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''PT 109'' is a 1963 biographical war film which depicts the actions of John F. Kennedy (JFK) as an officer of the United States Navy in command of Motor Torpedo Boat ''PT-109'' during the Pacific War of World War II. The film was adapted by Vincent Flaherty and Howard Sheehan from the book ''PT 109: John F. Kennedy in World War II'' by Robert J. Donovan, and the screenplay was written by Robert L. Breen. Cliff Robertson stars as Kennedy, with featured performances by Ty Hardin, James Gregory, Robert Culp, and Grant Williams. ''PT 109'' was the first commercial theatrical film about a sitting United States President released while he was still in office. It came out in June 1963, just five months before Kennedy was assassinated.〔Axmaster, Sean. ("PT 109" ) on TCM.com〕 ==Plot== U.S. Navy Lieutenant, junior grade John F. Kennedy (Cliff Robertson) uses his family's influence to get himself assigned to the fighting in the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Theater during World War II, much to the surprise of Commander C.R. Ritchie (James Gregory). Kennedy lobbies for command of a PT Boat, and is assigned to the "109", a badly damaged boat that is in dire need of repair and overhaul. Initially, Ritchie seems to regard the young, inexperienced Kennedy as something of a lightweight, but his enthusiasm to build a crew and refurbish the "109" to operational status eventually earns Ritchie's grudging respect. The crew includes Kennedy's executive officer, Ensign Leonard J. Thom (Ty Hardin), and sailors "Bucky" Harris (Robert Blake) and Edmund Drewitch (Norman Fell). On one mission, the ''PT 109'' is sent to evacuate paramarines after their Raid on Choiseul. Kennedy successfully takes aboard the survivors, but barely gets out of range of Japanese mortars before running out of fuel. The tide starts to carry the boat back toward the island. Kennedy, his crew, and the rescued Marines face the prospect of a desperate fight for their lives, but in the nick of time another PT boat arrives and tows the ''109'' to safety. Another sortie is less successful. While on patrol one, dark, moonless night in August 1943, a Japanese destroyer appears suddenly out of the darkness, rams and slices the ''109'' in two, killing two crewmen (Marney and Kirksey). Kennedy, having survived the collision, searches for survivors, despite suffering from a back injury. When Kennedy and his men are presumed dead by nearby allies, Kennedy leads the survivors in swimming to a deserted island, while himself towing a badly burned crewman. After a few days, Kennedy encounters two natives and gives them a carved message on a coconut. Fortunately for the sailors, they take it to an Australian coastwatcher, who sends more natives to the island who take Kennedy with them and the coastwatcher arranges for a rescue. Afterward, Kennedy is eligible to transfer back to the U.S., but is assigned command of another PT Boat that has been modified as a gunboat, PT 59, and elects to stay in the fight. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「PT 109 (film)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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