Has anyone ever seen the Movie "Sailor of The King" aka "Single-handed"? Jeffrey Hunter plays a British seaman from a ship sunk by a German surface raider. It is damaged in a surface action, and he escapes to the island it has anchored at to effect repairs. He snipes at the repair crews and delays them enough for the British warships to arrive and sink it. Haven't seen it in years, but would like to find a copy.
Anyone know of it?
Bob
Yes, I remember it. My recollection is that Jeffrey Hunter's character is taken prisoner by the German raider after the light cruiser on which he served was sunk by the raider. When the raider puts in at the South Pacific to make repairs, Hunter's character seals a rifle and ammunition and escapes to the island. He then begins sniping at the repair teams, thus delaying repairs until a larger British force catches up with the raider and sinks it. One of the German sailors, after being rescued by a British heavy cruiser, informs the commander of the British force, played by Michael Rennie, that, "There is a British rating on the island." The sailor is rescued. In the last scene of the movie, The British Admiral and the rating are at Buckingham palace, the former to be knighted and the latter to be awarded the Victoria Cross.
IIRC, Rennie is the natural father of Hunter in the movie. The German ship is the Essen. I didn't find a real ship by that name when I went looking as a young'un. They used to run it on TBS years ago. That's where I got my copy. Still missed the Graf Spee movie. :(
Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.
Yes I do and have it archived on DVD. [snipped - strange but great ending] I've been wandering around my hallway for years looking for that box.
I'll search it out and see if it's good enough for you.
Richard.
Roger that, think it came out in 1954 but don't quote me on that.
The original plot was a book by CS Forester called "Brown on Resolution" and had to do with a WWI sailor who held up a German cruiser until British forces could catch it. A good read if you can find a copy, but note that it too was also re-released as "Single-Handed" about the time the film came out.
Cookie Sewell
Also an earlier version made in the 30's with John Mills. I recall at least two RN ships, from the Med Fleet, including (I think) a Manxman class as the German cruiser in the 1952 version. The novel is better than the movie, but also reality-based. Don't expect a happy ending.
Would this be the dude that played the original Captain Kirk?
Um, yes, but he had another name in the pilot. He also played Jesus in "King of Kings" with blueblueblue eyes!
Cookie Sewell
well, he played the original eneterprise captain. he would have been kirk but circumstances dictated otherwise. which means i've forgotten the exact details.
he also played a rancher in some godawful western. it was so bad i wish i could find it. the cast was the attack of the b movie rejects.
yeah, spocko could fix me up with christina applegate or about a half dozen others.
Jeffrey Hunter played USS Enterprise Captain Christopher Pike in the pilot of Star Trek, which was later re-shown in part in the original series as the "Menagerie". Pike was a predecessor to Cpt. James Tiberius Kirk.
Kaliste Saloom (IPMS #30703) IPMS/Acadiana Plastic Modelers Lafayette, LA USA
Mrs. Hunter was the problem, IIRC. She had plans for Mr. that did not include playing a starship captain on some forgotten TV show. Well, he's famous now but as the guy who 'didn't' get to be Kirk.
Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.
I always liked Mr. Spock's retirement plan. Staying the rest of my life with Susan Oliver in a perfect dream seems pretty decent. ;)
Yeppers - Hunter's wife thought the role of Captain Pike was beneath her husband. Poor guy, IIRC he died after falling and hitting his head a few years later.
WmB
It might be that you're thinking of the same version that was originally asked for and as to the ending, which one as you get both!
Richard.
"It came out in 1954." -Cookie Sewell
Mills played the young sailor in the 30's version. In the novel Brown dies alone on the island after the cruiser leaves; the cruiser is sunk with all hands, so his story remains unknown, and his father gets the glory but no clue that he ever had a son.
There are a few unlucky guys like that.
One was a guy called Pete Best. He was the drummer with a little known band in Liverpool, England. The band tried to get a record contract but were told "guitar bands are passe. You need to be more like Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. They are the next big thing."
So, Pete went and spoke to Rory Storm and persuaded him to fire the drummer in the Hurricanes and take Pete on instead. Around the same time, the band got wind of this and so fired Pete themselves.
The fired drummer went and spoke to the leader of Pete's old band and got a gig with them. That drummer's name was Ringo Starr and the band was The Beatles...
And people now say "Pete who???" :-D
One must assume that the print going around is the only one in existence as it was for the public in the cinema to decide which ending they liked best by writing it down on a card. It caught me out the first time.
The film is prime for DVD editing so that there can be two versions depending on your mood! :-)
Richard.
the version i heard was that best was too ugly and they suggested ringo.
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