MovieChat Forums > Mister Roberts (1955) Discussion > Doc' Door - 'Kick Out Panel'

Doc' Door - 'Kick Out Panel'

posted 13 years ago by LesterFester
2 replies | jump to latest

From what I could tell the door to Doc's and the Captain's living quarters were similar . Both were wood frame with a large panel that ran from close to the top down ending approximately 3 1/2 feet from the floor. Then there was a smaller panel towards the bottom. The difference between the two doors was that Doc's door had thhe words "Kick Out Panel" stenciled on the lower panel. What was the purpose of the instruction?

" Three can keep a secret, if two are dead "

[–] Eric-1226 13 years ago

If the ship incurred some sort of battle damage whereupon that door was jammed shut, with people trapped inside, they could nevertheless escape from that space simply by kicking out the lower panel of the door and crawling through the opening. The door panel was purposely made this way so as to allow for emergency escape. In case somebody trapped in that space was unaware of their option to escape through the lower panel, the notation "Kick Out Panel" helps notify them that there is, in fact, an escape route even if the door is jammed.

[–] LesterFester 13 years ago

thanks...makes sense...