John Meehan, Jr. Movies

Venerable Scandinavian leading-man Nils Asther tops the cast of That Man from Tangier. The story concerns foolhardy American heiress Mary Ellen, played by Nancy Coleman, who drunkenly weds the rakish Henri (Asther) after a three-hour courtship. Comes the dawn, and Mary Ellen's new husband is nowhere to be found. As she stalks through Tangier in search of Henri, Mary Ellen learns a great many Horrible Truths about her new hubby -- not least of which is the fact that he is travelling under a stolen passport. Finally catching up with Henri, Mary Ellen demands that he play the role of a respectable, dutiful husband so as not to break the heart of her old-fashioned grandmother (Margaret Wycherly). Mary Ellen's father George (Roland Young), something of a rascal himself, helps the couple keep up appearances. Filmed on location as a possible tax write-off, That Man From Tangier is endearingly anachronistic. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This Irving Asher production was that rarity, a genuine B-movie from posh MGM. Set in a pre-Pearl Harbor United States, Nazi Agent starred real-life Hitler refugee Conrad Veidt as identical twins, one a timid stamp collector and rare book store owner, the other the Nazi consul. The evil Veidt is killed during an argument between the two and the good Veidt shaves his beard in order to take his brother's place as head of a Nazi spy ring. He manages to quell the group's attempts to sabotage allied shipping routes before being exposed by, of all things, a pet canary. In order to save the life of a defecting fifth columnist (Ann Ayars), Veidt agrees to return to Germany, gaining strength for the upcoming ordeal in the Vaterland as his ship passes the Statue of Liberty. Relatively fast-paced and engrossing most of the way, Nazi Agent was the feature-film debut of director Jules Dassin, formerly of MGM's short subject department. Dassin went on to direct several groundbreaking crime dramas for Universal before finding himself blacklisted during the Hollywood "witch hunts." He continued his career in Europe, helming such genuine classics as Never on Sunday (1959). A lyric soprano, Ann Ayars spent the mostly unrewarding years between 1941 and 1943 in MGM potboilers before leaving films in favor of the New York City Opera. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Rex Harrison plays a young Englishman who suffers periodic bouts of amnesia. When the plane he is riding in crashes, Harrison blacks out again and awakens in Paris. He is told that for the past ten days he has been involved in espionage of some sort or other--and now his life isn't worth two francs. Based on the novel The Disappearance of Roger Tremayne by Bruce Graeme, the seriocomic Ten Days in Paris served as the inspiration for a multitude of future reluctant-spy escapades. The film was released outside Great Britain as Spy in the Pantry and Missing Ten Days. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this farce, a photographer gives up his successful career so that he can become a painter. Unfortunately, he is a terrible artist. Fortunately, his ex-secretary supports him all the way and eventually becomes his wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, based on a tale by Edgar Wallace, a luckless gambler is assisted by a kindly lord at the racetrack. Later the gambler helps the lord realize that he is being conned by a wicked horse trainer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This British musical comedy boasts one of the most eclectic casts in film history. Brash Wallace Ford and smoothie Ben Lyon play Jackson and Hartley, a couple of fly-by-night producers hoping to slap together a movie project. They hire showgirl Carla (Lupe Velez) as their leading lady, enhancing her publicity value by passing her off as an Argentinian cattle heiress. When the deception is revealed and the movie's backers pull out, bumbling brewery heir Otto (Harry Langdon) comes to the rescue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

I've Been Around hinges on an unlikely case of mistaken identity. Society girl Drue Waring (Rochelle Hudson) mistakes roughneck engineer Eric Foster (Chester Morris) for the foppish Franklin DeHaven (G. P. Huntley Jr.) The two get married, but Eric walks out on Drue when he finds out that she's carrying a torch for DeHaven. Going on a two-year drunk, Foster is unexpectedly reunited with Drue at a society party. She wants to get back together, but he refuses, whereupon she dashes to the bathroom and tries to kill herself. This somehow brings about a happy ending, though by this time the audience has probably given up on both of these self-centered clods! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, a wealthy socialite pursues a carefree playboy who isn't at all interested in her. After all her regular attention-getting ploys fail, the woman fakes a drowning accident in the hopes that he will save her. She is instead rescued by a brutish sailor whom she begins introducing to her blue-blooded buddies. She bets that she can make the salt socially acceptable. She first gets the man a job in her uncle's brokerage house. Next she begins cleaning him up and making him socially presentable. He goes along with the whole thing until he discovers the truth. The enraged fellow winds up injured in a car wreck. The girl suddenly feels empathy for the poor sap; she also realizes that she really loves him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide