Competently directed by Nathan Juran (who would distinguish himself in several Schneer/Harryhausen productions), Hellcats of the Navy still can't overcome a completely derivative and cornball script. It's the kind of Navy story where petty personal problems affect the chain of command, and seasoned first officers behave like junior high school dolts. Add to that a dull crew given cute bits of business, and weak supporting characters like young sailor Freddy Warren (Robert Arthur, of Ace in the Hole), and you have a dull show. Every time we cut to another stock shot of submarine activity, we realize that a few days of principal photograpy was all it took to make this picture - the rest is all library footage. At one point, an obvious U.S. Navy motor patrol (PT) boat is pawned off as a Japanese ship .... who did Schneer think would accept such a thing? He must have listened too much to Sam Katzman.

No matter how much fun the Medved brothers made of Hellcats of the Navy in their Golden Turkey books, the fact is that ol' drugstore truck-drivin' man Ronald Reagan is a solid actor. He keeps all his scenes on task with his no-nonsense presence and solid line readings. He's square, for sure, but whenever he's on screen, it's a real movie. It's one of his last; I only wish he'd gotten an Oscar and stayed in films where he belonged.

Nancy Davis, who was so capable in her earlier MGM pix, like The Next Voice You Hear, acts like a housewife who came along for the ride. It's pretty silly to see another officer hide her photo under his pillow - as she's not only not the babe-back-home type, but is way past her prime. Either she and Ronnie did this as a 4th anniversary present to each other ("think of it, we'll have a movie kiss together!") or economical producer Schneer said the role was hers if the price was right. As it is, she's kind of an embarassment.

Poor Arthur Franz has the toughest role as the first officer whose character makes no sense so the story can have a trumped-up conflict. It's a thankless part, and he does it well, as usual. Among the lesser faces is the usually grim-looking Joe Turkel, from Paths of Glory & The Shining, here with a big smile on his face. Castmember William Phillips looks exactly like William Phipps from many a 50s Science Fiction movie, and Savant wonders if the IMDB has split one actor into two.

Schneer, or somebody's coup was to get the brilliant Admiral Chester W. Nimitz to endorse the movie with an opening on-screen benediction. Don't let this association tarnish his heroic reputation.

Columbia's DVD of Hellcats of the Navy is a plainwrap edition without even a trailer for an extra. 16:9 is not mentioned in the widescreen text on the package back, even though the show is nicely enhanced ... Savant's already expressed his fear that the studio is testing the waters to see if enhancement can be dropped for library titles without causing a consumer uproar.

On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, Hellcats of the Navy rates:
Movie: Fair
Video: Excellent
Sound: Good
Supplements: trailers for other Columbia War films
Packaging: Keep case
Reviewed: May 15, 2003