Future "first couple" Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis made their only joint film appearance in Hellcats of the Navy. Ronnie plays Casey Abbott, commander of a WW2 submarine, while Nancy portrays navy nurse Helen Blair, Abbott's off-and-on girlfriend. During a delicate mission in which his sub is ordered to retrieve a revolutionary new Japanese mine, Abbott is forced to leave frogman Wes Barton (Harry Lauter) behind to save the rest of his crew. But Abbott's second-in-command Don Landon (Eduard Franz) is convincing that Abbott's sacrifice of Barton was due to the fact that the dead man had been amorously pursuing Helen.

Cast

Ronald Reagan

Cmdr. Casey Abbott (Captain, USS Starfish)

Nancy Reagan

Nurse Lt. Helen Blair

Arthur Franz

Lt. Cmdr. Don Landon (XO, USS Starfish)

Robert Arthur

Freddy Warren

William Leslie

Lt. Paul Prentice

William Phillips

Carroll (as William Phillips)

Harry Lauter

Lt. (j.g.) Wes Barton

Joe Turkel

Chick (as Joseph Turkel)

Don Keefer

Jug

Chester W. Nimitz

Himself (in prologue) (uncredited)

Michael Garth

Bill aka Lt. Charlie