I thought I had seen just about every Disney live action film from the 60's and 70's but I had never even heard of this one till I saw it on the shelf at the public library. I really enjoyed it. You've got your klutzy Coast Guard ensign Thomas Garland, a nice boating instructor girl who helps him out of his jams, and the very well-acted trio of jewel thieves. Plus some interesting minor characters as well. I particularly enjoyed watching Phil Silvers boss around his two crook associates and always seemed to get out of doing any work himself - it was very in character with his cheating and taking advantage of people in his other role I have seen, in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. The only downside for me was that I usually watch films that have a lot of recognizable names (at least for a Disney live-action fan) and Silvers was the only one I could place, and not in a Disney film. I recognized the names of Mickey Shaughnessy, Norman Fell, and Don Ameche as Ensign Garland's superior but didn't know from where until I did some research. I give it an 8 for a very enjoyable story.
Review of The Boatniks
