Synopsis
The fierce battle has taken a grim toll. Lashed to a British man-of-war, the fledging Continental Navy's Bonhomme Richard is sinking and half its crew is lost. English demand surrender. "I have not yet begun to fight!" the colonial commander replies. Indeed he has not. Because - for the first time in naval warfare - he sends brave Marines into the rigging to hurl grenades into the rival ship's hold...and the battle turns. John Paul Jones (from the producer of El Cid and King of Kings) is the epic story of that historic encounter and of the man who inspired the growth of a mighty navy. Robert Stack (The Untouchables) plays the title role, leading Bette Davis (as Catherine the Great), Charles Coburn (as Benjamin Franklin), Macdonald Carey (as Patrick Henry) and more in a star-packed, star-spangled salute.