Tampico

Edward G. Robinson and Victor McLaglen co-starred in this inflated B war time action/adventure saga of the merchant marine. Both of these guys must have had nothing else going on at this point in their careers.

Robinson is captain and McLaglen first mate of an oil tanker operating out of the Caribbean and one fine day they rescue some folks whose ship was torpedoed by a U-boat. Among those rescued are Lynn Bari who has no passport and no one else can quite account for her among the survivors.

She and Robinson hit it off and they have one of those impulsive marriages. But later on Robinson's ship is also torpedoed and when he's rescued he starts to think he might have made a bad decision. And he's determined to find out one way or another.

Tampico is one of those films that gives homage to that famous wartime slogan of 'loose lips sink ships'. But as it turns out it wasn't some flannel mouthed indiscretion by someone that got Robinson's ship sunk. This was quite calculated and planned.

It's also an inflated B film with very little thought given to plot structure and a story line that is well nigh implausible at times. A relic of World War II years much like Robinson's oil tanker.

This is one of those little gems that makes discovering on a rainy Saturday afternoon a pleasant surprise. It is not a great movie in any sense of the word, but a very enjoyable one. Yeah, like some of the other reviewers, I wondered what in God's Green Earth it was that Kathy saw in Captain Manson (Edward G. Robinson), but short pudgy guys need love too and outside of Hollywood, romances like this very often happen. Also, Victor McLaglen played his role as the ship's First Mate so straight, not in his usual drunk loudmouth Irishman character, that I almost did not recognize him.

The plot was interesting (more fun than riveting), as the story goes from a sea adventure to a spy tale, with a little bit of romance thrown in. The perceived mismatch between the young attractive Kathy and the older Capt Manson only add to the mystery regarding her real motives.

Just a fun little movie to hunker down on the couch under a blanket, pass the time and eat some popcorn.

No big budget for that war spy movie, just the names of Edward G Robinson and Victor Mc Laglen. Not specially exciting story we've seen dozens time, this is a typical ordinary B movie you forget after the vision. The director is German and it is felt in the moody night scenes.

When sea captain Edward G. Robinson finds a naked woman in his bunk, it's quite a nice surprise. It sounds more scandalous than it is; his ship has just rescued a lifeboat of survivors from a U-boat attack, and there isn't enough room for everyone. Uninjured, but still tired and frightened, the very alluring Lynn Bari found her way into his room and settled in for a good night's sleep. In the morning, they have a fun and frisky conversation as he shaves and she slinks out of his bathrobe into his sweatshirt.

The first mate, Victor MacLaglan, warns Eddie G against falling for Lynn. She doesn't have a passport and could be trying to cozy up to him for less than admirable reasons. Eddie G is a red-blooded man and disregards his friend's warning. He takes her to a nightclub, gets rip-roaring drunk, dances the rumba, and wakes up to her kisses in bed. What? This movie was made in 1944, during the Production Code, wasn't it? Then how did all this naughtiness get past the censors?

You'll have to watch Tampico to find out. There are parts of the movie that are very good, but others really threaten to ruin the whole picture. I liked the romance and the full-fledged character of Eddie G; Lynn was also good in a tailor-made Linda Darnell role. If you're looking for a war movie, you might be disappointed. There's far less emphasis on the war than you'd initially expect.

I know of only one other movie that was made about the U.S. Merchant Marine in World War II. That was "Action in the North Atlantic" by Warner Brothers in 1943. It stars Humphrey Bogart, Raymond Massey and Alan Hale. That film was set in the North Atlantic and had considerable action. "Tampico" isn't on the same level, but it gives a peek at what the Merchant Marine was like around the world during WWII. And, it includes a look at fifth column activities during the war. Nazi operators existed in the U.S. and many other nations. Their primary purpose in the U.S. was to keep it out of the war – on the side of the Allies. It's secondary operations were disruption of industrial production, sabotage and espionage to aid in the sinking of Allied ships.

The plot is fairly simple and somewhat contrived for this film. Edward G. Robinson is very good as Capt. Bart Manson. Victor McLaglen is very good as his first mate. Lynn Bari is good as Kathy Hall. Her part in the film does seem quite contrived. Some reviewers couldn't place her being attracted to Robinson. And a couple questioned Robinson's age as a ship's captain. The script gives a good accounting of Kathy's situation. She had left the U.S. five years earlier and traveled and worked as a dancer in Europe. And, with the rise of the Nazis and invasion of France, she had been trying to return to the U.S. through Lisbon, Portugal. That was a familiar struggle for many civilians, including Americans, trying to get away from the Nazis.

As to Robinson's age, the Merchant Marine had many ship captains in their 40s and 50s. And, during WWII, the service was very happy to have all the experienced captains stay at their helms. Before the start of the war, the Merchant Marine had 55,000 experienced mariners. That number grew to 215,000 during the war – all trained by the Maritime Service.

During the war, about 4,300 Allied ships were sunk. More than 9,300 U.S. mariners lost their lives. In the peak year 1942, the Allies lost 33 ships per week. The U.S. Merchant Marine operated in most of the oceans and seas of the world, and lost ships in all those areas. The Atlantic Ocean had the most ships lost – more than 700. But more than 230 ships were sunk by German U-boats in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

So, "Tampico" gives a look at Merchant Marine operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Early in the film, Captain Manson lectures his men before they go on shore leave about maintaining security so that the enemy can't find out about their shipping plans and cargoes. Very few war films show these warnings to the troops, but it is something that regularly took place among all the services. One of the most familiar posters seen during WWII warned, "Loose lips sink ships." "Tampico" fits that warning to a tee.

This movie doesn't have the action of many other films at sea. And, it spends more time in port. But it gives us a rare look at the silent service during WWII that was so crucial to supplying the Allied forces and to their winning the war.