''Burma Convoy'' is a 1941 film about a truck convoy on the

Burma Road The Burma Road () was a road linking Burma (now known as Myanmar) with southwest China. Its terminals were Kunming, Yunnan, and Lashio, Burma. It was built while Burma was a British colony to convey supplies to China during the Second Sino ...

directed by

Noel M. Smith Noel Mason Smith (May 22, 1895 – September 20, 1955) was an American film director and writer. He directed more than 120 films between 1917 and 1952. He was born in Rockland, California, and died in Los Angeles, California. Selected fil ...

and starring

Charles Bickford Charles Ambrose Bickford (January 1, 1891 – November 9, 1967) was an American actor known for supporting roles. He was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for '' The Song of Bernadette'' (1943), '' The F ...

and

Evelyn Ankers Evelyn Felisa Ankers (August 17, 1918 – August 29, 1985) was a British-American actress who often played variations on the role of the cultured young leading lady in many American horror films during the 1940s, most notably '' The Wolf Man'' (1 ...

. It was also known as ''Halfway to Shanghai''.

Plot

In the Burmese town of Lashio, the convoys of an American transport company keep being attacked. Head driver is Cliff Weldon. His brother Mike comes to visit. They deal with a Eurasian spy, a Chinese agent and enemy attacks.

Cast

as Cliff Weldon *

as Ann McBragel *

Frank Albertson Francis Healey Albertson (February 2, 1909 – February 29, 1964) was an American actor who had supporting roles in films such as ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946) and ''Psycho (1960 film), Psycho'' (1960). Early life Albertson was a nat ...

as Mike Weldon *

Cecil Kellaway Cecil Lauriston Kellaway (22 August 1890 – 28 February 1973) was a South African character actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor twice, for '' The Luck of the Irish'' (1948) and '' Guess Who's Coming to Dinner ...

as Angus McBragel *

Willie Fung Willie Fung (3 March 1896 – 16 April 1945) was a Chinese-American film actor who played supporting roles in 125 American films between 1922 and 1944. Like many Chinese actors working in Hollywood during the era, he often played Japanese charac ...

as Smitty *

Keye Luke Keye Luke (, Cantonese: Luk Shek Kee; June 18, 1904 – January 12, 1991) was a Chinese-born American film and television actor, technical advisor and artist and a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild. He was known for playing Lee Chan, t ...

as Lin Taiyen *

Turhan Bey Turhan Bey (born Turhan Gilbert Selahattin Şahultavi, 30 March 192230 September 2012). was an Austrian-born actor of Turkish and Czech-Jewish origins. Active in Hollywood from 1941 to 1953, he was dubbed "The Turkish Delight" by his fans.. Aft ...

as Mr. Yuchau * Truman Bradley as Victor Harrison *Ken Christy as Hank *C. Montague Shaw as Major Hart *Harry Stubbs as Hubert *Chester Gan as Keela *Vyola Vonn as Mazie *Eddie Lee as Leon *Dorothy Vaughan as Mrs. Hubert *Grace Lem as Mrs. Wong Lee *Dave Thursby as Constable *Duke York as Bartender *Loo Loy as Rebel leader

Production

The film was announced in April 1941 as ''Halfway to Shanghai''. It was an early lead role for

who had joined the studio after being on stage in ''Ladies in Retirement''. Filming took place in April and May 1941. The film was one of a number being set in the

around this time, others including ''

A Yank on the Burma Road ''A Yank on the Burma Road'' is a 1942 drama film directed by George B. Seitz and starring Laraine Day, Barry Nelson and Keye Luke. It is also known as ''China Caravan'' and ''Yanks on the Burma Road''. It was produced as part of a cluster of Ho ...

'', ''

'' and '' Over the Burma Road'', with the latter two not being filmed.

Reception

The ''New York Times'' thought the film was "too tame".At the Rialto T.M.P.. New York Times 7 Oct 1941: 26.

References

External links

*
''Burma Convoy''
at BFI
''Burma Convoy''
at Letterbox DVD 1941 films Trucker films 1941 adventure films American black-and-white films Films set in Myanmar Universal Pictures films American adventure films 1940s English-language films Films directed by Noel M. Smith 1940s American films {{adventure-film-stub