Touches You

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Despite the bland performance of CLIFF ROBERTSON as JFK, PT 109 manages to be a well-staged WWII adventure photographed in handsome Technicolor with some very fine special effects that make all the battle scenes look very realistic.The best performance in the film is delivered by JAMES GREGORY as the hard-nosed commander of the PT squadron, with a cynical view of the young Kennedy who has had no wartime training until he arrives in the Pacific to put together a crew to work aboard a hastily repaired patrol boat.It's a story of courage and heroism that could have been told in ninety minutes to make the drama more taut. Instead, the film is padded out to a two-hours and twenty-minutes length that makes it feel like another "Mr. Roberts," especially during the long first hour.All of the squadron members are well played by a cast that includes TY HARDIN, GRANT WILLIAMS and ROBERT BLAKE as able seamen who form Kennedy's crew. Touches of wartime humor are present with amusing lines throughout. ("The skipper would mount a tank on a PT boat if he could find one," says a loyal crewman at one point). And when Kennedy is reminded of how idealistic he is when confronting the most unfavorable situations, he replies with a grin: "It must be a character flaw." The only real flaw with the film is its length, which robs it of some much needed tension toward the middle. However, as a film examining the earlier life of JFK's participation as a lieutenant in WWII, it's satisfying enough as a realistic depiction of the events aboard PT 109.Summing up: The basic story of Kennedy's efforts to bring his men back safely from a dangerous mission is effectively portrayed and manages to hold the interest despite being overlong. Worth seeing at least once.

The world of celluloid knows the 35th president of the United States as John F. Kennedy. He is certainly the most charismatic of all modern presidents and one destined to grace the memorable portrait walls of his Camelot. There are hundreds of notable exploits of the young Kennedy, but this film " P.T. 109 " ranks among the most memorable. Although the film accentuates the brief period the young Lt. J.G (junior Grade) arrived to the Solomon islands and took command the now famous craft, the actual story begins on the night of August 2nd, 1943. It was during a night action that Kennedy's ship was attacked by an enemy destroyer and it's survivors left for dead. Were it not for Kennedy's (Cliff Robertson) unwavering faith and confidence, the injured crew envisioned inevitable captured and slow starvation. As it was, his men later recounted their commander's indomitable courage and despite his injured spine, gave hope to his despairing men during that terrifying ordeal. The supporting cast includes Ty Hardin, James Gregory as Cmdr. C.R. Ritchie, Robert Culp, Norman Fell and Robert Blake as Charles 'Bucky' Harris. The fact the now legendary boat is a piece of history as is the equally immortal Kennedy, who is forever enshrined in the hearts of Americans, this movie easily takes it's place among the Classic annals of heroic men. ****

It was a excellent movies and well worth a viewers time.For a era piece I feel that it showed how Kennedy got hurt and how he saved the lives crew even after getting hurt bad himself. The locations for the filming of this piece was excellent and true to life. The life on those cardboard boats were tough and the men had to endure very severe living quarters as such. It also showed how Kennedy got his crew selected and how they came to help get the boat seaworthy in such a short time. i would recommend this file to all war film buffs and those who enjoy a action film. The acting was good for the times of the 60's when we were getting ready for Vietnam and the bay of pigs issue.

I remember seeing this movie in the sixties, and have seen it several times over the years. It is entertaining, and very positive in it's portrayal of a young JFK. It is more of a love letter to JFK from Hollywood than a authentic retelling of history, however. This was done when the United States was in the midst of a romance with the new "Camelot", and accordingly much artistic license was taken at the expense of a authentic and unbiased depiction of the episode. Perhaps the film was meant to capture more of the spirit of the time than to portray strictly the hard facts of the event. In any case, it is still an enjoyable movie and is worth watching.