Phantom Raiders (1940)

A mysterious rash of cargo ship sinkings in Panama leads insurers Llewellyns of London to hire vacationer Nick Carter and his eccentric associate Bartholomew to investigate. Nick recognizes... See full summary »

Director:

Jacques Tourneur

Writers:

William R. Lipman (screen play), Jonathan Latimer (original story),

Stars:

Walter Pidgeon, Donald Meek, Joseph Schildkraut

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Walter Pidgeon	...	Nick Carter
Donald Meek	...	Bartholomew
Joseph Schildkraut	...	Al Taurez
Florence Rice	...	Cora Barnes
Nat Pendleton	...	'Gunboat' Jacklin
John Carroll	...	John Ramsell, Jr
Steffi Duna	...	Dolores
Cecil Kellaway	...	Franklin Morris
Matthew Boulton	...	John Ramsell, Sr (as Mathew Boulton)
Alec Craig	...	Andy MacMillan
Thomas W. Ross	...	Dr. Grisson (as Thomas Ross)
Dwight Frye	...	Eddie Anders
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hugh Beaumont	...	Seaman (scenes deleted)
William Lally	...	Port Inspector (scenes deleted)
David Newell	...	Man in Cafe (scenes deleted)

Storyline

A mysterious rash of cargo ship sinkings in Panama leads insurers Llewellyns of London to hire vacationer Nick Carter and his eccentric associate Bartholomew to investigate. Nick recognizes influential nightclub owner Al Taurez as a shady operator, but getting the goods on him depends on slick diversions involving the heavyweight champ of the Pacific Tuna Fleet, a Panamanian bombshell armed with American slang, a young couple in love and a whole raft of crooks and cutthroats.

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Plot Keywords:

ship | cargo | cargo ship | panama | nightclub | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 June 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Attentat i Panama

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

There is a quick shot of a ship's engine order telegraph, but the words are all printed backward.

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Connections

Followed by Sky Murder (1940)

User Reviews

Great Fun!

Phantom Raiders portrays a crime that is all to possible today, blowing up ships set off by electrical devices. However this was 1940, the era of the wisecracking detective and his sidekick neatly wrapping up the mystery in a little over an hour. What sets this film apart from other movies of the same type is its crackling good dialog, an insidious villain,(Joseph Shildkraut),the suave Nick Carter,(a clean shaven Walter Pigeon), his assistant, Mr Bartholomew (beautifully played by Donald Meek), the innocent ingénue(the captivating Florence Rice). Speaking of Florence Rice, she literally lights up the screen when she is on. At the same time vulnerable, adoring. Listen to the way she says "I love him", talking about her boyfriend, it will melt your heart. Highly recommend!