PT 109 (film) - Production

Production

JFK's father, Joseph Kennedy had been a Hollywoood producer and head of the RKO studio at one point in his career, and he used his influence to negotiate the film rights to Donovan's biography of his son. The film was made under the "personal supervision" of Warner's head of production, Jack Warner.

The White House had full approval of casting and other aspects of the film. Among other actors considered for the lead were Peter Fonda, who objected to having to do his screen test with an impersonation of JFK's voice; Edd Byrnes, Warren Beatty (Jacqueline Kennedy's choice), and Jeffrey Hunter. Kennedy selected Robertson after viewing the screen tests. Robertson met with President Kennedy, who set three conditions on the film: that it be historically accurate, that profits go to the survivors of PT 109 and their families, and President Kennedy had the final choice of lead actor.

Kennedy also vetoed Raoul Walsh as the director of the film after screening Walsh's Marines Let's Go and not liking it. Original director Lewis Milestone, who had previously filmed All Quiet on the Western Front, A Walk in the Sun and Pork Chop Hill, left the production, either because Milestone thought that the script was inadequate, or because the studio was unhappy with cost overruns during Milestone's tenure. Milestone was replaced by Leslie Martinson, a television director with little experience making films.

The exteriors for the movie were filmed at Little Palm Island (formerly Little Munson Island), now a resort in the Florida Keys. Power and fresh water were run out to the island for the movie, allowing the resort to be built years later. The building of the sets for the film, and the bringing in of boats and other paraphernalia, gave rise to rumors of another U.S. invasion of Cuba.

At the time the movie was being planned it was found that no 80 foot Elco PT Boats existed in an operational condition, nor could any be located for use in the movie, since almost all had been destroyed at the end of World War II. Conflicting sources give different accounts of how the three boats used in the movie were created, but the most accepted explanation is that they were converted 85 foot U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy or U.S. Air Force aircraft rescue launches modified to resemble the Elco PTs. Another source claims they were converted 82 foot Nasty class PTFs then being built in Norway for use by the U.S. Navy in Southeast Asia. Similarly, American AT-6 training planes stood in for Japanese Zeroes.

U.S. Navy support also included a Landing Ship Tank (LST), the destroyer USS Saufley, and smaller vessels such as landing craft and motor whaleboats from nearby Naval Station Key West.