Dana Andrews and Jean Peters are in "Deep Waters"

Deep Waters (1948) is a drama film directed by Henry King and starring Dana Andrews and Jean Peters. The film co-stars Cesar Romero, Ed Begley, Anne Revere, and Dean Stockwell. Others in the cast include Mae Marsh and Will Geer.

Hod Stillwell (Andrews) quit his studies in architecture to become a fisherman in Maine. Social worker Ann Freeman (Peters) is so disappointed with his decision that she calls off their engagement. She doesn’t want to be among the rest of the wives in the village always wondering if their husbands will return home from the sea alive.

Ann places an 11-year-old orphan Donny Mitchell (Stockwell) with her friend Mary McKay (Revere). Donny’s father and uncle both died at sea and he has a fascination with them and with the fishing lifestyle of Hod and his partner Joe Sanger (Romero). Donny’s interest in the sea and fishing put Hod and Ann at odds and Donny is not easily managed by Mary.

Will Danny be able to settle into life with Mary or will he be sent away due to his continued misbehavior?

And what about Hod and Ann? Will they be able to reconcile and settle their differences?

Henry King (1886 - 1982) was an American actor and director. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Director and seven films that he directed were nominated for Best Picture including The Song of Bernadette (1943) where he directed Jennifer Jones to a Best Actress Academy Award. While under contract to Twentieth Century-Fox he directed many films starring Tyrone Power and Gregory Peck. Some popular films directed by King include Lloyd's of London (1936), In Old Chicago (1937), Jesse James (1939), Twelve O'Clock High (1949), The Gunfighter (1950), David and Bathsheba (1951), The Sun Also Rises (1957), and The Bravados (1958).

Dana Andrews (1909 – 1992) was an American stage, film, and television actor. During the 1940s, Andrews was a major star and leading man starring in Laura (1944), State Fair (1945), A Walk in the Sun (1945), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Canyon Passage (1946), Boomerang! (1947), and Daisy Kenyon (1947), the latter co-starring Joan Crawford and Henry Fonda. During the 1950s, film roles were harder to come by, but he had success in Elephant Walk (1954) co-starring Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Finch, While the City Sleeps (1956), and Curse of the Demon (1957). In 1958 he replaced Henry Fonda on Broadway in Two for the Seesaw. Andrews worked a lot on television guest-starring on shows like The Twilight Zone, Checkmate, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Ben Casey, The Love Boat, Ironside, and Falcon Crest. He also starred in the daytime soap opera Bright Promise (1969 - 1971).

Jean Peters (1926 - 2000) was an American film actress. She was under contract with 20th Century-Fox from the late 1940s and early 1950s. Early in her career, she got a boost co-starring with Tyrone Power in The Captain from Castile (1947). She later went on to costar with Dana Andrews, Ray Milland, and Marlon Brando. She was set to play the female lead in The Robe co-starring Richard Burton but was replaced by Jean Simmons when she discovered she was pregnant. Peters married Howard Hughes in 1957 and retired from film. After her divorce from Hughes in 1971, Peters appeared on television in several mini-series. Her last acting role was in Murder, She Wrote in 1988. Today she is probably best remembered for her role as Candy in Samuel Fuller's Pickup on South Street.

Dana Andrews, Anne Revere, Dean Stockwell, and Jean Peters

Deep Waters trivia

• Mark Stevens was originally announced as the male lead.
• Jean Peters received several marriage proposals from a fan during filming. 
• Filming took place in Maine where the story takes place.
• Dana Andrews, Jean Peters, and Dean Stockwell reprised their film roles for broadcast on “The Screen Guild Theater” on February 17, 1949.
• The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Special Effects but lost out to A Portrait of Jenny.

To watch the movie on YouTube, click the link below.

Discussion questions

1. Did the relationship between Jean Peters and Dana Andrews seem believable?
2. What did you think of the Maine setting? Did the film benefit from the location shooting?
3. Do you think Peters's portrayal of a social worker was true to the era?
4. Dean Stockwell was one of the most popular child actors of the 1940s. What did you think of his performance?
5. The film is filled with several popular character actors. Did you have a favorite?

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