Sen Yung Movies
- 1972
Claude Akins appears as Jason Peale, a glib con artist with an ego as big as all outdoors. Peale's latest scam involves poses as an elusive, Howard Hughes-like tycoon in order to sell bogus stock. Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) makes it his mission to nip Peale in the bud, with or without the assistance of the man's gullible victims. Featured in the cast is a pre-Bionic Woman Lindsay Wagner and a pre-Alice Vic Tayback. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1966
With the help of his accomplice Hammond (Mark Richman), Captain Jennerson (Ralph Bellamy) has deliberately sunk his freighter in order to collect $40,000 in insurance. What Jennerson doesn't know is that Hammond is having an affair with his wife Gloria (Elizabeth Allen), who plans to dump the captain once the check arrives. He is also unaware that his scuttled freighter contained a sealed shipment of deadly chlorine, which will wreak havoc upon the coastline of Hawaii should the seals be shattered in an approaching tidal wave! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1961
When a storm at sea threatens to sink the freighter "Janeel Trader", first officer Jerry Griffin orders a million dollars' worth of cargo to be dumped overboard, taking full responsibility for what he regards as a life-saving act. But when returns to shore, Jerry must face charges brought by a maritime court. The only man who can clear Griffin is Captain Bancroft (Robert Armstrong); unfortunately, Bancroft is murdered and Griffin is accused of the crime. This turns out to be a real "out-of-town" assignment for Griffin's civilian attorney Perry Mason (Raymond Burr). Wesley Lau makes his first series appearance as Lt. Anderson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1959
Perennial loser Larry Benton (Wynn Pearce) is convinced that he has killed a guy named Mike during a poker-game argument. Actually, Larry is the victim of a blackmail scam, perpetrated by a shady customer named Johnny Clay. After Larry forges his brother Steve's name on a check to Johnny, the blackmailer is murdered, whereupon Steve (Dick Foran) tries to cover for his ne'er-do-well sibling. In his efforts to save Steve from the gas chamber, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) must prove that the "late" Mike is still alive--if indeed he IS still alive! This episode is based on a short story by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1942
An adequate wartime filler, Night Plane from Chungking features Robert Preston as the captain of the titular aircraft. En route from Chungking to India, the plane crashes, leaving captain and passengers stranded in a jungle surrounded by Japanese troops. It has been learned that one of the passengers is a Nazi spy; Preston hopes it isn't the lovely Ellen Drew. Night Plane from Chungking was a remake of the earlier, and more expensive, Paramount adventure Shanghai Express, substituting planes for trains. When movie villains shifted from Nazis to Communists in the 1950s, the story was filmed once more as Peking Express (53). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Preston, Ellen Drew, (more)
- 1942
Mercenary taxi driver Joe Tracy (Barry Nelson) is the Yank on the Burma Road in this MGM second feature. For strictly monetary reasons, Joe agrees to shepherd a caravan of medical supplies through Burma and into China. Going along for the ride is Gail Farwood (Laraine Day), who'd been stranded in Burma without passport when the Japanese invaded the country. Ultimately, Joe's patriotism takes precedence over his greed, and he begins striking back at any and all enemy soldiers with a vengeance. The hero's conversion takes place in a scene obviously added after the film's completion: hastily reading a letter from home, Joe mutters "So they bombed Pearl Harbor, did they?" Shoehorned in though it may have been, this little scene turned out to be the very first mention of Pearl Harbor in any American feature film, earning A Yank on the Burma Road a niche in the overall history of the cinema. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Laraine Day, Barry Nelson, (more)
- 1942
Secret Agent of Japan sometimes looks like a B-grade "answer" to Warner Bros.' Casablanca, except that the answer was released several months before the question. The principal character is Roy Bonnell (Preston Foster), the cynical American owner of Shanghai nightclub. On the lam from a criminal charge in the US, Bonnell prefers to keep a low profile, especially in political matters. His long-dormant patriotism is revived when he finds out that Japanese spies are buying up property in Shanghai and are mistreating the local citizens. Teaming up with glamorous British secret agent Kay Murdock (Lynn Bari), Bonnell turns spy himself, secretly reporting Axis activities to the British government-even though he's putting his own life on the line by doing so. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Preston S. Foster, Lynn Bari, (more)
