Don't worry, Wayne, and the rest of the cast, do not even attempt German accents. The film was shot in and. Napier later discovers the bodies and believes his old friend is responsible. As the Second World War breaks out, German freighter captain Karl Ehrlich is about to leave Sydney, Australia with his vessel, the Ergenstrasse. The German song had English lyrics written specifically for the film. The Ergenstrasse sits in the port of Sydney, Australia on the eve of the Second World War. He is no Nazi supporter.
Meanwhile, Germany has invaded Poland, and war is imminent. She subsequently made her way into the , where she was intercepted off on 24 July 1941 by , and scuttled by her crew. Paul Fix is another famous face in a small role. John Wayne and Lana Turner in The Sea Chase. The mid 1950s were all about widescreen and Technicolor to lure couch potatoes away from their tv sets and out to the movies.
It was directed by from a screenplay by and based on the novel of the same name by Andrew Geer. Devastated, Turner went to Wayne for help. When Ehrlich's fiercely Nazi chief officer Kirchner commits an atrocity, the British pursuit becomes deadly. Meanwhile Elsa learns the truth herself, dumps Kirchner, and declares her love for Ehrlich. Running out of coal, he begins burning wood from the ship for fuel, upsetting the crew when he orders the lifeboats burned. Unknown to Ehrlich, Elsa stays on board, bound and determined to be with the man she loves.
Under the captaincy of Alfred Grams, the freighter slipped out of , New Zealand, on 28 August 1939, on the very eve of war, ostensibly for , where she was to have filled her coal bunkers for the homeward passage to Europe. When Ehrlich's fiercely Nazi chief officer Kirchner commits an atrocity, the British pursuit becomes deadly. The scene where Wayne and Turner talk in a clearing is natural. Ehrlich, an anti-Nazi but proud German, hopes to outrun or out-maneuver the British warship pursuing him. Also in the cast was Claude Akins and future Gilligan's Island star, Alan Hale, Jr.
The Sea Chase Movie Summary In The Sea Chase, Karl Ehrlich, played by John Wayne, is the captain of the old German steam freighter Ergenstrasse. But isn't that the point and the purpose of a film? Eric compared her to Marilyn Monroe but she had a more elegant and brittle beauty and she lacked the earthiness that Marilyn possessed. It is left unclear whether they die, but the other crewmen hand over the ship's log to Napier, proving that Kirchner committed the murders alone. The movie is called The Sea Chase, but unfortunately, there is very little chasing going on. The making of The Sea Chase was a mixed bag for all concerned. Napier, obsessed with finding Ehrlich, requests a transfer to the British Naval ships in the North Sea; believing that Ehrlich must pass through the patrols in his attempt to reach Germany.
The Sea Chase features many scenes showcasing this new technology. The fates of Ehrlich, Elsa and Kirchner left undetermined. Ehrlich, an anti-Nazi but proud German, hopes to outrun or out-maneuver the British warship pursuing him. The Hawaiian adventure may have ended happily, but it had not started out that way. As the Ergenstrasse prepares to head out to sea, Ehrlich is visited by an old friend, British Commander Jeff Napier. The Ergenstrasse is short on fuel, so Ehrlich makes a daring plan to take the long way back to Germany.
John Wayne came down with ear infections twice during the shooting of the film, and two other actors received infections due to skin diving. Especially by Napier, who now holds a grudge against Ehrlich now for breaking up his engagement. Soon after, James Warner Bellah was announced as working on the script. That's the unlikely scenario for The Sea Chase 1955 , an adaptation of the 1949 novel by Andrew Geer, directed by John Farrow. Dropping off the screen like some dog eared work of fiction that you read on holiday. This post contains affiliate links that will take you to Amazon. As the Second World War breaks out, German freighter captain Karl Ehrlich is about to leave Sydney, Australia with his vessel, the Ergenstrasse.
The Sea Chase is a rare film for it's time and subject. The ship pulls out of harbor and heads to a tropical island to get wood to burn as fuel for the trip home. Though using the same basic plot as the film, the book painted Kirchner as the hero and Ehrlich as the villain, essentially swapping their roles; the book portrays Kirchner and Keller as unintended victims of Erlich's obsession, though in both stories, the key characters all appear to go down with the ship at the climax. Filming began in September 1954, with the cast and crew going on location to the Big Island of Hawaii, where Warner Bros. Advertisers and Affiliate partnerships do not influence our content. Luck is with the Ergenstrasse when the Rockhampton is facing the German in ,.
For more information, please read our about the inclusion of affiliate links on this site. Before he can begin his escape, Ehrlich receives a visit from the German Consul-General. In fact, she didn't much like anything. Aboard his vessel is Elsa Keller, a woman Ehrlich has been ordered to return to Germany safely along with whatever secrets she carries. According to Tab Hunter, it took two-and-a-half hours by boat each day to reach the ship, which took up precious time in the shooting schedule. And she didn't much like the rest of the cast. Hale wears his navy clothes and looks just like he does as The Skipper on Gilligan's Island.