The Deep Six

Overview

The conflict between duty and conscience is explored in the WWII drama The Deep Six. Alan Ladd stars as Naval gunnery officer Alec Austin, a Quaker whose sincere pacifist sentiments do not sit well with his crew members. When he refuses to fire upon an unidentified plane, the word spreads that Austin cannot be relied upon in battle (never mind that the plane turns out to be one of ours). To prove that he's worthy of command, Austin volunteers for a dangerous mission: the rescue of a group of US pilots on a Japanese-held island. The ubiquitous William Bendix costars as Frenchy Shapiro (!), Austin's Jewish petty officer and severest critic. If the film has a villain, it is Keenan Wynn as ambitious Lt. Commander Edge, who seems to despise anyone who isn't a mainline WASP.

Cast

Alan Ladd

Alexander 'Alec' Austen

Dianne Foster

Susan Cahill

William Bendix

'Frenchy' Shapiro

Keenan Wynn

Lt. Cmdr. Mike Edge

James Whitmore

Cmdr. Warren Meredith

Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

Lt. Blanchard

Joey Bishop

Ski Krokowski

Barbara Eiler

Claire Innes

Ross Bagdasarian

Pvt. Aaron Slobodjian

Jeanette Nolan

Mrs. Austen

Walter Reed

Paul Clemson

Peter Hansen

Lieutenant Dooley