 16, 2010 From Noir and Chick Flicks

Action in the North Atlantic (1943). War film directed by Lloyd Bacon. Cast:Humphrey Bogart and Raymond Massey as sailors in the U.S. Merchant Marine in World War II. When their ship is attacked by the Germans while traveling in the North Atlantic, Captain Steve vows retribution. Joe, Steve and the... Read full article

Action in the North Atlantic (1943)

By Raquel Stecher on Nov 30, -0001 From Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog

A fine World War II movie, indeed. What a superb war movie. It's got all the right elements: action, adventure, interesting characters, a couple of love stories, brains versus brawn, patriotism, etc. Plus, you have Humphrey Bogart as the effortlessly cool (I say that a lot huh?) Lt. Joe Rossi. T... Read full article

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Action in the North Atlantic Quotes:

Bartender: Did you hurt your hand?
Lt. Joe Rossi: Never do.
Lt. Joe Rossi: No matter how many tanks and planes and guns you pile up, no matter how many men you got, it doesn't mean a thing unless the men get the stuff when they need it.
Capt. Steve Jarvis: [to a departing German U-boat after it has rammed his survivor lifeboat] Go on, laugh, you apes! You've had your blood and fire to make you laugh, but I swear to God our time is comin'! We'll pay ya back! We'll hunt ya down and slice ya like a piece of cheese!
Lt. Joe Rossi: Oh, they can't hear you.
Capt. Steve Jarvis: No, but God can.
Mrs. Jarvis: For a sailor's wife war is just another storm.
Lt. Joe Rossi: Now, that's the word of God. And it's good. But I don't think He'd mind if I put my oar in. These are eight men we knew and liked, guys like us. Guys we ate with and slept with and fought with. Well, we were just a little luckier than they were. We'll miss them. All of them.
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Action in the North Atlantic Facts
The aircraft used to attack the Sea Witch were Heinkel HE-59 biplanes.
This was producer Jerry Wald's final film before entering US military service.
Near the end of the picture, as the ship is nearing Murmansk, several Russian airplanes fly out to meet them. One of the pilots keeps gunning his engine in short bursts. There are three short bursts followed by a long one. Movie audiences of the 1940s would immediately recognize this as the three dots and a dash of the Morse code "V". "V for Victory" was heavily used as a slogan during World War II.
Director Lloyd Bacon's contract with Warner Bros. expired during production. Jack L. Warner told him, "Finish the picture and we'll talk about it," but Bacon wasn't willing to continue without a contract. Warner fired him and brought in Byron Haskin to finish the film.
According to A. I. Bezzerides in the book 'Screenwriter: Words Become Pictures', some of the scenes written by Hollywood Ten writer John Howard Lawson were "so out of context in their propagandistic way that the actors couldn't act them." Bezzerides cited scenes scenes involving Bogart and Julie Bishop and Raymond Massey and Ruth Gordon in particular. He went on to say that he polished every scene in the film and deserved credit, but Lawson fought against it. Bezzerides claimed that Lawson had so many friends in the Guild that he lost the arbitration and went uncredited.
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