Although it hasn't aged well, the original Spencer Tracy version of Captains Courageous remains a family classic, so this watered-down TV remake was never likely to challenge that status. Bland TV nice guy Robert Urich steps into the Tracy role as the grumpy fisherman who rescues spoilt brat Kenny Vadas from the sea and teaches him to be a better person. Director Michael Anderson provides a more believable portrait of life at sea than Victor Fleming did in the original, but the Urich/Vadas double act is no substitute for the Tracy/Freddie Bartholomew pairing.

Harvey, the arrogant and spoiled son of an indulgent absentee-father, falls overboard from a transatlantic steamship and is rescued by a fishing vessel on the Grand Banks. Harvey fails to persuade them to take him ashore, nor convince the crew of his wealth. The captain offers him a low-paid job, until they return to port, as part of the crew that turns him into a mature, considerate young man.