IMDb RATING
6.0/10
273
YOUR RATING
Before World War II, Japanese spies seek secrets of the Panama Canal.Before World War II, Japanese spies seek secrets of the Panama Canal.Before World War II, Japanese spies seek secrets of the Panama Canal.
Hugh Ho Chang
- Mr. Araki
- (as Hugh Hoo)
Victor Sen Yung
- Omaya
- (as Sen Young)
Jason Robards Sr.
- Charlie Hildebrand
- (as Jason Robards)
Virginia Belmont
- Carter's Showgirl
- (uncredited)
Sammy Blum
- Drunk at Carnival Show
- (uncredited)
Patti Brill
- Carter's Showgirl
- (uncredited)
Early Cantrell
- American Cafe Waitress
- (uncredited)
Featured reviews
Made at the End of WWII but Set before Pearl Harbor, this B-Movie is one of those Yellow Peril Types that Actually has more Japanese Actors than Americans and They are All Up to No Good. They are Sneaky, Barbarous, and have a lot of Cash to Pay Americans if Only They would Betray Their Country.
Lee Tracy, a Second Rater and Hardly Anything Approaching Handsome is Given the Lead Romantic Role and the Love Angle in this Chock Full of Jap Bashing Film is Anything but Believable.
There are Some Striking Scenes of Torture and Surprising Deaths and the Plot Moves at a Rapid Pace with Hidden Surveillance and a Climactic Fight Scene that is Impressive.
Overall it is Worth a Watch as a Timepiece. It is Bookended with Real Life Journalist Drew Pearson Staring at the Camera and Delivering a "This can never happen again" Warning.
Note...Don't fail to miss the opening Title Card with a drawing of a Sinister Jap with Werewolf fangs.
Lee Tracy, a Second Rater and Hardly Anything Approaching Handsome is Given the Lead Romantic Role and the Love Angle in this Chock Full of Jap Bashing Film is Anything but Believable.
There are Some Striking Scenes of Torture and Surprising Deaths and the Plot Moves at a Rapid Pace with Hidden Surveillance and a Climactic Fight Scene that is Impressive.
Overall it is Worth a Watch as a Timepiece. It is Bookended with Real Life Journalist Drew Pearson Staring at the Camera and Delivering a "This can never happen again" Warning.
Note...Don't fail to miss the opening Title Card with a drawing of a Sinister Jap with Werewolf fangs.
An OK b-movie aside from the heavy "yellow menace" message pushed in every scene and every character
With World War II approaching, Japan's diplomatic services push a global message of peace but, behind the scenes they plot their attack on the US, using a network of spies and traitors to get information to aid their mission. In America, Japanese secret agent Kato approaches former soldier Eddie Carter to recruit him to report back the details of the Panama Canal. Eddie is down on his luck and working as an announcer in a tacky fair sideshow and he agrees to help them for a big payday. However he quickly has his doubts and finds himself in the position to do the right thing for the US and act as a double agent.
With lots of talk about "Japs" and the title sequence involving a typical "yellow menace" image of a Japanese man it is no surprise that this thriller is very much a simple propaganda film. Presented by newsman Drew Pearson, we are told the story of how "friendly" Japanese in America are really spies, not to be trusted, who use their cunning and sweet talk to win over a typically good American to make him betray his country. Unsurprisingly the drama is as simple as the characters and although it works well enough on the level of an engaging piece of propaganda it doesn't have too much to make it stick in the mind; with perhaps a late scene of steam bath torture being the one exception. It goes where you expect it to and it moves forward without the pace and tension that I would have liked but, like I said, as a simple propaganda thriller it just about does enough.
The cast match this approach by being solid but nothing more. Lee Tracy is a cookie-cutter all-American Joe who does "the right thing" and opens all our eyes to the fact that no Japanese people in America can be trusted. He is OK but I wonder does he regret his role given what happened to Japanese Americans around this period? Kelly is alright and Ahn and Biberman do their usual roles in American films from the time but generally they all turn in the type of solid performances that one would expect to find in this type of thing.
Overall this is an OK but unmemorable thriller that is heavy with propaganda and a sense of fear-driven rabble-rousing. It more or less works as a simple b-movie but it is hard to totally get into it when looking back with hindsight and modern eyes and seeing the clear racism and very broad strokes used to present clean-cut white heroes and smarmy, untrustworthy yellow devils.
With lots of talk about "Japs" and the title sequence involving a typical "yellow menace" image of a Japanese man it is no surprise that this thriller is very much a simple propaganda film. Presented by newsman Drew Pearson, we are told the story of how "friendly" Japanese in America are really spies, not to be trusted, who use their cunning and sweet talk to win over a typically good American to make him betray his country. Unsurprisingly the drama is as simple as the characters and although it works well enough on the level of an engaging piece of propaganda it doesn't have too much to make it stick in the mind; with perhaps a late scene of steam bath torture being the one exception. It goes where you expect it to and it moves forward without the pace and tension that I would have liked but, like I said, as a simple propaganda thriller it just about does enough.
The cast match this approach by being solid but nothing more. Lee Tracy is a cookie-cutter all-American Joe who does "the right thing" and opens all our eyes to the fact that no Japanese people in America can be trusted. He is OK but I wonder does he regret his role given what happened to Japanese Americans around this period? Kelly is alright and Ahn and Biberman do their usual roles in American films from the time but generally they all turn in the type of solid performances that one would expect to find in this type of thing.
Overall this is an OK but unmemorable thriller that is heavy with propaganda and a sense of fear-driven rabble-rousing. It more or less works as a simple b-movie but it is hard to totally get into it when looking back with hindsight and modern eyes and seeing the clear racism and very broad strokes used to present clean-cut white heroes and smarmy, untrustworthy yellow devils.
10whpratt1
This was a very well produced picture in B&W for the 1940's, it told about the Japanese trying to obtain vital information to be used against the United States in the Panama Canal and the horrible tortures they inflicted on American Citizens during those WWII War Years. Lee Tracy (Eddie Carter),"High Tide",'47, was a former Army soldier and was a wheel and dealer. However, his love of country forced him to work against Japanese spies like Richard Loo,(Lt. Cmdr.),"Battle Hymn",'57, who all during the War Years played hateful roles in many films as a "JAP" as they were called in the 1940's. It is foolish to be critical of this film, it was under budget and had a great story to tell the American People that we must be always ready to defend this great Country we live in. It was Germany and Japan and Italy in those years, today we have the same threat of TERROR!
Inspired from actual events, this William Berke's film is very unusual and interesting. It shows that in America, you have born Americans - white, not Asian - who could work for the Rising Sun evil empire. What a shock for me...I thought that only Americans from Japanese descent could, for obvious reasons. Thats' for this reason, I guess, they were all sent to camp such as Manzamar.... So, yes, what a gem this RKO movie, revealing astounding matters. Philip Ahn is of course i the cast. I am deadly sure that he played in every forties decade war film involving the Pacific front, not the European of course !!!
Lee Tracy reminds of a fit WC Fields; he looks and talks like him, acts like, but is nowhere nearly as funny. How a woman like Kelly would fall for a guy like him really stretches the limits of believability. Philip Ahn plays Kato, a role that will be revived by another actor alongside of Peter Sellers in the Pink Panther series. Other than that, this film has no socially redeeming value whatsoever, especially the fake news at the beginning and end by the exploitative Drew Pearson, an overpuffed newspaper reporter. This jingoistic kaka is fine to raise money for war bonds, but the war is over. By the way, in real life, the American hero wouldnt last thrity seconds with a real Eastern martial arts fighter. Not recommended.
Did you know
- TriviaThis film's earliest documented telecasts took place in Salt Lake City Thursday 31 May 1956 on KUTV (Channel 2) and in Altoona Saturday 9 June 1956 on WFBG (Channel 10); it first aired in Detroit Thursday 16 August 1956 on WJBK (Channel 2), in Columbus Saturday 1 September 1956 on WLW-C (Channel 4), in Philadelphia Friday 14 September 1956 on WFIL (Channel 6), in San Francisco Saturday 22 September 1956 on KPIX (Channel 5), in Fort Worth Saturday 29 September 1956 on WBAP (Channel 5), in New York City Monday 15 October 1956 on WRCA (Channel 4), in St. Petersburg Sunday 18 November 1956 on WSUN (Channel 38), in both Washington DC and in Green Bay WI Monday 3 December 1956 on WTTG (Channel 5) and on WMBV (Channel 11), and in Pittsburgh (appropriately) Friday 7 December 1956 on KDKA (Channel 2).
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Betrayal from the East
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 22 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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