Une Tête Brûlée

This was released in july of 1942, so the united states had just been yanked into the war by japan. Right at the start, there's a warning about content that may be objectionable to some, but should be kept in the context of the time it was made. The only name I recognize here is hb warner, who was in so many huge films, even nominated for lost horizon. Funny guy parkyarkarkus is in here, but credited as harry einstein. When loud, blustery, newspaper reporter malone gets caught up in a mixup between the nazis and the arabs in libya, he doesn't realize the complications he has started. Malone tries to enlist the help of nancy brooks, but she's not falling for it. Mr. Forbes at the british consulate may or may not know more than he is telling. It's not the tightest story, and it was made by the producers releasing corporation, one of the lowest budget studios in the 1940s. It's very okay. I don't think anyone was too proud of this work. It rambles all over the place, and was not at all respectful to other cultures. Parkyarkarkus died pretty young at 54. Film directed by al herman. I've seen a couple of his films from the 1940s. He had made tons of short films with mickey rooney and billy barty, starting as silents in the 1920s. Fun reference to camel cigarettes about halfway through; camel cigarettes had been around since 1913!

Little know war movie set in Libya during the German advance toward the Egypitan cities of Alexandria and Cairo in the fateful summer of 1942.

Yossof Streyer, Wilhelm Von Brincken, masquerading around as a Czech running the Streyer Importing & Exporting Co. in the Lybian city of El-Mocha. Streyer really is a German spy who's importing thousands of German Mauser rifles to arm the Arab tribesmen and incite them to revolt against the occupying British helping Rommel and his Afrika Corp take over Lybia Egypt and the Suez Canal.

In pops American reporter Mike Malone, Walter Wolf King, looking for the big scoop and almost single handed loses the war in North Africa for the allies by his obnoxious actions. Malone soon gets his later girlfriend and fiancée Nancy Brooks, Joan Woodbury,almost killed when he breaks into her house and leaves a German Mauser rifle that he stole from the perusing Arabs on her sofa. The jerk takes off leaving Nacy holding the bag, or rifle, and almost certain death at the hands of the vengeful Arabs. The only reason that Nancy was speared was that the leader of the Arab tribesmen is the good and kind Sheik David, Duncan Renaldo, who's also in love with her.

Malone keeps getting into trouble all through the film by being so ridicules and rude towards the local Arabs that he's put in prison by the British just to keep him from starting a revolt against them even without German help. Putting on a fake clip-on beard as a disguise the British police have no trouble at all recognizing him and grab Malone and put him behind bars for his own protection. Malone is helped to escape from the jail, fake beard and all, by Parkyakarkus a Brooklyn N.Y native who ended up in El-Mocha trying to sell razor blades, to the Muslem men who don't shave, and local belly dancer Haditha, Amarilla Morris. Malone is caught later by the Arabs when he and Parkyakarkus went back to the cave where the Arabs had the German rifles hidden, Parkyakarkus escaped.

Just wen he's about to be done in by Sheik David's second in command the villainous Sheik Ibrahim Malone is saved by David and Joan who just happened to be with him in his tent when his execution was about to take place. Meanwhile Streyer, who's bankrolling the Arab revolt,is getting sick and tired of the good Sheik David stalling the revolt and during a heated exchange with him pulls a gun out and shots him dead.

With now the German controlled Sheik Ibrahim in charge the Arabs revolt and storm the city of El-Mocha but all of a sudden the dead Sheik David appears alive and calls for peace not war with the British. It was a medal that David had on him, that was handed down to him by his father who it was handed to by his grandfather, that was very close to his heart that took Streyer's bullet thus saving his life.

The shocked Sheik Ibrahim, as well as Streyer, pulls a gun out to shoot David but is shot and killed by Malone who beat him to the draw, Ibrahim was so slow in pulling out his gun that by the time he pulled the trigger the movie would have long been over.

Streyer running into his office is shot and killed, off screen, by none other the the clownish Paryakarkus who turned to be an undercover agent for US military intelligence and just like that the Arab revolt was over.

I found the American reporter in the movie Mike Malone really annoying the way he acted as if he knew the outcome of the movie, by reading the script ahead of time, and saw that nothing would happen to him and thus acted accordingly, like a first class jerk, and almost got all the good guys in the movie "A Yank in Lybia" killed.

This gloriously silly "rah rah" America film was made right after the American entry in World War 2. Its a wild romp with a jerk for a lead but enough jokes action and mismatched stock footage to be a great deal of fun in the right frame of mind.

This is the story of Mike Malone an American reporter in Libya. He comes upon a plot of the Nazi's to arm the Arabs and fight the British. He steals a rifle and high tails it back to the nearest city. He crashes into the room of a nice "British" girl, leaves her the gun and then heads out the window, telling her to hide the gun from pursuing Arabs. Malone goes to the British consulate where he's thought balmy, doubly so after a visit to the girl turns up no gun. Malone then struggles to prove his story, while the British try to prevent the Arab uprising and keep an eye on the German in their midst.

This movie is very funny, often for the wrong reasons. Malone, played by Walter Woolf King, is the worst an American be: cocksure, boorish, a jerk and insufferable. He's horribly unlikeable and comes close to sinking the movie, but he doesn't mostly because he's so over inflated as to be a joke. He is nicely counter balanced by the rest of the cast who are damn near spot in their portrayals of what should be cardboard characters. Clearly they are going to go for it even if the buffoon in the middle isn't. I have to single out Harry Parke aka Parkyarkarkus, as a guy from Brooklyn posing as an Arab razor blade salesman. Parke is a joy to be hold as a calm cool man of action and witty remarks. Clearly he knows whats going on even when everyone else doesn't. The character of Parkyarkarkus was Parke's patented character from radio and he's basically doing the same shtick here to great effect. (A side note: Parke, real last name Einstein, is not only known for fathering Super Dave Osbourne and Albert Brooks, but also dropping dead in Milton Berle's lap during a Friar's roast of Lucille Ball).

Technically this movie is a mess. Clearly shot on stages and back lots, it also makes a great deal of stock footage, none of which matches any of the other footage in the film. It makes for a "bigger" movie but often surreal effect as in the case of a bar room brawl that suddenly is in a room three times the size it started in and involves ten times more people. Its funny for all the wrong reasons.

And I really liked this movie. There is something so loopy about it that made me like it infinitely more than I should have. Its not a great movie but some how the plot is involving and the knowing humor takes enough of the edge off the crappy parts that you really don't mind its low rent birth.

Worth a bucket of popcorn and a soda.

8 out of 10 if you're in the right frame of mind. 5 out of 10 if you're not.

This film is an example of what a low budget "B" film can be like. "A Yank In Libya" is one of those more classic B films amongst movie buffs, as well known for its title as it is for being a "poverty row" film. The film was produced and released by PRC, Producers Releasing Company. Intercut in the film are numerous scenes taken directly from other films, by doing this it was a cost saving measure. Also several scenes, such as the fight scenes were speeded up, much in the way old silent comedies were run at a faster speed.

The film has an interesting plot where Germans are supplying weapons to Arabs to murder Americans. H.B. Warner has a great supporting role playing the British diplomat. He is best knoiwn for having played Christ in the biblical silent epics. Joan Woodbury plays an attractive lead, in real life she was the wife of Henry Wilcoxon. Parkyakarkus, a radio actor of the time essentially plays himself. If you have no idea who he is, he looks, sounds and acts like Jack Oakie. Walter Woolf King essentially plays the male lead, and does a good job.

It definitely fits the time period as the Axis & Allies were playing espionage games throughout most of North Africa & the rest of the world. It's not the best of films, but certainly not the worst of the budget films as described previously from the compilation War Classics.

Duncan"Cisco Kid" Renaldo was actually very good in one of his first feature films. I really enjoyed the performance of Harry Parke (credited as Parkyarkarkus). Why he never got any bigger roles is beyond me. He played the perfect buddy/partner role and saved the movie...imho.

As said, this film was part of a budget package from Superbox-Mart entitled War Classics. Eight movies for eight bucks, which included other never-heard-from-films that has some decent stars trying to pay the bills.

This script is...well, not so hot. The editing & cinematography is...worse. If you can by-pass all of that and want to see the future Cisco Kid & a great sidekick that sadly never fulfilled his true potential, definitely pick it up! Otherwise, there's other WW2 films to watch.

-Thunderossa.