PT-109

PT-109 may refer to:

PT-109 (song)

"PT-109" was a song by Jimmy Dean about the adventures of John F. Kennedy and the crew of the PT-109. The boat was famous even before Kennedy ran for office because it was cut in two after being rammed by a Japanese destroyer, after which came a survival story, and rescue by native islanders Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana by canoe, though the islanders were not included in this version of the story.

In 1961 Dean had recorded "Big Bad John", a song that would become his biggest hit ever, and echoed at the end of "PT-109". It went to number one on the country and pop charts. He had five more top forty songs in 1962. "PT-109" was his biggest hit in 1962, reaching the top ten as Kennedy was still president and preceded the 1963 film of the same title. The song was Dean's sixth release on the country chart and peaked at number three and stayed on the country chart for thirteen weeks. "PT-109" also went to number eight on the pop chart and number two on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart. It was one of several military themed singles of the 1960s, along with the "Ballad of the Green Berets", "Billy and Sue", "Gonna Raise A Ruckus Tonight", "Sky Pilot (Part One)", and "Soldier Boy."

PT 109 (film)

PT 109 is a 1963 biographical war film which depicts the actions of John F. Kennedy (JFK) as an officer of the United States Navy in command of Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109 during the Pacific War of World War II. The film was adapted by Vincent Flaherty and Howard Sheehan from the book PT 109: John F. Kennedy in World War II by Robert J. Donovan, and the screenplay was written by Robert L. Breen. Cliff Robertson stars as Kennedy, with featured performances by Ty Hardin, James Gregory, Robert Culp, and Grant Williams.

PT 109 was the first commercial theatrical film about a sitting United States President released while he was still in office. It came out in June 1963, just five months before Kennedy was assassinated.

Plot

U.S. Navy Lieutenant, junior grade John F. Kennedy (Cliff Robertson) uses his family's influence to get himself assigned to the fighting in the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Theater during World War II, much to the surprise of Commander C.R. Ritchie (James Gregory). Kennedy lobbies for command of a PT Boat, and is assigned to the "109", a badly damaged boat that is in dire need of repair and overhaul. Initially, Ritchie seems to regard the young, inexperienced Kennedy as something of a lightweight, but his enthusiasm to build a crew and refurbish the "109" to operational status eventually earns Ritchie's grudging respect. The crew includes Kennedy's executive officer, Ensign Leonard J. Thom (Ty Hardin), and sailors "Bucky" Harris (Robert Blake) and Edmund Drewitch (Norman Fell).