The Deep Six
“We'll get there and we'll get 'em out!”
Synopsis
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.
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →
Alan Ladd
Alexander 'Alec' Austen
Dianne Foster
Susan Cahill
William Bendix
'Frenchy' Shapiro
Keenan Wynn
Lt. Cmdr. Mike Edge
James Whitmore
Cmdr. Warren Meredith
Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
Lt. Blanchard
Joey Bishop
Ski Krokowski
Barbara Eiler
Claire Innes
Ross Bagdasarian
Pvt. Aaron Slobodjian
Jeanette Nolan
Mrs. Austen
Walter Reed
Paul Clemson
Peter Hansen
Lieutenant Dooley
Richard Crane
Lieutenant j.g. Swanson
Steven Marlo
Collins (as Morris Miller)
Perry Lopez
Al Mendoza
Warren Douglas
Pilot
Nestor Paiva
Pappa Tatos
Barbara Stuart
Ski's Girl
Release History & Theatrical Window
January 15, 1958
Wide Cinema Exhibition
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Rudolph Maté
- Screenplay & Story
- Harry Brown
- Original Title
- The Deep Six
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- English
- Runtime
- 1h 45m
- Production Studios
- Jaguar Productions
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Rudolph Maté
Harry Brown, Martin Dibner
John F. Seitz
Department Leadership Roster
Rudolph Maté
Director
Harry Brown
Screenplay
John F. Seitz
Director of Photography
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
NR: Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
International Certification Matrix
FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.
Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for The Deep Six.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring The Deep Six.
War: World War II
Auto-filled from Letterboxd lists
list_War
Movies categorized under War
MovieLens[20K:30K]
WW2
World War II films
WWII
Similar Titles to The Deep Six
Movies sharing stylistic DNA, tone, and thematic storytelling
7.6
7.1
5.6
7.1
6.5
6.9
6.5
6.6
10.0
7.1
7.5
6.6![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 2 3"%3E%3Crect width="2" height="3" fill="%23161922"/%3E%3C/svg%3E)
5.5The Sailor and the Seagull
6.9
6.1
6.2
6.7
More Like The Deep Six
Recommended titles matching themes, cast, and genres.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Deep Six
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is The Deep Six about?
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.
Who directed The Deep Six?
The Deep Six was directed by Rudolph Maté.
Who stars in The Deep Six?
The principal cast of The Deep Six includes Alan Ladd, Dianne Foster, William Bendix, Keenan Wynn, James Whitmore.
When was The Deep Six released and how long is it?
The Deep Six was released in 1958 with a total runtime of 1h 45m.
Is The Deep Six based on a book or true story?
The Deep Six is adapted from the following source material: Novel: "Martin Dibner".
What is the age rating and content advisory for The Deep Six?
The Deep Six holds official age classifications: DE: 16 (FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.); US: NR (Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.).