Secret Command (1944)

Sick Product of a Sick System

Overrated

A Major Disappointment

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Pat O'Brien shows up on the docks, down and out and in need of a job. His brother Chester Morris, construction manager, reluctantly hires him on. Very soon we discover that O'Brien's real job here is not building ships.This WWII spy thriller has a bit of romance thrown in and features an assortment of characters whose personal and wartime lives often overlap: Carole Landis and Ruth Warrick are both quite good as women doing jobs that take precedence--at least during wartime--over their personal lives or relationships. Landis is a fellow agent who poses as O'Brien's wife; Warrick is Morris's assistant in the shipyard office. Morris would like to marry Warrick but she may still have feelings for her old flame, O'Brien--whose professional regard for Landis may grow into something more. Wallace Ford, always fun to watch, is part of "the team"--his main job being spotting Nazis at the shipyard. Barton MacLane is excellent as a rough-edged yard worker whose eventual friendship with O'Brien is hard fought. The plot is solid: O'Brien and Ford keep an eye out for saboteurs while Morris and Warrick, realizing that O'Brien is no ordinary dock worker, keep an eye on him. There's some comic relief that isn't too funny, unfortunately, and also some cute scenes involving a couple of war orphans that just aren't real convincing. It's a great role for O'Brien, though, as that rugged American everyman who doesn't say much but performs awesome feats.

Secret agent Pat O'Brien poses as a dock worker at a navy ship building factory as a method of tracking down a band of saboteurs, pretty much right under his nose in this World War II bit of propaganda. On the way, he finds a "wife" (Carole Landis) to give him cover and keep fifth columnists from finding out that he was once a foreign correspondent. Landis is his wife in cover only, but ex girlfriend Ruth Warrick suspects that the marriage is a sham. As the clock ticks down, accidents happen on the ship building site, particularly a nasty one to Obrien's estranged brother (Chester Morris) who had great reluctance in hiring O'Brien in the first place.Filled with action and plenty of thrills in a relatively short running time, this is typical war propaganda with one dimensional villains and tough talking but completely patriotic factory workers. Barton Maclane is particularly memorable as the aging bully who goes out of his way to fight with O'Brien but ends up a loyal drinking buddy after their dukes are put up. Fans of "All My Children" will be delighted to see Phoebe Tyler Wallingford in a nice role. There are a few surprising twists in this, but they don't necessarily involve the war intrigue, but the equally important romantic subplot.

Lightweight Propaganda that is Family Friendly Fodder and Heavy on the Irish-are-Americans Theme, as well as the Need to Include those Cute Kids as a Reminder of what We are Fighting for. Speaking of Fighting, those Irish will Fight at Any Opportunity. They will Fight and Argue with Family Members, Friends, Co-Workers and even the Nazis.In the Middle of the Movie it Stops Dead to Include a Scene where the Shipbuilders Remove their Welder's Helmets so the Audience can See Everyone is Doing their Part...Negroes...Women...and an Oriental (had to be Chinese because the Japanese were in Internment Camps).Pat O'Brien is Miscast Again Playing a Hunk that Every Woman on Screen Pines. Ridiculous. The Frumpy, Overweight, Hardly Handsome "Star", should have Traded Places with Chester Morris and it would have Worked a Whole Lot Better.Carol Landis is a Sleek Beauty and some of the Cinematography is Above Average. Overall it is a Watchable Piece of Propaganda Fluff that is Neither that Suspenseful or Intriguing. In the Prolog it is Mentioned that America is Building Sturdy Ships, Honest Ships. What Exactly is an Honest Ship?

"Secret Command" wastes what must have been a fairly large budget and high-power cast on a predictable story with little suspense or drama.Pat O'Brien is miscast in the leading man role, failing to convey the quiet masculine strength and sexuality called for here.The home-life scenes, with the European orphans, designed to tug at our heart strings, don't quite work either, and detract from the drama of the hunt for Nazis in the shipyard. And our hero is never really put in any danger.I have a fondness for the World War II propaganda flicks, but even I didn't warm to this one. What I generally like about the propaganda films is that they have some edge to them, since they are dealing with life and death stuff. "Secret Command" seems to go light on these elements.A posted comment questioned "Secret Command" winning a special effects Oscar, and I found myself wondering about that as well. I concluded that the underwater shots, and the (apparent) location shots on the crane were considered "special" effects in the 1940s. (Today we assume special effects relates to only fabricated shots or images.)