Best B Movies the 1940s
No Noir , Westerns , or series (except minor series , and series with only two or three films ).Those are the categories or genres with the best B movies , and are generally better known .
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- DirectorJohn H. AuerStarsJ. Edward BrombergOsa MassenWilliam WrightChris Waring (William Wright) is a government investigator trying to gather the necessary evidence to convict a shipping magnate, DeBrock (J.Edward Bromberg), of selling his ships to the United States but is suspected of holding up and preventing their delivery because of bribes from foreign powers. DeBrock's conscience, nor his flirty wife, Valerie DeBrock (Osa Massen), give him any peace of mind.
- DirectorFrank WoodruffStarsDennis O'KeefeJudith AndersonFrances E. NealLieutenant Bill Mason (Dennis O'Keefe) pursues a Chicago gang to New York City, unaware that its scar-cheeked leader, Slade (Dame Judith Anderson), is a woman.
- DirectorD. Ross LedermanStarsRegis ToomeyAdele LongmireHoward Da SilvaGangster Frank Dillon abducts Dr. Steven Bishop to treat wounded Joe Madison. Dillon also takes Joe's nurse sister. Dillon threatens Bishop's life if Joe dies, but Bishop knows Dillon will kill him anyway.
- DirectorCharles BartonStarsPeter LorreRochelle HudsonRobert WilcoxUndercover agent Mark Sheldon gets paroled to a remote tropical island with a diamond mine manned by slave labor run by sadistic Stephen Danel.
- DirectorJohn RawlinsStarsLloyd NolanIrene HerveyJ. Carrol NaishA ball player takes his girlfriend to a carnival, only to discover a ring of saboteurs.
- DirectorVincent ShermanStarsGeraldine FitzgeraldThomas MitchellJeffrey LynnAn elderly professor suffering from an aortic aneurysm confronts the problem of what to do knowing that he only has a few months to live.
- DirectorRichard WallaceStarsLoretta YoungBrian AherneJeff DonnellA mystery writer and his newlywed wife move into a Greenwich Village apartment and find themselves with a corpse and a half dozen red herrings.
- DirectorCharles ReisnerStarsSheila RyanRichard FraserLeslie BrooksHard-boiled reporter Mike Kent investigates the murder of a prominent scientist and stumbles upon a sinister plot to steal a fortune in jewels.
- DirectorFrank McDonaldStarsJack HaleyAnn SavageBarton MacLaneThe jumpy chess editor at a newspaper accidentally gets involved in some murders at a sleazy tavern run by a pair of bizarre brothers.
- DirectorWilliam C. ThomasStarsWilliam GarganAnn SavageLeo GorceyA gem heist gone wrong leaves a wanted man dead. A female reporter finds his body and, to claim the reward, hides the body in a wax museum. When the body vanishes, the hunt is on.
- DirectorJohn BrahmStarsPat O'BrienConstance BennettJohn HallidayA British ship is attacked by a German U-boat at the onset of World War II. The reactions of the frightened passengers-from a German doctor to a drunken Irishman-are chronicled in this good story.
- DirectorThomas Z. LoringStarsFrank CravenMary HowardJune WalkerDistrict Attorney Stephen Pettijohn returns to his alma mater to lecture on circumstantial evidence, and uses a recent case,the murder of banker James Gardner, to make his point: Constance Gardner had wed James to spite Ted Farnsworth. Later, the pair drove to Gardner's country lodge to urge him to give Constance a divorce. He refuses and that night he is found dead with a bullet in his head. Pettijohn finds that all evidence points to Harry Beach, and the latter is convicted and sentenced to die.
- DirectorA. Edward SutherlandStarsRonald ReaganJoan PerryJames GleasonAn investigative crime reporter helps the cops solve the case of a missing tycoon who's later found dead in a cheap boarding house.
- DirectorBenjamin StoloffStarsEddie AlbertJoan LeslieAlan HalePerpetual optimist "Dreamy" Smith aspires to quit his job as newspaper publicity drudge and sail the world. But life--and his editor--conspire against him: Not only does the car he intends using as the boat's down-payment roll into the bay, but also his boss starts to claim "Dreamy's" better publicity ideas as his own.
- DirectorElmer CliftonStarsRose HobartMichael WhalenStanley FieldsAs Freddie and Lugger, employees of Bovhini, are waiting in the parking lot of the Club Sirocco for Ruth Parmelee, they see a woman accost Ruth and then shoot her and speed away in a car. Bochini, who has loved Ruth, vows revenge. Mordecai Breen is devoting his life to welfare work among the city's needy, and publishes a small newspaper called "The Friend in Need," assisted by his former prize fighter friend, Happy Hogan. An advertisement headed "I'll Buy Your Life" appears in the paper and Breen decides to investigate. At the address given, the swanky Alhambra Arms apartments, Breen learns that the advertiser is Alfred Darnell, an orchestra leader and writer of detective stories. A number of girls answer the ad, but Dale Leyden, after being interviewed by Darnell and Velencia Duncan, is the successful applicant. As she leaves, Breen tells her that if she should find herself in the need of any assistance, to let him know. Dale tells her blind musician brother Philip that an uncle who formerly lived in South America has left them twenty thousand dollars. Meanwhile, back to the original story, Breen calls on his friend, Police Lieutenant Hammer, who shows Breen the evidence from the Parmelee murder: a pearl pendant from a bracelet, a piece of sequin from a woman's gown and part of a heel from an evening slipper. Dale calls on Breen, tells him her name is Mary Jones and gives him an envelope. When he is notified that Mary Jones is dead, he is to open the envelope that contains two letters. If he receives the sum of $18,000, he is to open the first letter and deliver the money to the name and address given, and destroy the second letter without opening it. If he doesn't get the money, he is to open the second letter and see that justice is done. Is Mary giving her life to take a fall for the killer of Ruth Permelee in exchange for money to provide an operation for her blind brother? Highly probable. Is the plot plausible? Highly improbable. Did Elmer Clifton direct worse films. Quite often.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsJean ParkerPeter CooksonTim RyanWhen a girl and her boyfriend are suspected of murdering her employer, they have to clear their names and find the real killer.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsJean ParkerPeter CooksonTim RyanDragging along her spineless boyfriend Johnny, hare-brained secretary Kitty O'Day is unstoppable as she tries to determine her boss's murderer. In her exuberance she and Johnny keep running into more corpses, as well as the unbelievabley inept team of Inspector Clancy and his sergeant, Mike. Their luck seems to run out, though, as they deliver themselves right into the hands of the murderer.
- DirectorBenjamin StoloffStarsPreston FosterAnn RutherfordCharles ButterworthA private eye (Preston Foster) and a niece (Ann Rutherford) investigate when six World War I veterans start dying in the same week.
- DirectorArthur DreifussStarsJohn LitelFlorence RiceH.B. WarnerA criminal plot to control produce and dairy products during the wartime emergency is foiled by a courageous undercover city market official.
- DirectorFrank McDonaldStarsTom ConwayMaria PalmerHelen WestcottCaptain Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is called in to solve the murder of a man from whom two lead soldiers were stolen. Drummond learns that the two soldiers were part of a set of thirteen which formed the key to a hidden vault of treasure. Following some clever sleuthing and set-up on Drummond's part, the guilty man is trapped in the vault,which is hidden behind the fireplace.
- DirectorFord BeebeStarsCharles KorvinElla RainesJ. Carrol NaishA rich but naive young woman is in possession of some priceless jewels. She doesn't realize it, but a gang of jewel thieves does.
- DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsEdward ArnoldAnn HardingDonna ReedA blind detective and his seeing-eye dog investigate a murder and discover a Nazi plot.
- DirectorD. Ross LedermanStarsJerome CowanFaye EmersonGene LockhartJohn Rhodes (Gene Lockhart)hires private detective D. L. Trees (Jerome Cowan)to track down a talking blackbird owned by Fred Molner, who uses the bird as a means of blackmailing Rhodes. Molner has taught the bird to repeat "Don't kill me, Rhodes" in the event he is murdered by a member of a gambling syndicate he has defrauded. Going to Molner's apartment, Trees finds him murdered and his bodyguard, Ray Hickey (John Harmon), unconscious. Clues lead Trees to Mona Vance (Faye Emerson, Molner's girlfriend, who is involved with Mark Harper (Robert Kent, presumably her lawyer.
- DirectorLambert HillyerStarsTom NealPamela BlakeAllen JenkinsSusan Hart, assistant to private detective Russ Ashton, is given a camera concealed in a hat box and assigned to take a picture of a woman. A gun is accidentally hidden in the box and the woman is killed. Susan is charged with murder, but Russ and his less-than-useful associate, Harvard, get on the case and prove that the fatal shot was fired by the killer from across the street.
- DirectorWalter ColmesStarsRichard ArlenCheryl WalkerRoger PryorAn amnesiac soldier, the only survivor of a group of four unidentified soldiers - victims of a bomb raid - visits each man's address with the hope of restoring his memory and identity.
- DirectorLew LandersStarsEdmund LoweMarguerite ChapmanJohn LitelActor-playwright Cory Williams (Edmund Lowe) is sitting in a nightclub when Longacre Lil (Esther Dale), a Broadway vagrant, comes in and asks him for some money. He not only refuses her but calls her a fake,and she threatens him. Later he takes Milinda Matthews(Marguuerite Chapman), his press agent, to her hotel and, as they are entering, a drunk lurches against Cory who pushes him away. As the man falls, Lil sets up a loud cry and a policeman appears. He examines the man and sees that is is dead. He arrests Cory for murder. However, Supai George (Bruce Bennett) arrives on the scene and points out that the man had died from a snake bite and not from the fall. Police Detective Tabor (William Wright) feels sure that Cory is connected to the crime, but lets him go free. Cory turns detective to prove his innocence. His task is not easy as three more people he is connected to also die from snake venom. Bob Slocumb (Leslie Denison) comes to Cory's and informs him that Fiona Maclair (Veda Ann Borg), Cory's leading lady and fiancee, is still married to him and advises Cory to stay away from her. He also implies that Fiona is just fooling around with Cory anyway, because she is madly in love with Odell Gissing (Gerald Mohr). Cory goes into another room to look for Fiona and straighten the matter out. When he returns, Slocumb is dead - killed by snake poison. Gissing and Fiona are both found murdered the same way and Tabor becomes more convinced than ever that Cory is committing the fiendish crimes by using snake venom in a hypodermic needle. Supai George and Melinda help Cory to escape from the police and the trio goes to Melinda's apartment. While they are there , Lil comes in and offer to clear Cory and name the actual killer for ten thousand dollars.
- DirectorArch ObolerStarsClaude RainsBob StebbinsBarbara BateA man returns from a trip to find fascists have taken over the U.S. government.
- DirectorWilliam ClemensStarsPreston FosterPatricia MorisonAlbert DekkerPolice Lieutenant Steve Abbott is engrossed in a baffling murder case. As Steve pieces the clues together, he comes to the sobering conclusion that his own wife Ethel might be intimately involved in the murder. It even gets worse: soon Steve himself is accused of the crime.
- DirectorPhil RosenStarsKeye LukeLotus LongGrant WithersDetective James Lee Wong is on the scene as archaeologist Dr. John Benton, recently returned from an expedition in China where a valuable ancient scroll was recovered, is murdered while giving a lecture on the expedition.
- DirectorJacques TourneurStarsWalter PidgeonDonald MeekJoseph SchildkrautAn insurance company tasks with Carter and Beeswax to go to Panama where cargo ships are mysteriously exploding and sending their valuable cargoes to the bottom with all hands.
- DirectorWilliam H. PineStarsRichard DenningCatherine CraigRussell HaydenShortly after WW2, a military transport plane carrying an assortment of passengers crashes into the South China Sea forcing the survivors to await their rescue in a life raft.
- DirectorWilliam NighStarsAnna May WongHarold HuberMae ClarkeAfter the Japanese invade China in WW 2, a young woman leads a band of partisans against the occupying troops.
- DirectorAlbert HermanStarsLola LaneNoel MadisonHoward BanksVera Marova is a Soviet spy impersonating a dead German spy whom she closely resembles. Her ally is Steve Worth, an American serving in the British armed services, and the two work with the Free French underground agents in Paris to send secret radio messages to Moscow that save the American convoys from German submarines.
- DirectorRay McCareyStarsLloyd NolanCarole LandisSara AllgoodA washed up baseball player (Lloyd Nolan) returns to Brooklyn to manage his old team but ends up clashing with the beautiful new owner (Carole Landis)
- DirectorDavid BurtonStarsLloyd NolanJean RogersRichard ClarkeA man involved in a crime (Nolan) kills his key witness by mistake and resigns himself to death. He changes his name so as not to harm his family. The law is not content with his explanation, however.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsJames DunnJoan WoodburyPaul McVeyA retired detective, Nick Trayne, is hired to look for a missing banker. During the investigation, the aforementioned banker returns in a zombie-like state. Trayne must track down the madman responsible for the banker's state.
- DirectorS. Sylvan SimonStarsRed SkeltonConrad VeidtAnn RutherfordRadio crime show host 'The Fox' along with his fiancée and ex-girlfriend are kidnapped by a larcenous cult who demand that he help them plan a perfect murder.
- DirectorJohn Francis LarkinStarsGeorge SandersGail PatrickRichard DenningBook thief/forger sells a fake book to a Nazi through a female agent. A detective tries to uncover who the forger is and gets in the middle of a three way struggle for rare books and revenge in a public library.
- DirectorWilliam F. ClaxtonStarsKent TaylorPeggy KnudsenJoe SawyerA man with an affinity for trouble meets a girl in distress in a nightclub. She becomes involved in the murder of a Spanish dancer and both of them become major suspects. The couple, eluding the police up, down and all around in Chinatown, search for the murderer.
- DirectorDavid BurtonStarsLloyd NolanJean RogersRichard ClarkeA man involved in a crime (Nolan) kills his key witness by mistake and resigns himself to death. He changes his name so as not to harm his family. The law is not content with his explanation, however.
- DirectorJoseph SantleyStarsLloyd NolanDoris DavenportFrank AlbertsonIt's Jeff Flavin's first day on the job as a cub reporter for the Enquirer. The boss, Archer, places him with lazy reporter Stu Woodrow. Stu detests cubs and treats Jeff badly. Jeff saves a drunken Stu's job by covering convicted racketeer Houseman's escape from prison. Jeff goes to Houseman's sister for a scoop and witnesses the murder of Houseman and an innocent young child. While grateful to Jeff, Stu thinks Jeff is too decent to be a reporter and sends him on a fake story, which results in an angry Archer demoting Jeff. On his own, Jeff goes to the courthouse to see the trail of Marques, accused of Houseman's murder. Jeff, who speaks Spanish, hears the translator, Olmeda, falsely state that Marques confesses to the killing. Jeff tells Archer that he has a story. The problem is that because of the fake story, nobody believes him now.
- DirectorRay McCareyStarsLee TracyLinda HayesRaymond WalburnAs a crop of millionaire inmates struggles to acclimate to prison life, inmate Nick Burton watches out for everyone's interests on the inside.
- DirectorTim WhelanStarsBasil RathboneEllen DrewJohn HowardA crazed physician marries a wealthy women and, with the help of his demented assistant, murders them for their money.
- DirectorJohn EnglishStarsVera RalstonWilliam MarshallHelen WalkerLovely ice ballerina Lila Leighton meets former ice show producer Carl Lang at his New York City penthouse apartment and refuses his offer to star in his new Music Hall Ice Show. Back at the Music Hall, Lila discovers she has left her purse at Lang's apartment and goes back there, followed by orchestra leader Don Jordan; they discover that Carl has been stabbed to death. Lila's understudy Gracie has also followed them there and helps them remove traces of Lila's visit. They also find a pair of kid gloves, and the laundry mark leads Don to wealthy socialite Rita Morgan, wife of George Morgan, and Rita turns out to be a former ice-skating star for Carl Lang's Music Hall shows. Rita admits to being in Lang's apartment but says he was in excellent health when she left, and says she passed no one except a blind man. Don and Lila discover that the 'blind man' was really Rita's husband, George Morgan, who claims he used the disguise in order to trail and protect his wife. The NYC police are also on the case, and with the help of Don and Lila, succeed in solving the murder.
- DirectorFrank McDonaldStarsChester MorrisJean ParkerRose HobartThe first of three Pine-Thomas productions for Chester Morris finds him as wise-cracking private detective Humphrey Campbell who impresses his boss, Oscar Flack, no end by not only finding a missing girl but also marrying her in the process. So Flack sends him to celebrate his honeymoon in the Divorce Capital of the world, Reno, Nevada, to find a missing man. Along the way, in a mixture of big city crime and old-west settings, Humphrey encounters a large assortment of suspicious characters, all of whom are also suspicious of the others. A comedy that also includes some killings along the way.
- DirectorGeorge AmyStarsMay RobsonHarry DavenportMargot StevensonMinerva Hatton is back in Nevada, where she grubstaked her fortune years ago. Her granddaughter Julie Westcott is visiting while getting a divorce. They are blackmailed by Julie's husband, Philip, who has two gambling checks Julie has given a gambling casino. Minerva, trying to buy them back, comes across Philip's murdered body. Believing Julie guilty, she substitutes her fingerprints and pleads guilty. When she learns that Julie is innocent of the killing, she does an about face, appearing in court as a sweet old lady instead of her usual rugged desert outfits, to play on the jury's sympathy. Freed, she still must find the killer to clear Julie, to whom the evidence points. After a little detectice work, she is convinced of the identity of the killer. She has herself sworn in as a temporary sheriff, jumps into her Model-T Ford and uses her marksmanship to nab the killer.
- DirectorArthur DreifussStarsLee TracyTom BrownTina ThayerThe city's District Attorney is murdered, and a newspaper reporter investigates. He starts finding out that everything wasn't quite as cut and dried as it appeared to be.
- DirectorAnthony MannStarsMacdonald CareyJean PhillipsJ. Carrol NaishNew York City physician, Dr. Timothy Kane, knows Broadway, the Great White Way and all of its characters thoroughly, as does his receptionist, Connie Madigan. A man Kane had sent to prison is now dying, and asks Kane to locate a daughter and give her his fortune. However, others think they have a claim on it, and are out to ensure their claim, usually by foul means.
- DirectorA. Edward SutherlandStarsPat O'BrienGeorge MurphyCarole LandisA lawyer and two newlyweds get mixed up in mock mystery at a resort.
- DirectorCharles DavidStarsDeanna DurbinRalph BellamyDavid BruceIn New York, a woman who partially witnesses a killing from a train window seeks the aid of a crime novelist to solve the murder.
- DirectorWilliam BerkeStarsLee TracyNancy KellyRichard LooBefore World War II, Japanese spies seek secrets of the Panama Canal.
- DirectorSidney SalkowStarsPreston FosterAnn DvorakDouglas FowleyJo (Ann Dvorak), a "percentage girl" at the notorious Club 46, is in despair. She can see no way out of the dreary and sordid routine of entertaining customers - called drinking and dancing in 1940 - and, at a signal from piano player Eddie Morgan (Douglas Fowley), rolling them for their money. Eddie, besides being brutal to her and spending all her money, is also carrying on an affair with another girl. Jo's only friend is Annie (Wynne Gibson), a former actress but now a drink-sodden derelict. Annie keeps to herself the knowledge that it was Eddie who threw the knife that killed a petty racketeer who was too attentive to Jo. Sailor Dan Walters (Preston Foster) and two of his pals arrive from a cruise and his good nature delights Joe, but at a wink from Eddie, Jo attempts to steal his money. Dan swallows his disillusionment and returns to the cafe, and he and Jo enjoy a day-long picnic together. She accepts his marriage proposal and go to an up-state town where he has a job waiting. Eddie does not accept this turn events any too well, and sets a trap for Dan when he comes after Jo. When he arrives, in an attempt to save his life, Jo denounces and ridicules him and he leaves angrily. He is met by Annie, who tells him of the set-up. Gathering his pals, Dan returns to the cafe and starts a brawl.
- DirectorWilliam ClemensStarsJane WymanJerome CowanFaye EmersonDetective Sam Campbell and his perky sidekick Robby Vance are called in on a routine child support dispute. Things take an unexpected turn when the client's ex-father-in-law, head of a chemical plant, is the victim of an axe murder.
- DirectorRichard WhorfStarsEdward ArnoldFrances RaffertyRay CollinsBlind detective Duncan Maclain relies on his working senses to piece together an assortment of clues to solve a case of murder.
- DirectorJohn HoffmanStarsNoah Beery Jr.Lois CollierJohn LitelMembers of a Jazz Band come under suspicion when a beautiful nightclub singer is murdered.
- DirectorEugene FordeStarsKent TaylorDoris DowlingDennis HoeyA red key to a public locker is also the key to solving a string of mysterious murders investigated by private eye Larry Morgan.
- DirectorHerman RotstenStarsAnn SavageTom NealRoland VarnoWhen an Allied prisoner of war ship transporting a cargo of German prisoners is torpedoed by a German submarine in the North Atlantic, three survivors cling for their lives to a raft. The three are German prisoners of war Corporal Karl Richter, Private Heinrich Krause and British interpreter Roland Cheever. Cheever, who was wounded in the explosion, is vulnerable and defenseless, and so the predatory Richter decides to assume his identity. After stripping the helpless Cheever of his uniform and identity papers, Richter dumps his body into the sea. Some time later, Richter and Krause are rescued by a passing ship, and Richter awakens in a hospital near the Midland Prisoner of War Camp. The papers found on his body identify Richter as Cheever, and so the hospital staff assumes that he is a British soldier and ally. Richter recuperates from his injuries, but because he still suffers from an injured right arm, his nurse, Mary Lee Norris, invites him to convalesce at her family's farm, Shady Acres. When Mary Lee's fiance, Terry Hunter, a sergeant at the internment camp, learns of the Norris' new boarder, he becomes jealous. One day, Mary Lee's younger brother Willie and his friend, Dutchy Schultz, are playing with a BB gun. Richter takes an interest in the boys' activities upon discovering that Dutchy's father owns a store that sells guns. After demonstrating his marksmanship by shooting a bird from a tree, Richter goes to the garage to ask Mary Lee for a ride to town. There, he embraces her against her will, and she has to struggle to free herself. While the two drive to town, Richter asks to stop at the internment camp, and although he is forbidden to speak to the prisoners, he spots Krause among them. In town, Richter visits Schultz's store, and after observing the inventory of guns, he buys a map of the area. When Richter returns home, Mary Lee presents him with a telegram ordering him to report to the British Consul so that arrangements can be made for his return to England. While Richter studies his message, Willie calls Terry aside and tells him about Richter's two-armed attack on Mary Lee, causing Terry to become suspicious because Richter's right arm was supposed to be injured. Soon after, a call comes notifying Terry of the escape of one of the prisoners of war. Richter retires to his room, and as he studies the map, he hears a tapping at the window and sees Krause outside. Informing Krause of his plan to free the German prisoners and arm them, Richter orders him to hide in the barn and await further instructions. That night, Richter accompanies Terry and the Norrises to a benefit concert for the Red Cross, in which Mary Lee is to play the piano. After the adults leave, Willie recruits Dutchy to help search Richter's room. When they reach the concert hall, Richter decides to wait outside, and Terry, his suspicions aroused, places a call to the British Consul. After the performance begins, Richter drives back to the barn, picks up Krause and proceeds to Schultz's store. The Germans steal all of Schultz's rifles, and hide them in the barn. The boys are still searching Richter's room when they hear his footsteps and hide under the bed. After retrieving a pistol from his suitcase, Richter drives off, and the boys emerge from his room and see Krause hiding in the barn. When they discover the German's discarded prisoner of war uniform, Willie sends Dutchy to town for help. Richter is waiting outside the concert hall when Dutchy comes running in, yelling about a nest of Nazis. Richter immediately drives away and is soon followed by Terry and the other members of the town. Arriving at the barn first, Richter finds Willie, knocks him unconscious and then shoots Krause. After the others appear, Richter claims he shot the Nazi to save Willie. When Dutchy tells of Richter's earlier return to the house, the German asserts that he came back to retrieve Mary Lee's sheet music. Excusing himself to go to his room, Richter sneaks out the back, loads the guns in the car and drives toward the internment camp. Terry and the military police are waiting for him in the woods, however, and deflect his progress with a hail of gunfire. Pulling Richter from the car, Terry exposes him as a Nazi and informs him that the British Consul sent a picture of the real Cheever. With the Nazi menace eradicated, the townsfolk return to their idyllic life.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsHelen ParrishDick PurcellTim RyanA woman of twenty-one opens her grandfather's will left to her thirteen years earlier, per his instructions. Murder soon follows.
- DirectorIrving PichelStarsPreston FosterLynn BariNoel MadisonKay Murdock (Lynn Bari) strolls into the Dixie Bar in Shanghai on November 1, 1941 and asks the bartender for a letter addressed to Captain Larsen, and is referred to Roy Bonnell (Preston Foster), the manager of this combination bar and gambling house. He refuses to turn the letter over to her and she steals it. Bonnell later recovers the letter which contains a coded note. Kay reveals she is an agent of the British Secret Service. Bonnell, a fugitive from American justice, says he will turn over the note to the highest bidder. When he approaches the Japanese, they seize him but he escapes, after learing that the note was part of an alarm for Japanese fifth columnists everywhere after the attack on Pearl Harbor that has just been set in motion.
- DirectorGeorge ShermanStarsJohn AbbottMary McLeodLloyd CorriganA man helps the authorities uncover a ring of murderous German spies in wartime London.