Operation Pacific  (1951)

Theatrical Release Information:
Operation Pacific

If one is a subscriber to cable TV's American Movie Classics, it is virtually impossible to avoid seeing the John Wayne starrer Operation Pacific; judging by the frequency of its showings, the film must be someone's very special favorite down at AMC. Set during WW II, the film casts Wayne as Duke Gifford, two-fisted submarine commander. Patricia Neal co-stars as Mary Stuart, Duke's former wife. Duke's hopes of staging a reconciliation are constantly interrupted by a series of life-threatening circumstances, capped by the rescue of a group of orphans from a Japanese-held island. Featured in the cast are old John Wayne cronies Ward Bond and Jack Pennick, as well as TV's future Jim Bowie, Scott Forbes. Operation Pacific might prove a fascinating companion feature to 1964's In Harm's Way, which reteamed John Wayne and Patricia Neal in another WW II Navy yarn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide