''Tangier'' is a 1946 American film noir

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, i ...

directed by

George Waggner George Waggner (September 7, 1894 – December 11, 1984) was an American actor, director, producer and writer. He is best known for producing and directing the 1941 film '' The Wolf Man''. For some unknown reason, Waggner sometimes configured his ...

and starring

Maria Montez María África Gracia Vidal (6 June 1912 – 7 September 1951), known professionally as Maria Montez, was a Dominican motion picture actress who gained fame and popularity in the 1940s starring in a series of filmed-in-Technicolor costume ...

Robert Paige Robert Paige (born John Arthur Paige, December 2, 1911 – December 21, 1987) was an actor and a TV newscaster and political correspondent and Universal Pictures leading man who made 65 films in his lifetime: he was the only actor ever allowed t ...

and Sabu. It is set in the international city of Tangier,

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

and was one of the last final

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 ...

films before the studio's reorganization as

Universal-International 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 Americ ...

in July 1946. The film features a variety of well-known Universal players completing their contracts, such as Montez, Paige and

Louise Allbritton Louise Allbritton (July 3, 1920 – February 16, 1979) was an American film and stage actress born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Her name was sometimes seen as Louise Albritton. She played in such films as ''Pittsburgh'' (1942), '' Who Done It?'' ...

. The film was produced at the insistence of Montez, who had grown weary of her typecasting in

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

oriental adventures.

Plot

Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the capi ...

, disgraced American war correspondent Paul Kenyon, café dancer Rita and local entrepreneur Pepe join forces to battle Adolpho Fernandez, a Nazi diamond smuggler.

Cast

as Rita *

as Paul Kenyon * Sabu as Pepe *

Preston Foster Preston Stratton Foster (August 24, 1900 – July 14, 1970), was an American actor of stage, film, radio, and television, whose career spanned nearly four decades. He also had a career as a vocalist. Early life Born in Ocean City, New Jersey ...

as Col. Jose Artiego *

as Dolores *

Kent Taylor Kent Taylor (born Louis William Weiss; May 11, 1907 – April 11, 1987) was an American actor of film and television. Taylor appeared in more than 110 films, the bulk of them B-movies in the 1930s and 1940s, although he also had roles in more pr ...

as Ramon * J. Edward Bromberg as Alex Rocco * Reginald Denny as Fernandez *

Charles Judels Charles Judels (August 17, 1882 - February 14, 1969) was a Dutch-born American actor. Early years Judels was born on August 17, 1882, in Amsterdam as a third generation in a family of actors. His grandfather owned several theatres throughout t ...

as Dmitri * Erno Verebes as Capt. Cartiaz * Billy Green as Mike * Dorothy Lawrence as Maid *

Francis McDonald Francis McDonald (August 22, 1891 – September 18, 1968) was an American actor whose career spanned 52 years. Early years Born on August 22, 1891, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, McDonald was the son of John Francis McDonald and Catherine Ashlu ...

as Sanchez * George Lynn as Lieutenant * Joan Fulton as Rocco's Blonde * Pat Alphin in minor role

Production

Development

became famous in the 1940s appearing in a series of Universal Pictures films set in exotic locales and filmed in color alongside Jon Hall and Sabu, such as '' Arabian Nights'', ''

White Savage ''White Savage'' is a 1943 American Technicolor South Seas adventure film directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Maria Montez, Jon Hall and Sabu. The film was re-released by Realart in 1948 on a double-feature with the same three stars in ''Cobr ...

'' and ''

Cobra Woman ''Cobra Woman'' is a 1944 American South Seas adventure film from Universal Pictures, directed by Robert Siodmak that stars Maria Montez, Jon Hall, and Sabu. Shot in Technicolor, this film is typical of Montez's career at Universal, and, alth ...

''. In September 1943, Universal announced the upcoming ''Flame of Stamboul'', from a script by Alice Miller, to star Montez, Hall and

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 ...

(in a role intended for Sabu, who was serving with the military). Paul Malvern was to produce and the film was to be shot in color. Miller's script was set in Turkey, which had been neutral for most of World War II. However, Universal was concerned about upsetting the Turkish government and filming was postponed. In March 1945, the project was reactivated as ''Tangier'', and Steve Fisher was hired to rewrite the script. The film was relocated to

and the villains were changed to be agents from

Franco Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" Prefix * Franco, a prefix used when ref ...

's Spain. Later, the nationality of the villains was again changed to an unspecified location. Montez had been in a dispute with Universal over her casting in romantic fantasy films. She said: "''Sudan'' is making more money than any of the others and Universal thinks that on that account I should appear in more of these films. But I wanted to quit these films when they are at their peak, not on the downbeat. It isn't only that the pictures are all the same, but the stories are one just like the other." However, Montez also said: "''Tangier'' is modern. I play a Spanish girl. I like that."

Filming

Filming began on September 24, 1945. As Bey and Hall were serving with the armed forces, their roles were played by Sabu and Robert Paige respectively. It was Sabu's first film after his return from military duty. Montez was pregnant during filming. Choreography was led by

Lester Horton Lester Iradell Horton (23 January 1906 – 2 November 1953) was an American dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Early years and education Lester Iradell Horton was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on 23 January 1906. His parents were Iradell and Poll ...

Reception

In a contemporary review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', critic A. H. Weiler wrote: "Miss Montez' array of clothes is far more impressive than the picture's plot and the people involved in it. ... Preston Foster has been allotted the film's meatiest line. 'There seems to be an element of confusion here,' he says at one point, neatly explaining everything."

References

External links

* * * {{George Waggner 1946 films 1940s mystery thriller films Universal Pictures films Films directed by George Waggner Films set in Tangier American mystery thriller films American black-and-white films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films