All Ashore 1953

Three petty officers return from Korea aboard the battleship USS Rochester, disembarking for long-awaited shore leave in California. Francis ‘Moby’ Dickerson has $300 won in poker, while his shipmates Skip Edwards and Joe Carter are broke after a craps loss. They lean on Moby as they plan some freedom, but their attempt at a relaxing Californian break goes awry when the trio is dragged to an off-limits clip joint bar where bargirls and a bartender drug and rob them of all their money.

Waking up broke and wiser, Joe Carter resolves to get Moby to Santa Catalina by guile. He arranges their passage and pays $5 each for Moby to work on the ship. Gay Knight—a dancer they meet—helps them earn more money through an impromptu performance that delights paying passengers. Gay leads them to her trailer park, where the three scrape together enough for two to rent a cabin, leaving Moby to sleep on the floor. The next day, Skip arranges more money and meals by having Moby work as a waiter in a nightclub. Moby also meets Nancy Flynn, the trailer park owner’s daughter, when she playfully hits him with a horseshoe, though Skip soon wins her over for himself.

After failing to hide from the two women who share the cabin, Moby grows more despondent and feels out of place among his shipmates and their girlfriends at the beach. He decides to return to the mainland. While waiting for the next ship, his luck shifts when he meets Jane Stanton, whose motorboat is not working. Fixing the engine, Moby ends up in the water and is taken to her father, Commodore Stanton, aboard his yacht to dry out. Jane invites Moby to a party, and the Commodore invites him to sail with them to the mainland. On the way, Jane’s boat fails again, and both are thrown into the water as the boat roars away.

Moby regains his confidence by saving Jane, who cannot swim, and using his navigation skills to guide them back to safety in Avalon. The grateful Commodore hosts a party for Moby, and the fortunes shift again as Sheriff Billings—who had arrested Joe and Skip—turns them over to Moby, who makes them serve as attendants for him and Jane. The sea voyage ends with a new balance of power and a sense that Moby’s luck—and his integrity—have finally turned the page on a cruise that began with mischief and misfortune.