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Sail a Crooked Ship
Sail a Crooked Ship
	theatrical poster
Directed by	Irving Brecher
Screenplay by	Ruth Brooks Flippen; Bruce Geller
Based on	Sail a Crooked Ship (novel); by Nathaniel Benchley
Produced by	Philip Barry Jr.
Starring	Robert Wagner; Dolores Hart; Carolyn Jones; Frankie Avalon; Ernie Kovacs; Frank Gorshin
Cinematography	Joseph Biroc
Edited by	William A. Lyon
Music by	George Duning
Production; company	Columbia Pictures
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	December 1961;
Running time	88 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1,150,000 (US/Canada)

Sail a Crooked Ship is a 1961 American black-and-white comedy heist film starring Robert Wagner, Dolores Hart, Carolyn Jones, Frankie Avalon, Ernie Kovacs and Frank Gorshin. It was directed by Irving Brecher and was based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Nathaniel Benchley.^[2]

Sail a Crooked Ship was Kovacs' last movie, released shortly before he was killed in a car crash.

Hart's other 1961 film, Francis of Assisi, inspired her to retire from acting two years later and become a Roman Catholic nun.

Plot

When Gilbert Barrows (Robert Wagner) disobeys his boss and tries to refit an old Liberty Ship for cargo use instead of scrapping it, he inadvertently puts it into the hands of a colorful group of crooks led by good-hearted screw-up Bugsy G. Fogelmeyer (Ernie Kovacs) and brainy sociopath George M. Wilson (Frank Gorshin). The crooks plan to use the ship to make their getaway after they pull a bank robbery in Boston, and they kidnap Barrows and his girlfriend Elinor Harrison (Dolores Hart) – his boss's daughter – to prevent leaving any witnesses behind. With the help of Bugsy's nephew Rodney J. Fogelmeyer (Frankie Avalon), Gilbert and Elinor manage to foil the crooks' plans by using Elinor's bra as a slingshot and attracting the Coast Guard.

Cast

Robert Wagner as Gilbert Barrows
Dolores Hart as Elinor Harrison
Carolyn Jones as Virginia
Ernie Kovacs as Bugsy G. Foglemeyer alias "The Captain"
Frankie Avalon as Ensign Rodney J. Foglemeyer
Frank Gorshin as George M. Wilson
Jesse White as McDonald
Harvey Lembeck as Nickels
Sid Tomack as Sammy
Guy Raymond as Helmut
Buck Kartalian as Finster
Wilton Graff as Simon J. Harrison
Marjorie Bennett as Mrs. Chowder

Production

The film was based on a novel published in 1960. The New York Times called it "slightly daffy".^[3]

Producer Philip Barry thought the novel would make a good film. He pitched it to MGM for whom he had made The Mating Game but that studio passed. Barry went on to sign a three picture deal at Columbia Studios.^[4] In June 1960 Barry said his first film for Columbia would be Sail a Crooked Ship which he described as "Some Like It Hot without drag". He hoped to star Jack Lemmon and hired William Bowers to write the script.^[5]

"I can't remember how many opinions were brought to bear on the script," said Barry later. "The ship has changed course quite a few times since I read the book."^[4]

In January 1961 Ernie Kovacs was cast.^[6] Also that month Columbia announced the lead role would be played by Robert Wagner. He and then-wife Natalie Wood formed their own company, Rona Productions, which signed a three picture deal with Columbia for Wagner's services. The first film was Sail a Crooked Ship and the second would be The Interns.^[7] Wagner would get a percentage of the profits.^[8] (In the end, Wagner's marriage to Wood ended in 1961 and he only made the one film for Columbia).

In March it was announced the female leads would be Joan Collins and Jean Seberg.^[9] These roles would end up being played by Carolyn Jones and Dolores Hart.

Following the hijacking of the Portuguese ship Santa Maria the studio briefly considered renaming the film Steal a Crooked Ship to cash in.^[10]

Barry wanted further work on the script but Bowers was on another project, so he hired other writers. (Bowers ended up not being credited at all.) Filming started April 1961 without a completed script. Barry said during the shoot, "basically we are in the same position as a play in New Haven with a third act that needs work before it gets to Broadway."^[4]

Reception

Filmink argued "the movie would have been better off had Avalon played the lead rather than Wagner – Avalon’s youth and naivety would have suited the story better."^[11]

References

Notes

^ "Big Rental Pictures of 1962". Variety. 9 Jan 1963. p. 13. Please note these are rentals and not gross figures
^ "Screenplay Info" on TCM.com
^ In a Bit of a Mulligatawny: SAIL A CROOKED SHIP. By Na- thaniel Benchley. 320 pp. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company. $3.95. By LENARD KAUFMAN. New York Times (22 May 1960: BR34.
^ ^a ^b ^c TIME LAG DAMPENS PRODUCER'S ZEAL: Philip Barry Jr. Has Many a Slip in Putting Idea on Film By MURRAY SCHUMACH Special to The New York Times. 11 May 1961: 41.
^ Barry Will Film Book of Benchley: Lemmon May Get Lead Role Los Angeles Times 24 June 1960: A8.
^ Ketti Frings Seeks Douglas for Film Los Angeles Times 18 Jan 1961: C8.
^ WAGNER STEPS UP WORK IN MOVIES: Actor Forms Concern, Signs 3-Picture Columbia Deal By HOWARD THOMPSON. New York Times 21 Jan 1961: 18.
^ Natalie: 'Much Can Happen, and It Did' Los Angeles Times 18 Mar 1962: A10.
^ Entertainment: Bob Wagner Will Do 'The Interns' Jean Seberg Hit in Paris Los Angeles Times 6 Mar 1961: C12.
^ Producers Rushing Films on Piracy Los Angeles Times 3 Feb 1961: A9.
^ Vagg, Stephen (28 December 2024). "The movie stardom of Frankie Avalon". Filmink. Retrieved 28 December 2024.