They Came to Blow Up America

This is a fine example of the kind of patriotic films that were produced by Hollywood during the Second World War, a far cry from the anti-American, terrorist-sympathetic views being promoted by contemporary filmmakers.

George Sanders, a successful mining engineer working in South America, returns home to visit his German immigrant parents, who are unashamedly patriotic about the USA. They are dismayed to find that Sanders is working for the German-American Bund, a pro-Nazi group active in the early years of the war.

But there is more to the story. The plot gets more involved, as secret missions and identities are revealed, and betrayals threaten the lives of the main characters. In the end, a gang of Nazi saboteurs is rounded up and executed, much to everyone's satisfaction.

THEY CAME TO BLOW UP America (what an ominous title for us today!) reveals how attitudes have changed in the film industry over the past 60+ years. This film is not ashamed to be overtly pro-American. No one hesitates when it comes to punishing members of anti- American organizations. And no one bats an eye when a teacher talks about using his belt to keep ornery grade school kids in line! This is a fine example of a WW2 espionage movie designed to stir the sentiments of the American viewing audience.

The first person we see in this movie is Ludwig Stossel, best remembered as the father of Lou Gehrig in PRIDE OF THE YANKEES. He is German, naturlich, and has spent the last twenty years teaching in Milwaukee, so of course, his son is George Sanders with that British Public School Accent. Oh well.

Still, the story is a good one, based on a true incident, and for an apparent B movie, the acting, direction and photography -- by the wonderful and sadly forgotten Lucien Andriot -- are well up to par. Notice, for example, whose picture is on the dartboard at SS headquarters. And besides Mr. Stossel, we see some wonderful supporting actors, including Anna Sten, Ward Bond and Sig Ruman. So, while this is not a great movie, it is certain worth your time

At the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) during World War II, mining company lawyer George Sanders (as Carl Steelman) has been taken to court. Supposedly, he brought eight Germans to the US (Amagansett, Long Island) to blow up America. The oddly-accented German-American Sanders has his story told in flashback. A suspected Nazi sympathizer, Sanders is recruited as a spy and goes to Germany. While posing as "Ernst Reiter", Sanders becomes romantically involved with attractive blonde Poldy Dur (as Helga Lorenz), another spy. Their relationship, as watched by the Nazis, is one of the more lively parts of the drama. Also interesting is when the wife of "Ernst Reiter" (Anna Sten) pays Sanders a surprise visit, and when his father (Ludwig Stossel) shares some exciting news from the FBI (Ward Bond) with his doctor (Sig Ruman). However, predictability takes away most of the story's excitement.

***** They Came to Blow Up America (5/7/43) Edward Ludwig ~ George Sanders, Poldi Dur, Anna Sten, Ludwig Stossel

"They Came to Blow up America" looks to be a B movie. It stars the suave, always reliable George Sanders as Steelman, an American of German heritage who is recruited by the FBI to infiltrate the Nazis as a spy. Even his parents believe that he has joined the Nazi movement. He is given the identity of someone else and sent to Germany, eventually ending up on a saboteur mission.

The film is told in flashback, with the FBI man who recruited Steelman (Ward Bond) explaining to an underling what really went on.

Sanders is good. He played villains well, so during the war, he was often cast as a Nazi! The supporting cast includes Anna Sten and Ludwig Stossel, who plays Steelman's father.

Ward Bond was a best friend of Clark Gable, and I couldn't help but notice the similarity of their voices in this film. Even their speaking rhythm was similar. Close your eyes, and you'd swear it was Gable.

No need for George Sanders (one of my favorite actors of all time) to blow up America; we are doing a fine enough job to ourselves at present. This is an entertaining, though thinly disguised spy film that features George as a NAZI (That'll be the Day, would John Wayne say). We figure out in the first ten minutes or so we are being broadly set up by the not to subtle direction and writing of the film. Still, it is George Sanders, and still, the film is fun to watch, even though we know how it will turn out. Landing on the nude beach in Long Island; better to do so in the daytime.