[Bill Nichols]

Now out on DVD:

"Ice Station Zebra"

The 1968 Cold War thriller starring Rock Hudson as a submarine captain on a rescue mission to the North Pole gained status beyond its commonplace story because of the obsessive fascination of Howard Hughes, who watched it repeatedly in his seclusion toward the end of his life. "Ice Station Zebra" is part of a wave of Warner Bros. vault titles hitting DVD.


Good flick!

[Sailor Steve]

Good to hear. Thanks, Bill.

Ice Station Zebra was based on a book by Alistair McLean. In my opinion, as with his Breakheart Pass, the movie was actually better than the book.

Ice Station Zebra was also the source for my very first sig here, a great quote from Rock Hudson: "We're all on a first name basis here-my first name is 'Captain'".

[Abraham]

[Sailor Steve]

It's not really a sub movie at all-it's a spy thriller. The plot involves a soviet satellite carrying a camera using stolen British technology with film using stolen American technology. The satellite has malfunctioned and come down near an international ice-flow tracking station, and everybody is in a race to get there first.

Rock Hudson is the sub captain, Patrick McGoohan is the British agent assigned to the sub, and he may or may not the the same 'John Drake' character he played in the TV series 'Danger Man'/'Secret Agent' (he's called 'Jones', but at one point he says "I once killed a man named Jones"). Ernest Borgnine is a former Soviet spy who now works for the West (or does he). Football player Jim Brown is the captain of a group of U.S. Marines, who may not be all he seems.

Totally silly story, but a whole lot of fun. And if you do watch it, don't turn it off before the closing credits are over. Great stuff!

[Abraham]

Thanks,

[Bertgang]

I remember that movie, seen when I was eleven about.