ON LOCATION FOR SUBMARINE FILM, BON JOVI SINKS PHOBIA.

Byline: Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Jon Bon Jovi has wrapped Universal's huge submarine epic ``U-571'' - and are his castmates and director ever impressed!

Turns out Bon Jovi is claustrophobic, which means he was courageous - or crazy - to tackle playing a World War II submariner in the first place.

``At one point, he had to get into a small container, a piece of a set about 4 feet tall, with four other guys,'' reports filmmaker Jonathan Mostow. ``There was a problem with an electrical short, and a little fire broke out. ... I would say the bravest thing Jon did was going back into that space for the second take.''

Turns out there was lots of bravery on the production, which also stars Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel and David Keith.

``There were dangerous, physically demanding shots. Nobody complained, nobody chickened out. ...There was a certain healthy competitiveness among the cast,'' says Mostow, who also wrote the thriller. ``No one would say no to anything I asked of them. The conditions in Malta were horrible - cold weather, cold water pelting down on them, working on the water. After the first night, I was afraid the cast might mutiny. Instead, they acted as if it were the most fun they'd ever had. We did a month of six-night weeks, on the water, with massive explosions, gunfire and artillery fire.''

The cast also endured major battering in a simulated depth charge attack - for which their set was mounted on a $1 million gigantic hydraulically controlled gimble and spun around.

With months of intensive post-production work on ``U-571,'' there's no telling yet when Mostow's ship will come in - to theaters.

The lap of luxury 

Henry Mancini's widow, Ginny, one of L.A.'s most tireless charity workers, will be taking life easy for a week - with many of her female friends. She's invited them to help celebrate her 75th birthday next month at California's famed Golden Door retreat - where guests are pampered and rejuvenated for close to $5,000 per week. Ginny's guests include Paramount prexy Sherry Lansing, producer Suzanne de Passe, Jolene Schlatter, Polly Bergen - and on and on. The Golden Door accommodates 39 - and she's taken over the entire facility for a week.

Full plate

Tim Robbins isn't looking for a way to fill his time. ``The Cradle Will Rock,'' which he wrote and directed and was recently hyping at the Cannes Film Festival, has been given a Dec. 10 platform release here by Disney.

That means that by November, he'll be beating the drum here for the ensemble feature that includes his love, Susan Sarandon. And right now he's doing two movies back-to-back. He's got a small role in ``High Fidelity,'' and a co-starring role (beside Gary Sinise and Don Cheadle) in ``Mission to Mars.'' In the latter, he plays a gung-ho astronaut who leads a mission into outer space.

`NYPD' challenges

``NYPD Blue's'' James McDaniel sounds superstitious about the future of the show. ``Every year there's a test. The big test this year was Jimmy's (Smits) departure and Ricky's (Schroder) arrival - and we weathered it. Now, what's going to happen next season?''

Doesn't the team know by this time? ``No - it was later in the summer when we found out about David Caruso leaving,'' McDaniel reminds. ``And the test, whatever it is, might not come until midseason.''

McDaniel's acting mettle has been tested in the just-ended ``NYPD Blue'' season, as his Lt. Fancy character's unhappy past with his alcoholic father has been revealed, ``which has brought him a new level of vulnerability.'' And it just earned McDaniel a best supporting actor in a drama nomination from Viewers for Quality Television. Next up for McDaniel - he's part of the lineup for ``An American Celebration at Ford's Theatre,'' taping Sunday for airing on ABC July 29, which will be attended by President Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

A bomb?

Further evidence that Hollywood never shrinks from making the most of public paranoia is ``Chain of Command,'' a CineTel Films production going before the cameras June 21.

It has to do with a U.S.-China crisis during which the president is kidnapped and a briefcase containing top-secret nuclear codes is seized. Ahead lies the potential for ... nuclear annihilation. As one Hollywood wag deadpans, ``That could be considered violent. Or it might not be violent, through proper lighting ...''

With reports by Stephanie DuBois.

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4 Photos

Photo: (1) BON JOVI

(2) McCONAUGHEY

(3) ROBBINS

(4) McDANIEL