Main Cast: Jerry Lewis, Dina Merrill, Diana Spencer, Mickey Shaughnessy, Robert Middleton, Gale Gordon
Release Year: 1959
Country: US
Run Time: 89 minutes
Plot
Don't Give Up the Ship stars Jerry Lewis as a navy officer who is whisked away from his honeymoon by a senate investigating committee. The committee would like to know what happened to the U.S.S. Kornblatt, the battleship Lewis had commandeered during the War; the crew arrived home safely, but the battleship completely disappeared! Jerry suffers from a mental block concerning the Kornblatt, so the navy assigns a beautiful psychiatrist (Dina Merrill) to probe his subconscious. With the help of an ex-sailor from the Kornblatt (Mickey Shaughnessy), Jerry locates the wreckage of the ship, tracing the responsibility of its disappearance to the investigating committee chairman (Gale Gordon). Based on a true incident (!), Don't Give Up the Ship stands up today as one of Jerry Lewis' best films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Hal Pereira - Art Director, Walter Tyler - Art Director, Norman Taurog - Director, Warren Low - Editor, Walter Scharf - Composer (Music Score), Haskell Boggs - Cinematographer, Hal B. Wallis - Producer, John P. Fulton - Special Effects, Ellis Kadison - Screen Story, Harbert Baker - Screenwriter, Edmund Beloin - Screenwriter, Henry Garson - Screenwriter
Don't Give Up the Ship is a comedy directed by Norman Taurog and starring Jerry Lewis. It was filmed from October 21, 1958 to January 30, 1959, and released on July 3, 1959 by Paramount Pictures.
John Paul Streckler VII (Jerry Lewis) has misplaced a navy destroyer-escort and must find it. A series of comedic capers follows him along during his pursuit.
Production
The USS Vammen was used to portray the fictional ship the USS Kornblatt. Previously the USS Stembel (DD-644) was listed as the ship portraying the Kornblatt. This was in error. The Stembel was a Fleet Destroyer, the Vammen (DE-644) a Destroyer-Escort. This correction has been made by a former Vammen crewmember.
