Boatnerd Discussion Forum

We watched the movie the language was a bit rough but it is what it is l sailed for Shell for 7 years 65 to 72 it brought many memories for me going a shore to party could be risky, the mail was so very very important but most of all we would have at least 2 university students each summer most were eager to learn it was funny looking at them after they had been painting for a while they usually were covered with paint from head to toe one year l took a correspondence course one of the students gave me a lot of help Thanks it brought back a lot of great memories !!

I think so. Seaway Queen was inactive at the time, and I think the movie company paid for her use. But it has been a long time since I have seen the film.

Apologies for resurrecting a super old thread, but recently discovered this Lakeboat movie on YouTube...

Just curious, do you think the interior scenes in the movie were actually filmed on the Seaway Queen? Exterior seemed to be but was not sure about interior. Interior of Lakers are generally not as prevalent to the public so was just curious what those that sailed on ships of that era thought. Thanks!

My wife and I walked after the first 10 minutes or so of the movie. I'm no prude but could not enjoy the "salty" language and my doctor had old me to avoid salt. I just felt the overall language was not necessary to anything in the story. In all honesty I never heard that much of it when I sailed.

Maybe the rest of the movie was good but I obviously can't say.

What must be remembered about this movie is that it is entertainment, not a documentary about sailing on lakeboats. I once read an article in the early 1980s written by an author of a highly-praised book about aerial warfare over Vietnam. Although this book sold very good on its accuracy, when his agent presented it to movie studios he was told that it was not entertaining enough. The prospective producers gave the author a list of changes they demanded before considering the project. As this would have changed the entire meaning of the story (I believe they wanted a romantic element between the primary pilot character and an North Vietnamese spy wanting the defect) the author decided to pass on continuing the project. The bottom line is that movies are entertainment (regardless if they are based on real events) and as such are subject to artistic license to improve ticket sales. Unfortunately, even some documentaries I have seen lately seem to be walking a fine line between education and entertainment, thus brining into question their historical. If you really want to know what life is like aboard lake freighters, there are several good books on the market written by sailors and ex-sailors. If on the other hand, you just want to watch a movie involving lake sailors than maybe the movie Lakeboat is for you. Regardless both have their place.

A lot of things in the movie are absurd like sitting in port with all the hatches still in place. You never see the captain. The crew..well they are hilarious! I'm guessing the story is a reflection of sailing in the 80's. I've sailed on 8 different lakers and felt the general attitudes of the crew are generally accurate. I sent Robert Forster an email praising the movie and he replied saying he was raised in upstate New York and enjoyed making the movie because he had seen lakeboats all his life and making this movie satisfied his lifelong curiosity about life on a freighter.

RogerKYS wrote:It's a stage play, set on a laker. Don't expect it to look like a Hollywood movie. Lots of profanity. And they got a lot of the details about shipping just plain wrong (in one scene they are unloading the cargo with a dolly). Like the one poster said, it is a character study that just happens to be set on a boat.

I was hoping it would have been a little more accurate seeing David Mamet (writer) had worked on a freighter in college. I liked it when people were making ship to shore calls on the intership phone system. As for the language and tone think "Glenngary Glenn Ross" that was another more well known movie he wrote.

It's a stage play, set on a laker. Don't expect it to look like a Hollywood movie. Lots of profanity. And they got a lot of the details about shipping just plain wrong (in one scene they are unloading the cargo with a dolly). Like the one poster said, it is a character study that just happens to be set on a boat.

It's one of those movies you either love or hate. I thought it was great. But keep in mind its a character study, so there is little action. And for effect, there is lots of salty language.

Is this movie worth watching? Or did it deserve to slip through the cracks of Hollywood?

M.

Anybody know where online this can be viewed for free? Or even the full movie? I've only seen a small part of it.

Bill wrote:Does anybody know what boat was used in the filming of the movie Lakeboat ? The name on the stern was Seaway Queen which doubt was the real name.

It was. Information on the Seaway Queen can be found in the fleet gallery of this site or via a Google search.

Does anybody know what boat was used in the filming of the movie Lakeboat ? The name on the stern was Seaway Queen which doubt was the real name.