Why were PT boats so popular in movies during the 50s and 60s?
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Jon Mixon
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Well over 13,000 movies by now.Jun 18
Why were PT boats so popular in movies during the 50s and 60s if they
weren't that effective in sinking enemy ships?
Question: Why were PT boats so popular in movies during the 50s and 60s
if they weren't that effective in sinking enemy ships?
Let’s see:
There were still a number of them around - PT Boats were built in
staggering numbers and after WWII many were for sale surplus and could
be bought for a song.
They were cheap - Every dollar counts when you’re making a film. PT
boats were dirt cheap.
It’s easier to film a realistic project using a smaller vessel - PT
boats were small enough to make it easy to film a small cast onboard.
If you couldn’t get the US Navy to assist in the filmmaking, it wasn’t a major problem - Before the Department of Defense will assist in making a
film, they want to read the script. Anything that they believe will make
the military “look bad” will cause them to reject offering assistance.
If you already have a cheap PT boat and some B-roll footage, you didn’t
need them.
The PT didn’t require the building of too many additional sets - Do most
of the filming on the deck, from boats tied up alongside, and throw in
some interior sets or projection onto screens to show action and you’re “done”.
Here’s a PT boat:
$500 floating “movie set”.
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