Also identify the ship – the location – and the female co-star for extra credit

20 COMMENTS

  1. Movie was "The Sandpebbles" set on the Yangtze I think in the 1920's?? Been too long since I have seen it…seems I remember a semi-auto rifle in climax on-land scene…BAR?

  2. Since BOBBOOKWORM jumped on it so quickly. What was the name of the "bilge coolie" and the name of the Christian mission?

  3. Just happened to swing by at the right time. I'd have to go look it up…maybe someone who is more of a movie junkie than I am?? Good movie, by the way.

  4. Candice Bergen was the female missionary and the ship was the gunboat USS San Pablo. One of Steve McQueen's better movies….

  5. Bilge coolie was Po-han played by Mako, who has been in many films since. "Live stem, sleepy stem".

  6. Richard Crenna as the Captain did a good job with the role as well. Not sure how long it's been since I saw this.

  7. I haven't yet read the other comments. I don't want to be influenced by them. The film is The Sand Pebbles. I seem to recall that ship's name was the San Pablo. It's been quite a while since I last saw the film or read the book. I recall that it took place in China in the 1920s, the Yangtze River comes to mind. I don't remember who his co-star was. I need to see that film again. Maybe TCM will run it again soon.

  8. "The Sand Pebbles" may have been a good film, but for fact rather than fiction see the film "Yangtze Incident" about HMS Amethyst's escape from the Yangtze in 1949.

  9. Richard Crenna was a real China sailor and the Naval Institute edition has a good deal to say about the man, his life and times. Worth the chasing down.

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