The Deep Six
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
as Alexander 'Alec' Austen
Dianne Foster
as Susan Cahill
William Bendix
as 'Frenchy' Shapiro
Keenan Wynn
as Lt. Cmdr. Mike Edge
James Whitmore
as Cmdr. Warren Meredith
Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
as Lt. Blanchard
Joey Bishop
as Ski Krokowski
Barbara Eiler
as Claire Innes
Ross Bagdasarian
as Pvt. Aaron Slobodjian
Jeanette Nolan
as Mrs. Austen
