''Madame Spy'' is a 1942 American

spy film The spy film, also known as the spy thriller, is a genre of film that deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way (such as the adaptations of John le Carré) or as a basis for fantasy (such as many James Bond films) ...

directed by

Roy William Neill Roy William Neill (4 September 1887 – 14 December 1946) was an Irish-born American film director best known for directing the last eleven of the fourteen Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, made between 1943 and 19 ...

and starring

Constance Bennett Constance Campbell Bennett (October 22, 1904 – July 24, 1965) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actress and producer. She was a major Hollywood star during the 1920s and 1930s; during the early 1930s, she was the highest-paid ...

Don Porter Donald Cecil Porter (September 24, 1912 – February 11, 1997) was an American stage, film and television actor. On television, he played Peter Sands, the boss of Ann Sothern's character on ''Private Secretary'', and Russell Lawrence, the wi ...

and

John Litel John Beach Litel (December 30, 1892 – February 3, 1972) was an American film and television actor. Early life Litel was born in Albany, Wisconsin. During World War I, he enlisted in the French Army and was twice decorated for bravery. Ba ...

.Milberg p.45 It was produced and distributed by

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

. The screenplay concerns an American intelligence officer who goes undercover and infiltrates a ring of

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

spies.

Plot

The film opens with war correspondent David Bannister marrying Joan during an air raid in England. When they return to the U.S., their

ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...

is sunk by a German submarine. They and others escape aboard lifeboats and are rescued. David becomes a radio reporter and does an

exposé Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to: News sources * Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism * '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website Film and TV Film * ''Exposé'' (film), a 1976 thriller film * ''Exposed'' (1932 ...

on the Nazi connections of an American industrialist who is an associate of Alicia Rolf, Joan's close friend. Peter, the head of a

spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

ring, then kills the industrialist to protect the espionage organization. David begins to suspect Joan of having Nazi sympathies, but his friend Lt. Cmdr. Drake defends her. David's suspicions worsen when he discovers Joan has received a

telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

telling her about an espionage bombing on the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

. David and his

taxicab A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

driver friend, Mike, trail Joan to a meeting with Carl Gordon, who was also a passenger on the sunk liner. David is sure Joan is unfaithful to him. When Drake is killed, newspapers claim he was investigating a Nazi spy ring. Peter asks Joan to stay with him at his country home, and she agrees. David and Mike follow, and are captured. Before Peter can kill them, he is himself felled by an assassin's bullet. David alerts the FBI to the spy ring, but is told that all the Nazis have already been captured. The agent tells David that Joan and Carl are both American spies, who were working to break the ring. David and Joan reconcile.

Main cast

as Joan Bannister *

as David Bannister *

as Peter Rolf *

Edward Brophy Edward Santree Brophy (February 27, 1895 – May 27, 1960) was an American character actor and comedian, as well as an assistant director and second unit director during the 1920s. Small of build, balding, and raucous-voiced, he frequently ...

as Mike Reese *

John Eldredge John Eldredge (born June 6, 1960 in Los Angeles) is an American author, counselor, and lecturer on Christianity. He is known for his best-selling book '' Wild at Heart''. Life and work Eldregde received his undergraduate degree in theater from ...

as Carl Gordon *

Edmund MacDonald Edmund Francis MacDonald (May 7, 1908 – September 2, 1951) was an American actor. Early years MacDonald was born in Boston. He had one brother. Career MacDonald gained early acting experience in stock theater on Long Island. He made hi ...

as Lt. Cmdr. Bill Drake *

Nana Bryant Nana Irene Bryant (November 23, 1888 – December 24, 1955) was an American film, stage, and television actress. She appeared in more than 100 films between 1935 and 1955. Biography Bryant was born 1888 in Cincinnati, Ohio. She appeared in ...

as Alicia Rolf *

Jimmy Conlin Jimmy Conlin (October 14, 1884 – May 7, 1962) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 150 films in his 32-year career. Career Conlin was born in Camden, New Jersey in 1884, and his acting career started out in vaudeville, ...

as Winston *

Selmer Jackson Selmer Adolf Jackson (May 7, 1888 – March 30, 1971) was an American stage film and television actor. He appeared in nearly 400 films between 1921 and 1963. His name was sometimes spelled Selmar Jackson. Jackson was born in Lake Mills, Iowa an ...

as Harrison K. Woods * Nino Pipitone as Miro *

Cliff Clark Cliff Clark (June 10, 1889 – February 8, 1953) was an American actor. He entered the film business in 1937 after a substantial stage career and appeared in over 200 Hollywood films. In the last years of his life, he also played in a numb ...

as Inspector Varden *

John Dilson John Dilson (February 18, 1891 – June 1, 1944) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1934 and 1944. Selected filmography * ''A Man's Game'' (1934) * '' The Westerner'' (1934) * '' The Girl Who Came Back'' ...

as Proprietor Martin

References

Bibliography

* Milberg, Doris. ''World War II on the Big Screen''. McFarland, 2010.

External links

* 1942 films American spy films 1940s spy films Films directed by Roy William Neill Films set in Russia Universal Pictures films World War II spy films World War II films made in wartime American black-and-white films Films scored by Hans J. Salter 1940s English-language films {{WWII-film-stub