When he purposely aims a sharp object into the hindquarters of the hated Captain Morton, the crew cannot imagine that the all-talk, no-action Pulver could be behind it.

Shipmates Billings, Insigna, Skouras and Dolan do not take Pulver seriously while despising the captain, who refuses to grant leave to seaman Bruno to attend his daughter's funeral back home.

At sea for months at a time, Pulver is unable to indulge his greatest interest, women, until a company of nurses lands on a nearby atoll.

Diagnosed with appendicitis, Morton again ends up owing his life to Pulver, who follows Doc's instructions over a radio to remove the captain's appendix.

[4] Logan, who hoped that the film would repeat the success of Mister Roberts, recognized that it had fallen short of that mark, writing in his autobiography: We thought we had everyone in the picture that anyone could ask for ...

Stanley Eichelbaum of the San Francisco Examiner found the movie energetic but unfunny, with witless dialog that defeated even the more skilled actors (Walter Matthau, Burl Ives).

[6] Bob MacKenzie of the Oakland Tribune was put off by the pranks against Burl Ives's captain and by the film's attempts to wring comedy from dramatic situations, such as the death of a serviceman's child.

[7] The New York Times critic Eugene Archer was displeased with the uniformly broad acting and tasteless deeds of the characters.