Destination Tokyo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Destination Tokyo
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Delmer Daves
Produced by	Jerry Wald Jack L. Warner
Screenplay by	Delmer Daves Albert Maltz
Story by	Steve Fisher
Starring	Cary Grant John Garfield
Music by	Franz Waxman William Lava
Cinematography	Bert Glennon
Editing by	Christian Nyby Vladimir Barjansky
Studio	Warner Bros. Pictures
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s)	December 15, 1943 (1943-12-15) (Pittsburgh, premiere)
Running time	131 or 135 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1,516,000
Money made	$4,544,000

Destination Tokyo is an exciting black and white American submarine war film from 1943. It was the first movie directed by Delmer Daves. The story was created by Steve Fisher, a former submariner. The screenplay was written by Daves and Albert Maltz. Famous actors Cary Grant and John Garfield star in the film.

This movie was made during the height of World War II. It was meant to help people feel hopeful and proud at home. It also encouraged young men to join the U.S. Navy's Submarine Service. Many people consider Destination Tokyo a classic submarine film. It inspired later movies like Run Silent, Run Deep and Das Boot.

An Underwater Adventure: The Story of Destination Tokyo

On Christmas Eve, the submarine USS Copperfin begins a secret mission. Captain Cassidy leads his crew from the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Their first stop is the Aleutian Islands, where they pick up Lieutenant Raymond, a meteorologist. Their important orders are to travel to Tokyo Bay. There, they must gather crucial weather information for a big upcoming air attack called the Doolittle Raid.

As they journey across the vast Pacific Ocean, the Copperfin faces danger. They successfully shoot down two Japanese floatplanes that attack them. During an attempt to help one of the downed airmen, a crew member named Mike is seriously injured and sadly passes away. Another crew member, Tommy Adams, bravely defends the submarine against the Japanese pilot. Tommy later volunteers for a very risky job: defusing an unexploded bomb stuck under the submarine's deck, guided by Captain Cassidy.

One of the crew, "Tin Can," who is Greek-American, feels deep sadness about the war. He explains that every loss of an Allied life causes him great pain. Lieutenant Raymond, who once lived in Japan, shares his thoughts on how the Japanese military led their people into the war.

As they get closer to Tokyo Bay, the Copperfin must carefully navigate through hidden minefields and anti-torpedo nets. They follow a Japanese ship to enter the bay safely. Under the cover of darkness, a small team of three men, including the clever "Wolf," goes ashore. Their mission is to collect the vital weather observations.

Back on the submarine, Tommy Adams becomes very ill with appendicitis. "Pills," the pharmacist's mate, has to perform an operation. He follows instructions from a medical book, using improvised tools and limited medical supplies. Luckily, the operation is a success! Afterward, "Cookie" Wainwright starts baking the pumpkin pie he promised Tommy.

Raymond broadcasts the collected weather information in Japanese to avoid being discovered. However, the Japanese forces realize something is wrong and begin searching the bay. The Copperfin remains hidden. The crew even gets to watch part of the Doolittle Raid through their periscope.

After Raymond and his team return, the submarine quietly leaves the bay, following another ship. Outside the bay, the Copperfin manages to sink a Japanese aircraft carrier. However, the submarine is badly damaged by the carrier's escort ships. After facing many depth charge attacks, Captain Cassidy makes a desperate move and sinks a destroyer. This allows the brave crew to finally return home safely.

Meet the Crew: The Cast of Destination Tokyo

Making the Movie: Behind the Scenes of Destination Tokyo

Filming for Destination Tokyo started on June 21, 1943, and finished on September 4 of the same year. To make the movie feel real, the actors spent time at the U.S. Navy's Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California. There, they learned about how submarines work and what life is like for submariners.

Expert advisors helped with the film, including Captain Dudley Walker Morton of the USS Wahoo submarine and crew member Andy Lennox. Sadly, the USS Wahoo, which helped advise the film, was lost at sea with its crew during the war in October 1943. Its wreckage was later found in 2006.

The idea of a submarine in Tokyo Bay helping with the Doolittle Raid is a fictional part of the movie. While the Doolittle Raiders did receive intelligence, historians say there wasn't a submarine in Tokyo Bay providing real-time updates.

The model of the Copperfin submarine used in the film was very accurate. It was so realistic that the Navy actually used the movie as a training tool for new submariners!

One exciting scene in Destination Tokyo shows the pharmacist's mate performing an appendectomy (an operation to remove an appendix). This dramatic event was based on a real-life incident that happened on the submarine USS Seadragon. A real medical assistant named Wheeler Bryson Lipes performed that actual operation.

Some parts of the movie were filmed at Portuguese Bend on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in California.

For this film, Warner Bros. Pictures borrowed actor Cary Grant from Columbia Pictures. In exchange, Humphrey Bogart went to Columbia to make the movie Sahara. Interestingly, Cary Grant had turned down the role that Bogart played, and Gary Cooper had turned down the role of Captain Cassidy that Grant eventually took.

Ad for a showing of Destination Tokyo in Allentown, Pennsylvania

Awards and Recognition

The original story for Destination Tokyo, written by Steve Fisher, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. This is a big honor in the film world!

How Destination Tokyo Inspired Others

This movie had a lasting impact! Inspired by Cary Grant's role as a submarine captain, a 17-year-old Tony Curtis joined the United States Navy in 1943. He wanted to serve on a submarine but instead worked on a submarine support ship. Years later, as a famous actor, Tony Curtis starred with Cary Grant in the 1959 comedy Operation Petticoat, where they both played submariners.

In the 1951 movie Operation Pacific, a World War II submarine crew gets to watch a movie, and it's Destination Tokyo! Parts of this film were also used in the 1959 movie Submarine Seahawk.

According to his own book, Destination Tokyo also helped Ronald Reagan decide to play a World War II submarine captain in the 1957 movie Hellcats of the Navy.