Nobody's Perfect

1h 43m 1968

Brief Synopsis

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This military service comedy chronicles the misadventures of the U.S.S. Bustard in Japan. The crew has stolen a Buddha statue from a Japanese village, which if discovered missing would threaten Japanese/American relations. Doc Willoughby is the ship's petty officer, whose antics are constantly getting him into trouble with his captain. On shore leave, Willoughby falls for a seemingly demure Japanese girl in a kimono shop, who actually turns out to be a Japanese/American nurse in the US Navy, Lt. Tomiko Momoyama. However, it turns out she was betrothed as a child to a traditional Japanese man named Toshi, who fully intends on enforcing tradition. Willoughby divides his time between trying to return the Buddha statue back to the Japanese village it rightfully belongs to, and trying to woo Tomiko from the traditional Japanese man she rightfully belongs to.

Cast & Crew

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Alan Rafkin

Director

Doug Mcclure

Doc Willoughby

Nancy Kwan

Tomiko Momoyama

James Whitmore

Mike Riley

David Hartman

Boats McCafferty

Gary Vinson

Walt Purdy

Film Details

Also Known As
The Winning Position
Genre
Adaptation
Adventure
Comedy
Release Date
Jan 1968
Premiere Information
Los Angeles showing: Feb: Jan 1968
Production Company
Universal Pictures
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel The Crows of Edwina Hill by Allan R. Bosworth (New York, 1961).

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 43m
Sound
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Color
Color (Technicolor)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
2.35 : 1

Synopsis

While on a drunken liberty in Japan, Doc Willoughby and a group of fellow sailors from the U. S. S. Bustard , a submarine rescue vessel, steal a statue of the Smiling Buddha and hide it in a cave. When the ship returns to Japan a few years later, Willoughby--now a chief petty officer--falls in love with Tommy, a pretty Japanese woman who is a U. S. Navy nurse. Restricted to his quarters for starting a barroom brawl, Willoughby convinces his captain, Mike Riley, that the ship is infested with cockroaches and that he should be permitted to go ashore for exterminating supplies. Once there, Willoughby learns from Tommy's uncle, Gondai-San, that his village has been plagued with bad luck ever since their Smiling Buddha disappeared years before. Recalling his drunken escapade, Willoughby retrieves the statue from the cave and arranges for a jeep to take it back to the village. En route, however, both the jeep and the statue roll over a cliff into the ocean. Another of Tommy's admirers, wealthy Japanese diver Toshi O'Hara, insists upon a rescue attempt, despite the stormy weather. When Toshi's life is endangered, Willoughby dons a diving suit to save him and radios the Bustard for help. Once the Smiling Buddha has been returned to its shrine, Willoughby is rewarded with a Navy medal--and Tommy's love.

Director

Alan Rafkin

Director

Cast

Doug Mcclure

Doc Willoughby

Nancy Kwan

Tomiko Momoyama

James Whitmore

Mike Riley

David Hartman

Boats McCafferty

Gary Vinson

Walt Purdy

James Shigeta

Toshi O'Hara

Steve Carlson

Johnny Crane

George Furth

Hamner

Keye Luke

Gondai-San

Jill Donahue

Marci Adler

Bea Bradley

Lieutenant Large

Jim Creech

Mr. Bayless

Jerry Fujikawa

Watanabe

Edward Faulkner

John Abelard

Marian Collier

Terry Abelard

Ella Edwards

Maida Severn

Crew

George Bisk

Assistant Director

John D. F. Black

Screenwriter

Robert C. Bradfield

Set Decoration

Howard Christie

Producer

Larry Germain

Hairstylist

Joseph Gershenson

Music Supervisor

Irving Gertz

Music

Alexander Golitzen

Art Director

Bernard M. Hillman

Technical Advisor

Marcus G. Klein

Technical Advisor

Alexander A. Mayer

Art Director

John Mccarthy Jr.

Set Decoration

Rosemary Odell

Ladies Costume

Jim Paisley

Unit Production Manager

Gene Palmer

Film Editor

Ed Somers

Sound

United States Defense Department

Technical Advisor

United States Navy

Technical Advisor

Universal Titlese

Titles

Waldon O. Watson

Sound

Bud Westmore

Makeup

Robert Wyckoff

Director of Photography

Film Details

Also Known As
The Winning Position
Genre
Adaptation
Adventure
Comedy
Release Date
Jan 1968
Premiere Information
Los Angeles showing: Feb: Jan 1968
Production Company
Universal Pictures
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel The Crows of Edwina Hill by Allan R. Bosworth (New York, 1961).

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 43m
Sound
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Color
Color (Technicolor)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
2.35 : 1

Quotes

Trivia

Notes

Prerelease title: The Winning Position.

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States Winter January 1968

Techniscope

Released in United States Winter January 1968

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