I was 9 when PT109 premiered in 1963 and like all small boys raised on our uncles' and fathers' stories of WWII and Korea, we were eager to see what our president did in the war. It was a rousing tale, especially since one of my uncles in fact was in the Solomon Islands with the Navy about the same time with a maintenance crew, maintaining PTs and some aircraft.
As I got older and read the real story of PT109, I was no less impressed with the movie; after all it is just that, a movie. It compresses Kennedy's time on two PTs into one. PT109 juxtaposes some of the events, but it gets the basic story correct. SPOILER: His boat was rammed and sunk with the loss of two of his crewmen. Kennedy did tow an injured sailor to a nearby island and did, with the help of coastwatchers and natives friendly to the allies' cause, get his crew back.
The support that the US Navy provided is evident and it is a tale that can be watched by the entire family. I'd recommend it as a way of introducing WWII history to younger children. While combat is shown, it is not graphic. 7 of 10 stars.
As I got older and read the real story of PT109, I was no less impressed with the movie; after all it is just that, a movie. It compresses Kennedy's time on two PTs into one. PT109 juxtaposes some of the events, but it gets the basic story correct. SPOILER: His boat was rammed and sunk with the loss of two of his crewmen. Kennedy did tow an injured sailor to a nearby island and did, with the help of coastwatchers and natives friendly to the allies' cause, get his crew back.
The support that the US Navy provided is evident and it is a tale that can be watched by the entire family. I'd recommend it as a way of introducing WWII history to younger children. While combat is shown, it is not graphic. 7 of 10 stars.