''War Correspondent'' is a 1932 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Paul Sloane Paul Sloane (April 19, 1893 November 15, 1963) was an American screenwriter and film director who directed 26 films from 1925 to 1952, and wrote or co-wrote 35 films. His movies include ''Hearts in Dixie'' (1929) with Stepin Fetchit, ''The Wom ...

. The film stars Jack Holt,

Ralph Graves Ralph Graves (born Ralph Horsburgh; January 23, 1900 – February 18, 1977) was an American screenwriter, film director and actor who appeared in more than 90 films between 1918 and 1949. Biography Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Graves had alre ...

and

Lila Lee Lila Lee (born Augusta Wilhelmena Fredericka Appel; July 25, 1905 – November 13, 1973) was a prominent screen actress, primarily a leading lady, of the silent film and early sound film eras. Early life The daughter of Augusta Fredericka Appe ...

. Although set in war-torn China, ''War Correspondent'' was entirely shot in California.

Plot

Outside of Shanghai, famous war correspondent Franklyn Bennett (

), part of an unofficial branch of the U.S. military, broadcasts over the radio an eyewitness report of an air battle won by China's ace, "General Ching," flying for the nationalist forces of Wu Sun ( Victor Wong). "General Ching" is Jim Kenyon ( Jack Holt), a cynical American soldier of fortune. Wu Sun presents Jim with the Order of the Golden Dragon, China's highest medal for defeating the forces of General Fang (

Tetsu Komai (23 April 1894 – 10 August 1970), also known as Tetsuo Komai, was a Japanese-American actor, known for his minor roles in Hollywood films. Biography Born in Kumamoto, Kyushu, Komai had small parts in over 50 films from the 1920s until the ...

). The airman excuses himself to meet Julie March (

), a former prostitute. When Julie's rickshaw is smashed by an automobile, the passenger is a former client. Franklyn rescues her and escorts her back to the Cathay Hotel. A short time later, he places a notice in The North China Times announcing his engagement to Julie, exaggerating her "rescue" from a "mob of howling coolies." Jim is jealous, and during a party at the hotel, Jim denounces the reporter as a liar and coward. Jim orders Franklyn imprisoned, and creates a false statement saying that the journalist attacked him. Jim forces Franklyn to leave China within 24 hours or face a firing squad. Frank tells Julie that he really is a coward, but she implores him to take her with him. That night, bandit leader General Fang's thugs kidnap Julie and when Franklyn learns of her capture, he pleads with Jim to rescue her. Jim flies his aircraft to Fang's headquarters but Fang, bitter that Jim had switched allegiances for money, wants to make a bargain for Julie's life. Jim offers Franklyn but relents and kills Fang. The two men prop Fang's limp bodies between their own and flee to the nearby airfield. Franklyn and Julie drive away, while Jim takes to the sky and attacks the forces pursuing their car but is wounded by enemy fire. After his aircraft crashes, Jim is comforted by Julie. Along with her husband, she places the Order of the Golden Dragon on the chest of their dead friend.

Cast

* Jack Holt as Jim Kenyon *

as Franklyn Bennett *

as Julie March * Victor Wong as Wu Sun *

as Fang * Luke Chan as Bandit *

Chester Gan Chester Gan (1908-1959) was an American character actor of Chinese descent who worked in Hollywood from the 1930s through the 1950s. Biography Chester Gan was born in Grass Valley, California, to Wing Hong Gan and Wong Shee. He went to China ...

as Bandit *

Richard Loo Richard Loo (October 1, 1903 – November 20, 1983) was an American film actor who was one of the most familiar Asian character actors in American films of the 1930s and 1940s. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1931 and 1982. Early lif ...

as Bandit *

William V. Mong William V. Mong (June 25, 1875 – December 10, 1940) was an American film actor, screenwriter and director. He appeared in almost 200 films between 1910 and 1939. His directing (1911–1918) and screenwriting (1911–1922) were mostly for ...

as Man with Marked Shoe *

Miki Morita Mitsugi "Miki" Morita (sometimes credited as Mike Morita) was a Japanese character actor who worked in Hollywood from the 1920s through around 1940. He had worked as a stage actor before beginning his career onscreen. Partial filmography *''Sou ...

as Bandit * James Wang as Bandit *

Otto Yamaoka Otto Yamaoka (April 25, 1904 – June 5, 1967) was an American actor and businessman who worked in Hollywood primarily during the 1930s. He was one of only a handful of Japanese-descended actors working in the industry at the time. His sister, Ir ...

as Bandit

Production

Principal photography on ''War Correspondent'' began on May 31 with the production wrapped on June 25, 1932. The locales used were the Wilson Airport transformed into a military base, while other location shooting took place at the Dry Lake, 20 miles east of

Victorville, California Victorville is a city in Victor Valley in San Bernardino County, California. Its population as of the 2020 census was 134,810. History In 1858, Aaron G. Lane came to what is now known as Victorville and founded a waystation called "Lane's Cr ...

in the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily ...

. Roy and Tave Wilson were the stunt pilots hired for the film, flying Speedwing Travelairs.

Reception

Mordaunt Hall Mordaunt Hall (1 November 1878 – 2 July 1973) was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for ''The New York Times'', working from October 1924 to September 1934.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 ...

'', described ''War Correspondent'' as, "An amateurish melodrama revelling in the title of 'War Correspondent' is the present film feature at the Paramount. If it possesses anything interesting, it is Chinese atmosphere, but it would take a great deal more than this to make up for the absurdities in the story."Hall, Mordaunt
"War and love."
''The New York Times'', August 13, 1932.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Etling, Laurence. ''Radio in the Movies: A History and Filmography, 1926-2010''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2014. . * Pendo, Stephen. ''Aviation in the Cinema''. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. . * Wynne, H. Hugh. ''The Motion Picture Stunt Pilots and Hollywood's Classic Aviation Movies''. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1987. .

External links

* * * {{Paul Sloane 1932 films 1932 drama films American drama films Films directed by Paul Sloane Films with screenplays by Jo Swerling Columbia Pictures films American aviation films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films