Seven Miles from Alcatraz (1942)

After Pearl Harbor, convicts at Alcatraz prison live in fear of bomb attacks, driving Champ Larkin and his pal Jimbo to a desperate escape attempt which lands them on a tiny lighthouse ... See full summary »

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

John D. Klorer (story), Joseph Krumgold (screenplay)

Stars:

James Craig, Bonita Granville, Frank Jenks

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Craig	...	Champ Larkin
Bonita Granville	...	Anne Porter
Frank Jenks	...	Jimbo
Cliff Edwards	...	Stormy
George Cleveland	...	Captain Porter
Erford Gage	...	Paul Brenner
Tala Birell	...	Baroness
John Banner	...	Fritz Weinermann
Otto Reichow	...	Max

Storyline

After Pearl Harbor, convicts at Alcatraz prison live in fear of bomb attacks, driving Champ Larkin and his pal Jimbo to a desperate escape attempt which lands them on a tiny lighthouse island, where they take over. The five inhabitants are stymied in their efforts to summon aid. But the island also figures in the schemes of a big Nazi spy ring; which will win out, the gangsters' greed or their patriotism?

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Plot Keywords:

prison | lighthouse | patriotism | nazi | spy | 

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Taglines:

You gotta admit; it's a pretty piece of masonry, that Alcatraz. But it never was a choice spot for a vacation.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

8 January 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Sete Milhas do Inferno

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

62 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

If a fan of Hogan's Heroes sees John Banner's name in the credits, who played the very large Sgt. Schultz on the popular 1960's sitcom, wait halfway and then look for one of the skinniest actors on board, and that's him: Playing the sophisticated, mustached traitor of a villainous couple, and looking extremely different.

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Goofs

The movie is set in 1943. The lighthouse keepers are depicted as members of the U.S. Lighthouse Service. The Lighthouse Service was disbanded on July 7, 1939. At that time, all lighthouse functions were assumed by the U.S. Coast Guard. Lighthouse personnel in 1943 would have U.S. Coast Guardsmen.

User Reviews

Wartime prison break makes better than average B-film...

Thanks to the fast-moving direction of Edward Dmytryk, SEVEN MILES FROM ALCATRAZ makes for a diverting prison break film, although it definitely shows its B-film origins. In fact, the last twenty minutes is strictly cliffhanger stuff that would have made good material for a Saturday afternoon serial.

It's got lots of wartime propaganda and the plot about Nazi spies using a lighthouse as an operation for their espionage is hard to swallow, but it works as an adventure film with an interesting locale and some competent players.

JAMES CRAIG carries most of the film on his sturdy shoulders, a handsome and rugged leading man who never quite made it to major stardom. FRANK JENKS is "Jimbo", his sidekick, and the supporting cast includes BONITA GRANVILLE (in one of her more underplayed roles), GEORGE CLEVELAND and CLIFF EDWARDS, who does his bug-eyed comic relief with a little too much relish.

There's plenty of action along with the talky moments. Fortunately, the action far outweighs any sense the script makes and is well staged by director Dmytryk. Craig gives one of his livelier performances as the escaped convict with a yen for Granville.

Passes the time quickly and it's easy to get hooked into the spy aspect of the story, but it's nothing special.