In 1941, an Oklahoma college graduate joins the US Coast Guard and serves as a cook on a ship based in Boston.
We fly behind the scenes of The Aeronauts to find out how director Tom Harper and his team brought the detailed world to life.
Related News
-
Veteran’s Day Tribute: The Ten Best Navy Movies
11 November 2016 | WeAreMovieGeeks.com -
What to Watch Wednesday: A Dallas Whodunit, A Face in the Crowd, the 80 Plates Finale and More
18 July 2012 | TVLine.com -
Remember Andy Griffith's Role In 'Face In The Crowd'
03 July 2012 | Huffington Post
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Onionhead (1958)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
More Like This
No Time for Sergeants
(1958)
Comedy
|
War
Director:
Mervyn LeRoy
Stars:
Andy Griffith,
Myron McCormick,
Nick Adams
Desperate
(1947)
Crime
|
Film-Noir
|
Thriller
Director:
Anthony Mann
Stars:
Steve Brodie,
Audrey Long,
Raymond Burr
King & Country
(1964)
Drama
|
War
Director:
Joseph Losey
Stars:
Dirk Bogarde,
Tom Courtenay,
Leo McKern
To Hell and Back
(1955)
Action
|
Biography
|
Drama
Director:
Jesse Hibbs
Stars:
Audie Murphy,
Marshall Thompson,
Charles Drake
Secret of the Blue Room
(1933)
Certificate: Passed
Drama
|
Horror
|
Mystery
Director:
Kurt Neumann
Stars:
Lionel Atwill,
Gloria Stuart,
Paul Lukas
Spitfire
(1942)
Adventure
|
Biography
|
Drama
Director:
Leslie Howard
Stars:
Leslie Howard,
David Niven,
Rosamund John
The Nanny
(1965)
Mystery
|
Thriller
Director:
Seth Holt
Stars:
Bette Davis,
Wendy Craig,
Jill Bennett
December 7th
(1943)
Documentary
|
Action
|
Drama
Directors:
John Ford,
Gregg Toland
Stars:
Walter Huston,
Harry Davenport,
Dana Andrews
Marked Woman
(1937)
Crime
|
Film-Noir
|
Thriller
Directors:
Lloyd Bacon,
Michael Curtiz
Stars:
Bette Davis,
Humphrey Bogart,
Lola Lane
Fate Is the Hunter
(1964)
Drama
|
Mystery
|
Thriller
Director:
Ralph Nelson
Stars:
Glenn Ford,
Nancy Kwan,
Rod Taylor
The Petrified Forest
(1936)
Drama
|
Film-Noir
|
Romance
Director:
Archie Mayo
Stars:
Leslie Howard,
Humphrey Bogart,
Bette Davis
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Andy Griffith | ... | Alvin 'Al' Woods aka Onionhead | |
| Felicia Farr | ... | Stella Papparonis | |
| Walter Matthau | ... | 'Red' Wildoe | |
| Erin O'Brien | ... | Josephine 'Jo' Hill | |
| Joe Mantell | ... | Harry 'Doc' O'Neal | |
| Ray Danton | ... | Ensign Dennis Higgins | |
| James Gregory | ... | Lt. Cmdr. Fox aka The Skipper | |
| Joey Bishop | ... | Sidney Gutsell | |
| Roscoe Karns | ... | 'Windy' Woods | |
| Claude Akins | ... | Poznicki | |
 |
Ainslie Pryor | ... | Chief Miller |
| Sean Garrison | ... | Yeoman Kaffhamp | |
|
|
Dan Barton | ... | Ens. Fineberg |
| Mark Roberts | ... | Lt. J.G. Bennett | |
| Peter Brown | ... | Clark (scenes deleted) | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
After his girlfriend Jo refuses to make a commitment to their relationship, Al Woods decides to enlist and finds himself in the US Coast Guard. He makes it through basic training but a run-in with one of his instructor's lands him as a junior cook on a ship based in Boston. At a bar, he meets the pretty Stella Papparonis and while they see each other regularly, she refuses to stay with him when he rents a hotel room for the night. On board ship, he finds that his direct superior, 'Red' Wildoe, isn't very helpful as far as the galley goes but Al proves to be quite adept at cooking. Al learns a lot about doing the right thing, especially when Stella, now married to Red, starts throwing herself at every man in sight. When the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, life becomes far more serious as well. Written by garykmcd
Taglines:
The Ship's Cook who has the Coast Guard in a Stew!Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
25 October 1958 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Der Zwiebelkopf See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$960,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.78 : 1
Edit
Stella Papparonis: Oh, I married the wrong guy. It should have been you. I don't care what you think, but love me, love me, love me.
Alvin 'Al' Woods aka Onionhead: Get away from me! Other guys have had unfaithful wives but you're not even that. I pity Red.
Stella Papparonis: Al! Pity me!
Alvin 'Al' Woods aka Onionhead: For what? For being a cheap, dirty, little tramp?
Stella Papparonis: You think I want to be like this? Don't you think I'd like to be happy and find love like other women? Don't you think I'd like to be satisfied with ...
[...]
See more »
(uncredited)
Music by Harold Arlen
Played when Al and Stella argue in the tavern
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
'Walter Matthau" had his hair dyed red for his role as Red Wildoe. See more »Goofs
The twenty degree list of the USCGC Periwinkle was just done by tilting the camera - note the tilt of the horizon in the distance. See more »Quotes
Alvin 'Al' Woods aka Onionhead: Now get this straight - I brought you home as a favour to Red. And you might...Stella Papparonis: Oh, I married the wrong guy. It should have been you. I don't care what you think, but love me, love me, love me.
Alvin 'Al' Woods aka Onionhead: Get away from me! Other guys have had unfaithful wives but you're not even that. I pity Red.
Stella Papparonis: Al! Pity me!
Alvin 'Al' Woods aka Onionhead: For what? For being a cheap, dirty, little tramp?
Stella Papparonis: You think I want to be like this? Don't you think I'd like to be happy and find love like other women? Don't you think I'd like to be satisfied with ...
[...]
See more »
Connections
Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Richard Benjamin, Paula Prentiss/The Grateful Dead (1980) See more »Soundtracks
Blues in the Night(uncredited)
Music by Harold Arlen
Played when Al and Stella argue in the tavern
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.On IMDb TV, you can catch Hollywood hits and popular TV series at no cost. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free!
Explore popular and recently added TV series available to stream now with Prime Video.
It's springtime in 1941, at an Oklahoma college. Older-looking and ardently amorous student Andy Griffith (as Alvin "Al" Woods) fails to get his kissing partner past first base. Unable to score, he decides to drop out and join the US Coast Guard. After training, Mr. Griffith is stationed at a Boston, MA harbor. He is made assistant cook to gruff, light-haired Walter Matthau (as "Red" Wildoe). They have some very un-funny drunk scenes and both go for pretty Felicia Farr (as Stella). In real life, she will marry actor Jack Lemmon. After the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, Griffith's ship is called into service. "Onionhead" refers to a recurring subplot about Griffith going bald, although he has one of the best heads of hair in the cast. Considering the personnel involved in making this film, it's a disappointment and most interesting for that observation.
**** Onionhead (10/1/58) Norman Taurog ~ Andy Griffith, Walter Matthau, Felicia Farr, Ray Danton