User:Legocity264/sandbox: Difference between revisions – Wikipedia

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While some previous submarine films had taken inspiration from real-life events in the submarine service, Dykers recognized that there was still an untapped number of true stories from the more than 1,500 war patrols undertaken by American submarines during World War II. Due to the secrecy of wartime (doubly so with the submarine service), many of these stories had never been made public. Dykers decided to use his connections in the Navy to create a television show that would publicize the triumphs and sacrifices of American submariners. The series primarily focused on American submarine actions during World War II, however some later episodes also featured stories from the [[Interwar period]], [[Korean War]], and submarines from other nations.<ref name=Silent Service LA Times>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/381154390/ |title=”Shooting” on Sub Tough Business |date=23 February 1958 |newspaper=The Los Angeles Times |location=Los Angeles, California |page=123 |via=newspapers.com |access-date=27 September 2025}}</ref>

While some previous submarine films had taken inspiration from real-life events in the submarine service, Dykers recognized that there was still an untapped number of true stories from the more than 1,500 war patrols undertaken by American submarines during World War II. Due to the secrecy of wartime (doubly so with the submarine service), many of these stories had never been made public. Dykers decided to use his connections in the Navy to create a television show that would publicize the triumphs and sacrifices of American submariners. The series primarily focused on American submarine actions during World War II, however some later episodes also featured stories from the [[Interwar period]], [[Korean War]], and submarines from other nations.<ref name=Silent Service LA Times>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/381154390/ |title=”Shooting” on Sub Tough Business |date=23 February 1958 |newspaper=The Los Angeles Times |location=Los Angeles, California |page=123 |via=newspapers.com |access-date=27 September 2025}}</ref>

The first episode of the series, “The Jack at Tokyo,” was originally produced in 1955 by McGowan Productions Inc. and served as the [[Television pilot|pilot]]. After [[NBC]] picked up the series, the rest of ”The Silent Service” was produced by [[NBCUniversal Syndication Studios|California National Productions Inc.]],which was NBC’s recently acquired [[Broadcast syndication|syndication]] studio.<ref name=Pilot Episode>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/694254056/ |title=PREMIERE 7:30 P.M.—SILENT SERVICE—CHANNEL 11— |date=7 May 1957 |newspaper=Los Angeles Mirror |location=Los Angeles, California |page=20 |via=newspapers.com |access-date=27 September 2025}}</ref> Production at California National Productions began in January 1957.<ref name=Production Start>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/683959269/ |last=Palmer |first=Zuma |title=”The Silent Service” |date=11 December 1956 |newspaper=Los Angeles Evening Citizen News |location=Los Angeles, California |page=26 |via=newspapers.com |access-date=27 September 2025}}</ref>

The first episode of the series, “The Jack at Tokyo,” was originally produced in 1955 by McGowan Productions Inc. and served as the [[Television pilot|pilot]]. After [[NBC]] picked up the series, the rest of ”The Silent Service” was produced by [[NBCUniversal Syndication Studios|California National Productions Inc.]],which was NBC’s recently acquired [[Broadcast syndication|syndication]] studio.<ref name=Pilot Episode>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/694254056/ |title=PREMIERE 7:30 P.M.—SILENT SERVICE—CHANNEL 11— |date=7 May 1957 |newspaper=Los Angeles Mirror |location=Los Angeles, California |page=20 |via=newspapers.com |access-date=27 September 2025}}</ref> Production at California National Productions began in January 1957.<ref name=Production Start>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/683959269/ |last=Palmer |first=Zuma |title=”The Silent Service” |date=11 December 1956 |newspaper=Los Angeles Evening Citizen News |location=Los Angeles, California |page=26 |via=newspapers.com |access-date=27 September 2025}}</ref>

==Production==

==Production==

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Dykers wanted to make sure that ”The Silent Service” was as realistic as possible, so he and story editors [[Beirne Lay Jr.]] and Sidney Morse scrutinized each script for accuracy. Writers based their scripts on the official war patrol reports provided by the Navy and interviews with former crew members. Dramatization of events outside of the war patrol reports was generally not allowed.<ref name=Silent Service LA Times/> When possible, the production team contacted the real crew members being portrayed in each episode to ask for permission to use their name and likeness.<ref name=Submarine Review>{{cite magazine |last=Laning |first=Dick |title=SILENT SERVICE TV SERIES |url=https://archive.navalsubleague.org/1995/letters-44 |magazine=The Submarine Review |publication-place=Virginia |publisher=Naval Submarine League |publication-date=January 1995 |page=132 |access-date=26 September 2025}}</ref>

Dykers wanted to make sure that ”The Silent Service” was as realistic as possible, so he and story editors [[Beirne Lay Jr.]] and Sidney Morse scrutinized each script for accuracy. Writers based their scripts on the official war patrol reports provided by the Navy and interviews with former crew members. Dramatization of events outside of the war patrol reports was generally not allowed.<ref name=Silent Service LA Times/> When possible, the production team contacted the real crew members being portrayed in each episode to ask for permission to use their name and likeness.<ref name=Submarine Review>{{cite magazine |last=Laning |first=Dick |title=SILENT SERVICE TV SERIES |url=https://archive.navalsubleague.org/1995/letters-44 |magazine=The Submarine Review |publication-place=Virginia |publisher=Naval Submarine League |publication-date=January 1995 |page=132 |access-date=26 September 2025}}</ref>

The series was primarily produced by Dyker’s production company Twin Dolphins Productions Inc., named after the two dolphins that appear on the US Navy [[Submarine Warfare insignia|submarine qualification badge]]. The series was secondarily produced and distributed by [[NBCUniversal Syndication Studios|California National Productions]], which was [[NBC]]’s newly acquired [[Broadcast syndication|syndication]] studio.<ref name=Billboard>{{cite magazine |title=CNP May Issue 2 for January Synd. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wR0EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA1&pg=PA6#v=onepage&q&f=false |magazine=The Billboard |publication-place=New York |publisher=The Billboard |publication-date=16 December 1957 |page=6 |via=Google Books |access-date=26 September 2025}}</ref>

The series was primarily produced by Dyker’s production company Twin Dolphins Productions Inc., named after the two dolphins that appear on the US Navy [[Submarine Warfare insignia|submarine qualification badge]]. The series was secondarily produced and distributed by [[NBCUniversal Syndication Studios|California National Productions]].<ref name=Billboard/>

The theme music used for the opening and ending of most episodes is the military march “Take Her Down,” also known as “Down Down Underneath the Ocean.” In most episodes, the opening is an orchestral-only version, while the ending includes lyrics performed by a chorus.

The theme music used for the opening and ending of most episodes is the military march “Take Her Down,” also known as “Down Down Underneath the Ocean.” In most episodes, the opening is an orchestral-only version, while the ending includes lyrics performed by a chorus.

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Legocity264/sandbox
Placeholder
Genre	Military docudrama
Created by	Thomas M. Dykers
Presented by	Thomas M. Dykers
Opening theme	Take Her Down
Ending theme	Take Her Down
Composers
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	78
Executive producer	Thomas M. Dykers
Producers	Thomas M. Dykers George M. Cahan
Editors	William W. Moore William Morgan Robert Belcher Jack Wheeler
Running time	26 minutes
Production companies
Network	Syndication
Release	March 23, 1957 (1957-03-23) – November 28, 1958 (1958-11-28)

The Silent Service is an American television series that aired in syndication from March 23, 1957, to November 28, 1958. The series is a military docudrama anthology that tells the stories of different submarines that served in the United States Navy during World War II. The series was created and hosted by retired Rear Admiral Thomas M. Dykers, who commanded submarines during World War II.

Development

The Silent Service was the brainchild of Thomas M. Dykers, who commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy in 1927 and retired in 1949 with a tombstone promotion to Rear Admiral. Qualified in submarines since 1931, Dykers made four war patrols in command of USS Jack (SS-259) during World War II, and subsequently commanded the submarine tender USS Apollo and several submarine divisions.^[1] Following his retirement, Dykers moved from New Orleans to California, where he served as a technical advisor for The Flying Missile at the request of the Navy. He subsequently worked as a technical advisor for other submarine-related films and TV shows in the 1950s.^[2][3]

While some previous submarine films had taken inspiration from real-life events in the submarine service, Dykers recognized that there was still an untapped number of true stories from the more than 1,500 war patrols undertaken by American submarines during World War II. Due to the secrecy of wartime (doubly so with the submarine service), many of these stories had never been made public. Dykers decided to use his connections in the Navy to create a television show that would publicize the triumphs and sacrifices of American submariners. The series primarily focused on American submarine actions during World War II, however some later episodes also featured stories from the Interwar period, Korean War, and submarines from other nations.^[4]

The first episode of the series, “The Jack at Tokyo,” was originally produced in 1955 by McGowan Productions Inc. and served as the pilot. After NBC picked up the series, the rest of The Silent Service was produced by California National Productions Inc., which was NBC’s recently acquired syndication studio.^[5] Production at California National Productions began in January 1957.^[6][7]

Production

The Silent Service had the co-operation of the United States Department of Defense and United States Department of the Navy, who loaned the production out-of-commission submarines for filming use. The Gato-class submarine USS Sawfish was used to film most of the submarine sequences in the series. Sawfish was stationed at Terminal Island from 1947 to 1960 as a training vessel for Navy Reservists. The submarine’s proximity to Hollywood made it a convenient filming location, and several other productions besides The Silent Service were filmed onboard Sawfish.^[8] Some scenes were also filmed onboard USS Steelhead, a reserve training submarine based out of San Diego.^[9][10] On filming inside a real submarine instead of on set in a studio, Dykers stated: “It’s a lot tougher doing it this way, but when scenes are shot under these circumstances, the finished product gives one a realistic feeling of compression that is part of a submariner’s life.”^[11] In addition to newly filmed footage, some sequences in the show contained archival combat footage from the collection of the Naval Photographic Center, including captured enemy films.^[1]

Dykers wanted to make sure that The Silent Service was as realistic as possible, so he and story editors Beirne Lay Jr. and Sidney Morse scrutinized each script for accuracy. Writers based their scripts on the official war patrol reports provided by the Navy and interviews with former crew members. Dramatization of events outside of the war patrol reports was generally not allowed.^[4] When possible, the production team contacted the real crew members being portrayed in each episode to ask for permission to use their name and likeness.^[12]

The series was primarily produced by Dyker’s production company Twin Dolphins Productions Inc., named after the two dolphins that appear on the US Navy submarine qualification badge. The series was secondarily produced and distributed by NBC‘s California National Productions.^[7]

The theme music used for the opening and ending of most episodes is the military march “Take Her Down,” also known as “Down Down Underneath the Ocean.” In most episodes, the opening is an orchestral-only version, while the ending includes lyrics performed by a chorus.

Although The Silent Service was de facto distributed by NBC, the series was syndicated to non-NBC affiliated and independent television stations. The Silent Service first aired on WBEN-TV (at the time Buffalo’s CBS affiliate) on March 23, 1957, with the other 47 stations the series was syndicated to at the time airing it at a later date.^[13] NBC’s flagship station WRCA-TV in New York City began airing the series on April 5, 1957.

Researchers: Gene Starbecker
Story Advisor: Beirne Lay, Jr.
Sound Engineer: Fred Kessler
Sound Editor: Leonard J. Davison

Episode structure

Each episode opens with Rear Admiral Dykers seated at a desk, where he gives a short introduction of the submarine being featured on that week’s episode. The episode then transitions into a reenactment of that submarine’s actions, with narration by Dykers. Near the end of most episodes, Dykers introduces a crew member who actually served on the submarine being portrayed that week. Dykers then asks the crew member a few questions before ending the episode.

Episodes

With the exception of the first episode, the listed released dates are representative of NBC’s flagship station WRCA-TV in New York City. Unless otherwise noted, the listed rank of the guest crew members is the one they held at the time of the action depicted.

Season 1 (1957)

Season 2 (1958)

WBEN-TV in Buffalo, New York did not air the second season of The Silent Service in 1958, so first-run responsibility was transferred to NBC’s flagship station WRCA-TV in New York City.^{[nb 2]}

^{[nb 3]
[nb 4]
[nb 3]
[nb 4]}

Reception

The Silent Service was largely praised by submarine veterans as a faithful representation of their service. U.S. Representative and Navy veteran James E. Van Zandt promoted the series on floor of the House of Representatives, saying The Silent Service, “effectively delivers to the citizenry a weekly account of the vital role our submarine service performs in the Nation’s defense.”^[14] In a review for The Plain Dealer, TV columnist Tom O’Connell wrote: “None of the actors in the first episode are likely to be accused of over-acting for their “Dragnet-type” delivery, but the excitement and suspense of the storyline more than make up for the shortcoming.”^[3]

The Silent Service won the Motion Picture Sound Editors award for Best Sound-Edited Television Series in 1958.^[11][15]

Notes

References

External links