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
Benjamin Stoloff
Benjamin Stoloff (October 6, 1895 – September 8, 1960) was an American film director and producer. He began his career as a short film comedy director and gradually moved into feature film directing and production later in his career.
Directo ...
Faye Emerson
Faye Margaret Emerson (July 8, 1917 – March 9, 1983) was an American film and stage actress and television interviewer who gained fame as a film actress in the 1940s before transitioning to television in the 1950s and hosting her own talk show ...
,
John Ridgely
John Ridgely (born John Huntington Rea, September 6, 1909 – January 18, 1968) was an American film character actor with over 175 film credits.
Early years
Ridgely was born in Chicago, Illinois,Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: T ...
,
Charles Lang
Charles Bryant Lang Jr., A.S.C. (March 27, 1902, Bluff, Utah – April 3, 1998, Santa Monica, CaliforniaRobert Warwick, and
Frank Reicher
Frank Reicher (born Franz Reicher; December 2, 1875 – January 19, 1965) was a German-born American actor, director and producer. He is best known for playing Captain Englehorn in the 1933 film ''King Kong''.
Early life
Reicher was born in Mu ...
. The film was released by
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
on September 17, 1942.
Plot
In 1941, German-born Henry Bremmer (
Frank Reicher
Frank Reicher (born Franz Reicher; December 2, 1875 – January 19, 1965) was a German-born American actor, director and producer. He is best known for playing Captain Englehorn in the 1933 film ''King Kong''.
Early life
Reicher was born in Mu ...
) owns the Park Hotel in New York City. When Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, Bremmer correctly fears that Germany will soon declare war on the U.S., but his wife is in Germany convalescing after surgery. He sends his lawyer, Carl Becker ( Craig Stevens), to Washington to arrange to get her to the U.S., but neither the State Department nor the German Embassy can help.
Bremmer's chauffeur suggests approaching Dr. Woodford ( Robert Warwick), who has connections in Germany; but Woodford (a false name) is actually the leader of a Nazi spy ring based at the hotel (the chauffeur and several hotel staff are also members). He threatens Bremmer's wife if Bremmer does not join them, but will get her to the U.S. if he does.
Carl intends to join the military, but when he returns from Washington to his New York office, his old friend Jim Jackson (
Charles Lang
Charles Bryant Lang Jr., A.S.C. (March 27, 1902, Bluff, Utah – April 3, 1998, Santa Monica, CaliforniaFaye Emerson
Faye Margaret Emerson (July 8, 1917 – March 9, 1983) was an American film and stage actress and television interviewer who gained fame as a film actress in the 1940s before transitioning to television in the 1950s and hosting her own talk show ...
), a lounge singer at the Park Hotel. Carl wants to introduce Jim to her, but Jim is very busy while he is in New York. Carl has the idea of getting Jim a room at the Park. Jim happily accepts, since he, along with his friend John Trent (
John Ridgely
John Ridgely (born John Huntington Rea, September 6, 1909 – January 18, 1968) was an American film character actor with over 175 film credits.
Early years
Ridgely was born in Chicago, Illinois,Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: T ...
), is part of the team investigating the Park Hotel ring.
But when Jim checks in, the spies recognize him from a photo as a government agent, and demand Bremmer tell who he is. To Bremmer's horror, Woodford promptly orders Jim killed. A bellhop delivers a radio, and when Jim turns it on, a concealed mechanism ignites chemicals to produce poison gas.
Police declare that the death was suicide, but Carl does not believe them. He goes to Washington and applies to join Counter-Espionage. John initially suspects that Carl is part of the spy ring, but after time, decides to trust him. When another agent is killed in New York, Carl and John return there to take up the case.
Carl also takes up again with Paula, telling her about his new job. She says, "I'm glad you're not after me"; he answers romantically, "What makes you think I'm not?" But as soon as she is alone, she calls Woodford to warn him. Woodford secretly listens in as Carl tells Bremmer they now know what the German agent (Woodford) looks like and will soon arrest the whole ring.
Bremmer has a hunting lodge in the
Adirondacks
The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular d ...
, and Woodford orders him to go there. A bellhop delivers the poison radio to Carl and John's room, but they are prepared for the attack and soon capture Woodford and another spy. However, after Carl mentions to Paula what train they are being taken to Washington on, Nazi agents attack it and free them.
A clue left by Bremmer leads the Counter-Espionage agents to the Adirondack lodge, where the spies are using Bremmer's
ham radio
Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emergency communica ...
to contact a German submarine. Carl later learns that Bremmer has also used it, setting up an attack on the sub. After a gun battle in which Bremmer is fatally shot, the government agents use tear gas and all the surviving spies are captured except Woodford.
Woodford returns to the hotel to collect his wife—Paula. Carl arrives; Woodford pulls a gun; Carl kills him with a concealed gun. He then tells Paula he is taking her away on a "little trip"—and arrests her.
Faye Emerson
Faye Margaret Emerson (July 8, 1917 – March 9, 1983) was an American film and stage actress and television interviewer who gained fame as a film actress in the 1940s before transitioning to television in the 1950s and hosting her own talk show ...
as Paula Fengler
*
John Ridgely
John Ridgely (born John Huntington Rea, September 6, 1909 – January 18, 1968) was an American film character actor with over 175 film credits.
Early years
Ridgely was born in Chicago, Illinois,Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: T ...
as Agent John Trent
* Charles Lang as Agent Jim Jackson
* Robert Warwick as Otto Zimmer
*
Frank Reicher
Frank Reicher (born Franz Reicher; December 2, 1875 – January 19, 1965) was a German-born American actor, director and producer. He is best known for playing Captain Englehorn in the 1933 film ''King Kong''.
Early life
Reicher was born in Mu ...
as Henry Bremmer
* Rex Williams as Hans
*
Frank Wilcox
Frank Reppy Wilcox (March 13, 1907 – March 3, 1974) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous films and television series, as well as Broadway plays.
Background
Wilcox was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Roger V. Wilcox. He was born in De Soto ...
as Counter-Espionage Man
*
George Meeker
George Meeker (March 5, 1904 – August 19, 1984) was an American character film and Broadway actor.
A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Meeker made several films such as ''Crime, Inc.'' (1945) and ''A Thief in the Dark'' (1 ...