Stand by for Action

Stand by for ActionNot long after Pearl Harbor, the U. S. scrambles for ships to put to sea ships like the dry docked WWI destroyer Warren. An "old Noah's Ark," scoffs Lt. Gregg Masterman (Robert Taylor), a Harvard schooled Bostonian ensconced in a cushy desk job. Care to guess who will be volunteered to be the aged ship's executive officer? The character of a callow young man who ultimately proves his worth is one Taylor had played before, notably in A Yank at Oxford

a team of supposed (and well-paid) witnesses and a nimble assistant whose specialty is flopping in front of moving vehicles to stage a bogus accident

for a while

three sets of stars - all ideal fare for fans of The Thin Man series

his father (Tracy) commits arson to pay for a vital operation

Film noir favorite Charles McGraw plays a cop guarding a gangster's moll (fellow genre icon Marie Windsor) as she travels west to testify before a grand jury

But this is only the beginning of a remarkable life for Young Catherine

American counter-intelligence officer Major John Bolton (Wilde) realizes there's a highly placed turncoat in the ranks

Michael Lewis

) greats including Warren Oates

Delaney's plan must not fail

But the would-be foes become brothers in combat when faced with the cruelty of Dionysius the Tyrant

Barbara Stanwyck stars as the extravagant