They Met in Bombay (1941)

A jewel thief and a con artist are rivals in the theft of a valuable gen as the Japanese army invades China.

Director:

Clarence Brown

Writers:

Edwin Justus Mayer (screenplay), Anita Loos (screenplay),

Stars:

Clark Gable, Rosalind Russell, Peter Lorre

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Clark Gable	...	Gerald Meldrick
Rosalind Russell	...	Anya Von Duren
Peter Lorre	...	Captain Chang
Jessie Ralph	...	Duchess of Beltravers
Reginald Owen	...	The General
Matthew Boulton	...	Inspector Cressney
Eduardo Ciannelli	...	Hotel Manager (as Edward Ciannelli)
Luis Alberni	...	Maitre d'hotel
Rosina Galli	...	Carmencita
Jay Novello	...	Bolo
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Keye Luke	...	Mr. Toy (scenes deleted)

Storyline

The best-laid plans of jewel thief Gable and lady crook Russell fall apart when the thief unintentionally becomes a hero while posing as a British officer.

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Plot Keywords:

jewel thief | china | army | necklace | victoria cross | 

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Taglines:

Stealing jewels for profit . . . and hearts for pleasure!

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Genres:

Adventure | Crime | Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 June 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Uniform

Filming Locations:

Alhambra Airport - Valley Blvd. & Del Mar Avenue, Alhambra, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Loew's, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In December 1940, Lana Turner was announced as the female lead.

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Goofs

When the Japanese soldiers confront our hero in the town square, and again when the Japanese set an ambush on the road, they are wearing German "coal scuttle" helmets. In reality, the Japanese helmets looked nothing like this.

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Quotes

Gerald Meldrick: Easy now, we're not caught yet.
Anya Von Duren: No, we're not, are we?
[They embrace and kiss]
Gerald Meldrick: I'm a liar... I'm caught alright.
Anya Von Duren: So am I.

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Connections

Featured in Clark Gable: Tall, Dark and Handsome (1996)

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Soundtracks

"On the Road to Mandalay"
Music by Oley Speaks (uncredited)
Lyrics by Rudyard Kipling (uncredited)
Played several times as part of the score

User Reviews

Say it isn't so

This picture is likely to make the viewer yearn to know what went on behind the scenes during its making. The impression one gets is that about halfway through the filming (or writing of the scenario, or both) someone decided that what they had so far wasn't working, but that there was already too much invested to discard it. So from a conventional international jewel thieves romance/suspense/comedy (better than some of its type, not as good as others), the film shifts gears abruptly and becomes a wartime adventure, with our hero and heroine trapped by the battles raging around them. Having once put in some time in the military (before being asked to leave), the Gable character needs do nothing more than don a tailor-made uniform to pass as an authentic member of the corps, his presence unquestioned by any of his colleagues, his authority unchallenged by anyone to whom he issues orders. Needless to say, he becomes a war hero, awarded the highest honors despite there presumably being no record of his existence.

Wait a minute.....weren't we talking about jewel thieves? Yes, and so was the picture, no more than fifteen minutes earlier.

Don't despair - before the final credits, the two stories are reconciled about as clumsily as the rest of the picture is put together.

Could it be that this 1941 product was deemed too lightweight and frivolous for an audience whose nation was being drawn into a world war, and that the studio bosses decided to make it more contemporary? If so, they should have taken their losses on what was already written and/or filmed, because the incongruous story they released is an embarrassment.