Gus Brubaker, [Dick Shawn], a self-described schnook, returns from the shadowy days after the Korean War when a wife-driven push to apply for G.I. insurance collides with a brutal bureaucratic twist: he’s listed as killed, then somehow reactivated and reassigned to a ramshackle radar outpost on a backwater island near Shima, Japan. The base is a blur of boredom, with airmen apathetic, poorly equipped, and the whole operation long past its prime. At the helm is Captain Dave "Doc" Farrington, [Jack Warden], a blunt, hard-charging leader who knows how to bend rules for a laugh, and Captain Charlie Stark, [Ernie Kovacs], a free-spirited pilot who thrives on mischief and momentum.
Gus soon falls into a scheme with Ume Tanaka, [Nobu McCarthy], the wary daughter of the island’s mayor. She introduces him to the island’s natural hot springs, a jewel the men eagerly exploit. Spurred by the trio’s plan, they set out to transform the shabby radar post into a gleaming resort—Hotel Shima—redeeming the men’s energy and giving the base a fresh purpose. Doc Farrington, with a glint of hustle, also teams up with journalist Joab Matinson, [Robert Emhardt], who stretches the truth about the water’s “healing powers” to drum up publicity that could put the hotel on the map.
To give the project legitimacy, Lt. Nora McKay, [Margo Moore], a practical and iron-willed officer, is brought in to lend a female perspective and discipline to the operation, while Stark himself grows closer to her. The plan quickly gains traction as the airmen rally around the project, and the resort begins to take shape. Nora is tasked with staffing the hotel with forty young women from the village, who, in a nod to local custom, are “sold” for two years to Gus as their papa-san, a detail that adds cultural tension to the enterprise and to the relationships forming around it. The arrangement is more than a logistical issue; it tests loyalties, affection, and the boundaries of affection in a tight-knit military community.
As the hotel takes form, Nora and Charlie’s evolving relationship adds warmth to the story, even as Nora questions whether Charlie is marriage material. The project’s success intensifies, giving the base a renewed sense of purpose and camaraderie, while the romance between Nora and Charlie deepens, binding personal and professional stakes together.
Trouble erupts when Joab, feeling embittered, drinks too much and pens a sensational account that paints Hotel Shima as a den of vice. Gus is abruptly court-martialed as the scapegoat, despite hundreds of airmen owning the venture. When Charlie insists on testifying, he’s sidelined by a chain of command anxious about reputation, and a congressional panel from Washington, DC intensifies the scrutiny. In a dramatic moment, Stark takes to the skies in a jet to buzz the trial, while Doc Farrington uses his influence to pressure and manipulate the proceedings, leveraging the base’s luxury goods to bolster his case. Stark’s protest culminates in a bold stand, and he testifies on Gus’s behalf, even as chaos erupts around the courtroom.
The verdict arrives in an awkward twist: Brubaker is found not guilty on one count but guilty of taking government property. Yet as sentencing unfolds, the court discovers it has tried the wrong man due to the earlier misstep, and the panel ultimately absolves Gus, leaving Hotel Shima in the hands of the islanders. In a culmination that blends justice with fraternity, Charlie and Nora reconcile and decide to marry, embracing a future built on trust and shared history.
As the curtain falls, Gus says a poignant goodbye to Ume Tanaka, and a sense of new beginnings fills the air. Colonel Hollingsworth, now demoted to sergeant, is reassigned to the base, bringing a quiet note of closure to the tangled web of ambition and loyalty that defined Hotel Shima. Ume waves farewell as Gus heads home, a chapter closed but not erased, and the island’s future glows with the promise of a community rebuilt by its own hands.
- Captain Dave “Doc” Farrington: [Jack Warden]
- Captain Charlie Stark: [Ernie Kovacs]
- Lt. Nora McKay: [Margo Moore]
- Gus Brubaker: [Dick Shawn]
- Ume Tanaka: [Nobu McCarthy]
- Joab Matinson: [Robert Emhardt]
- Gen. Weigang: [Raymond Bailey]
- Col. Archie Hollingsworth: [Parley Baer]
- Hap Cosgrove: [Marvin Kaplan]
- Lt. Malcolm Bressler: [Paul Comi]
- Smitty: [Tommy Farrell]
