A Yank on the Burma Road (1942)

A hero New York cabbie accepts a job to lead a convoy of trucks up the Burma Road from Rangoon to Chungking. Along the way he crosses paths with a beautiful yet mysterious American woman and he ends up fighting the Japanese.

Director:

George B. Seitz

Writers:

Gordon Kahn (original screenplay), Hugo Butler (original screenplay)

Stars:

Laraine Day, Barry Nelson, Stuart Crawford

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Laraine Day	...	Mrs. Gail Farwood
Barry Nelson	...	Joe Tracey
Stuart Crawford	...	Tom Farwood
Keye Luke	...	Kim How
Victor Sen Yung	...	Wing (as Sen Yung)
Philip Ahn	...	Dr. Franklin Ling (as Phillip Ahn)
Knox Manning	...	Radio Announcer
Matthew Boulton	...	Rangoon Aide de camp
James B. Leong	...	Guerilla Leader (as James Leong)
Mrs. Poo Sai	...	Old Woman

Storyline

A hero New York cabbie accepts a job to lead a convoy of trucks up the Burma Road from Rangoon to Chungking. Along the way he crosses paths with a beautiful yet mysterious American woman and he ends up fighting the Japanese.

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Plot Keywords:

flying tigers | burma road | manhattan new york city | empire state building manhattan new york city | world war two | 

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Taglines:

A Dangerous Girl! A Dangerous Guy! Hold Tight - It's Terrific!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | War

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although there is no record of retakes, there must have been some after the end of filming on 13 November 1941, since the bombing of Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 is mentioned in the forward and in conversation within the film. Retakes may have been the reason some of the listed actors were not in the film. This movie was certainly one of the earliest releases mentioning the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

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Goofs

After the truck plows open the main gate, a Japanese soldier kills the truck's machine gunner who's at the tail end back of the truck. Then the Japanese soldier is killed by a man with a pistol who fires forward and ahead of the truck when it has already passed.

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Quotes

Police Desk Sergeant Mulvaney: Put out that reefer you.

User Reviews

Patriotic Plus

Barry Nelson, a hero cabby from NY who single handedly captures a couple of desperate thugs, accepts an offer to lead a convoy of trucks over the Burma Road for the Chinese government. Along the way he gets entangled in a romance with lovely Laraine Day, who finds she is married to a traitorous heel who has been flying for the Japanese. Phew! What a plot! Altogether, an entertaining, patriotic bit of propaganda that was a product of it's times. However, even given the patriotic fervor of the early war years, Barry Nelson's performance was really way over the top. He was so animated, in certain scenes, he appeared to be making faces! This type of film does not appeal to everyone ... but, if you enjoy them you will want to try "The Purple Heart" and "The First Yank in Tokyo". Same formula - same POV.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Mandarin

Release Date:

February 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

China Caravan

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

67 min (Turner library print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1