Complete credited cast: | |||
Sally Eilers | ... | Irene Eaton | |
Allan Lane | ... | James Huntley | |
Fritz Leiber | ... | Dr. Krull | |
Frank M. Thomas | ... | Col. John Shaw | |
Theodore von Eltz | ... | Col. Page (as Theodor Von Eltz) | |
Addison Richards | ... | Everett Brock | |
Larry J. Blake | ... | Ben Dawson (as Larry Blake) | |
Pierre Watkin | ... | Col. Wilson | |
Louis Jean Heydt | ... | Gillian | |
Spencer Charters | ... | Lucius | |
Leona Roberts | ... | Ella | |
Charles Halton | ... | Beldon | |
Alec Craig | ... | Canby |
When her brother is killed in the mysterious explosion of a new field-gun for the U. S. Army, Irene Eaton goes to Washington D. C. to call upon Colonel Shaw, head of the Army Military Intellegence. The gun explosion was just one of many acts of sabotage recently pulled off by a foreign sabotage gang. Shw and his aides are the subject of increasing criticism from Congressmen and politicians such as Everett Brock because they haven't captured the gang members and leaders. Shaw appoints Irene to root them out and sends her off to the Dome Cafe which is the headquarters of the gang. Written by Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
A decent script by, among other people, Michael Kanin, gets turned into an RKO B movie. Although the cast is nominally pretty good -- including Sally Eilers and Alan 'Rocky' Lane as the leads, old pro Teddy von Eltz as the good spymaster and Fritz Leiber Sr. as the rather cadaverous and evil Dr. Krull -- a name borrowed, if I recall correctly, for a bunch of subterranean baddies in the Silver Age Fantastic Four -- the whole thing is rather poorly performed. Saly Eilers is pretty stiff and declamatory and Alan Lane is little better in his scenes with her. Leiber is just fine; the only question in my mind is why he wasn't picked up as soon as he showed his face and given the third degree.
Director Jack Hively is probably at fault for what I see as the film's shortcomings. This was his last year as a director, all in RKO Bs, although he went on to be the AD on several excellent movies of the late 1940s.