The PT Boat Forum
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» Forum Category: PT Boats of WWII
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» Forum Name: PT Boats - General
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» Topic:
PT Movies
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FYI: My girlfriend was watching an old (1949) pic titled MAYLAYA with Spencer Tracey and whoever. Towards the end of the flick ole Spencer says something like "what we really need are some PT boats" and there follows a couple of minutes of footage from THEY WERE EXPENDABLE. I have to check again, but I think that was the only PT stuff in there.
Will
Posted By: Will Day | Posted on: Nov 19, 2011 - 12:14pm
Total Posts: 1955 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 4:19pm
The Movie CRASH DIVE with Tyrone Power, has some really good PT BOAT footage in the beginning of the movie. I have yet to see the darn thing, but my son has seen it, and tells me Power starts off as a PT BOAT SKIPPER before transferring to SUB DUTY...........
Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Nov 19, 2011 - 1:05pm
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am
Since we're talking about movies, I have a question. I finally got a DVD of PT-109 and even though they kinda, sorta look like 80ft Elco's there are enough differences that even a neophyte such as me can tell they aren't. So the question is........what type of boat did they start life as?
Bruce
Bruce Ross
Posted By: bwross | Posted on: Nov 19, 2011 - 2:24pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
They were 85 foot Crash Boats rebuilt by Miami Boat Building to resemble Elco 80 footers ... at great cost to Warner Bros.
In fact, Mr. Sinn used the cockpit and charthouse of one of those boats in his restoration of the 486.
Posted By: TGConnelly | Posted on: Nov 19, 2011 - 2:32pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
Interesting; thanks for the information Garth.
Bruce
Bruce Ross
Posted By: bwross | Posted on: Nov 19, 2011 - 7:59pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
Back to the movies with PT Boats: Of course a good one is John Wayne and Kirk Douglas and Patricia Neal starring in "In Harms Way". Also the Original Elco movie "Devil Boats". Another is the movie starring Gregory Peck called "MacArthur" and my personal favorite; "Devil Boats: The saga of PT658" (available now on DVD!) in which I am a major star.....hah ha ha. Jerry
Jerry Gilmartin
Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Nov 20, 2011 - 12:28am
Total Posts: 1470 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm
I always knew you would hit the big time Jerry. In Harms Way was a wonderful movie, although the PT BOATS depicted were pretty lame. I wonder what type boats those were ASR'S?
Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Nov 20, 2011 - 4:12am
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am
Were there any PTs in IN HARM'S WAY other than the cockpit mockups?
Will
Posted By: Will Day | Posted on: Nov 20, 2011 - 9:11am
Total Posts: 1955 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 4:19pm
MacArthur did have some nice PTF footage.....
Will
Posted By: Will Day | Posted on: Nov 20, 2011 - 9:19am
Total Posts: 1955 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 4:19pm
I always knew you would hit the big time Jerry. In Harms Way was a wonderful movie, although the PT BOATS depicted were pretty lame. I wonder what type boats those were ASR'S?
63' MIAMIs.
Al Ross
Posted By: alross2 | Posted on: Nov 20, 2011 - 12:39pm
Total Posts: 993 | Joined: Oct 30, 2006 - 8:19pm
Bruce
Like yourself, I just saw "PT 109" for the first time when it aired recently on Turner Classic Movies. I knew going in that the boats weren't real Elco 80's, but I thought the producers did a pretty good job with them. I just ran across this story about the movie boats from a gentleman named Bud Tretter:
"IN 1960, WHEN I WAS SKIPPER OF PT-73 AND RUNNING THE BOAT IN MC HALES NAVY, WE KEPT THE BOAT AT COLONIAL YACHT, WHICH MY DAD OWNED. SOME MEN CAME DOWN TO THE BOAT AND INTRODUCED THEMSELVES AS BEING FROM UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE GOING TO MAKE A MOVIE ABOUT JFK AND HIS EXPERIENCES WITH PT BOATS IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC. THE NAME OF THE MOVIE WAS TO BE “PT 109”.
I TOLD THEM THAT THEY WERE WELCOME TO COME ABOARD, BUT THAT THIS BOAT WAS NOTHING LIKE THE ELCO 82 FOOT PT THAT JFK COMMANDED. I EXPLAINED THAT THE MC HALE BOAT WAS A BRITISH DESIGNED VOSPER PT, 75’ IN LENGTH.
I ASKED THEM WHY THEY DID NOT GO TO THE NAVY FOR THEIR NEEDS, WHERE BY THEY INFORMED ME THAT THEY HAD BEEN TO THE NAVY AND WERE TOLD THAT THERE WERE NO MORE 82’ ELCO PT’S IN EXISTANCE AND THAT THERE WERE NO DRAWINGS AVAILABLE. THEN THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD (4) 85’ CRASH BOATS AND THAT THEY INTENDED TO CUT THE CABINS OFF AND CONSTRUCT PT BOAT CABINS AND DECK LAYOUTS ON THE CRASH BOATS, BUT THEY DIDN’T KNOW WHAT A ELCO PT ACTUALLY LOOKED LIKE.
I TOLD THEM THAT I HAD A REVELL, PLASTIC MODEL OF A PT BOAT THAT I HAD PUT TO GETHER. I TOLD THEM IF THEY WANTED I WOULD LOAN THEM THE MODEL. THEY JUMPED AT THIS SUGGESTION AND PROMISED TO RETURN THE MODEL.
THEY HAD THE MODEL FOR ABOUT A MONTH AND WHEN IT WAS RETURNED, THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD COPIED EVERY DETAIL AND THANKED ME VERY MUCH. SURE ENOUGH WHEN THE MOVIE CAME OUT, THERE WERE 85’ CRASH BOAT HULLS THAT LOOKED EXACTLY LIKE REAL PT BOATS."
I don't know how true it is, but it's a great story. You can read the rest of his story at the P-520 Crashboat site.
[url]http://p-520crashboat.org/2.aspx[/url]
Keith
Posted By: kgretter | Posted on: Nov 28, 2011 - 7:01pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered
Neat story, but it appears Mr. Tretter mis-remembered some of his facts.
Of course, PT 103-class Elco PTs like PT 109 were 80-footers, not 82 feet, and I thought the Vosper PTs were 70' in length, not 75'.
I'm also pretty sure neither the TV show "McHale's Navy" nor the Revell 1/72nd scale plastic model of PT 109 existed in 1960.
Mr. Tretter was right about one thing, though. The Miami shipyard and the Warner Bros. carpenters did a great job on the "PT 109" movie boats.
Posted By: Drew Cook | Posted on: Nov 30, 2011 - 5:37pm
Total Posts: 1306 | Joined: Oct 19, 2006 - 10:44am
Hi guys,
I have met Bud Tretter and his son Jerry Tretter. They own the 85 foot P-520 USAF Crash Boat and also run the Long Beach Marina and boat repair yard down on Long Beach Ca. Bud and his crew drove the P-520 up the west coast to Portland back in September, 2007 in order to visit the PT658. Bud is a great guy, a true patriot and he and his crew did a fantastic job of restoring the P520, both inside and out. We were considered as a possible caretaker for the P520 as he would have donated the boat to our group, but we could not honestly accept the donation in the spirit that the boat requires. It comes along with a great responsibility to maintain and care for the boat. We would not have been able to keep the boat maintained with our limited resources, so we had to decline his gracious offer.
At any rate, I would not be too quick to dismiss what Bud says in his story. I heard the same story from the man himself. He was hired to pilot the McHale's Navy boat during the at sea filming sequences. In fact another story he told me involved the filming of the opening scenes of the TV show, where they swamped and sunk the cameraman's small boat as they made a high speed pass. That must have been hilarious to see! I googled the model and it came out in 1963, and McHales Navy premiered in April 1962, so maybe he was off by 2 years, but hey! that was almost 50 years ago so I would cut him some slack! I am pretty sure Bud Tretter is the real deal.
Here is a pretty interesting website that shows a lot of photos of the P520. It was last updated in 2007. Jerry
[url]http://www.p-520crashboat.com/[/url]
Bud Tretter and P-520 arriving at PT658 pier in Portland Sept 2007
[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Jerry%20Gilmartin/00000005.jpg[/image]
Bud and his crew after the long trip from Long Beach (Bud with coffee cup) Son Jerry Tretter with red shirt
[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Jerry%20Gilmartin/00000006.jpg[/image]
P520 Bud Tretter's 85 foot Crash Boat follows PT658 up the Williamette River in Portland, Sept 2007. P-520 powered by two 12v71 Detroit Diesel engines (max speed is about 18 kt) We had to keep taking our engines out of gear to let her catch up!
[image]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/ptboats/Jerry%20Gilmartin/00000026.jpg[/image]
Jerry Gilmartin
Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Nov 30, 2011 - 6:44pm
Total Posts: 1470 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm
I always knew you would hit the big time Jerry. In Harms Way was a wonderful movie, although the PT BOATS depicted were pretty lame. I wonder what type boats those were ASR'S?
Frank, see my recent post entitled “Real PT’s?”. Al posted some great information on these boats.
Posted By: Mark Culp | Posted on: Dec 1, 2011 - 2:36am
Total Posts: 135 | Joined: Oct 15, 2006 - 2:56pm
