South Sea Woman (1953)

A U.S. Marine (Burt Lancaster) is being court martialed for desertion, destruction and theft during time of war. He refuses to defend himself and will not enter a plea. So it's up to a long legged showgirl (Virginia Mayo) to tell "his" side of the story on the witness stand. Loosely based on the play GENERAL COURT MARTIAL by William Rankin, this film would seem to have something for everybody: action, romance, comedy, patriotism, exotic locales etc. but by spreading itself too thin, it ends up unfocused. At first, it looks like a ROAD TO ..... clone with Lancaster, Mayo and Chuck Connors standing in for Crosby, Lamour and Hope. Then it gets all jingoistic on us as the trio attempts to sink a Japanese submarine from a stolen yacht. It's the kind of movie where when in the heat of battle a character attempts to hoist the American flag, you know there's a bullet waiting for him when he does it. The three leads give it their best and they're all fine but it's hardly worth the effort. Directed by Arthur Lubin (BUCK PRIVATES). With Paul Burke, Barry Kelley, Arthur Shields, Hayden Rorke and Bob Sweeney.