Conspiracy

Caught in a seafaring gunfight, handsome American radio broadcaster Allan Lane (as Steve Kendall) discovers he's on a ship smuggling illegal cargo. Secret agents decide to eliminate Mr. Lane, but he jumps ship and swims to safety. Luckily, Lane meets beautiful nightclub singer Linda Hayes (as Nedra Carlson) as soon as he hits shore. Shot trying to get away, Ms. Hayes' brother was on the same ship as Lane. Small world. Hayes decides to let Lane stay, as government revolutionaries close in on him. There are times when director Lew Landers, photographer Frank Redman and the RKO crew strike a nice visual tone with "Conspiracy". However, most of the time it looks thoughtless and hasty. Lane and Hayes are a very attractive couple; but they are unable to show much desire, either for each other or the roles. Worst of all, the story isn't just mysterious; it's muddled.

**** Conspiracy (1939-08-01) Lew Landers ~ Allan Lane, Linda Hayes, Robert Barrat, Charley Foy

American radio operator Steve Kendall (Allan Lane) and his freighter The Falcon arrive in a foreign port. He fails to stop seaman Carlson from sending an unauthorized message. Carlson is killed by port police while trying to escape. Steve is falsely accused and manages to swim ashore. He encounters Nedra Carlson (Linda Hayes) who is the dead seaman's sister and a part of a conspiracy to stop Falcon from unloading its deadly cargo.

A lot of this does not make sense. Right from the start, Carlson should not be killed. The authorities would want to interrogate him. He's not getting away like that. Yet Kendall escapes exactly like that. I have issues with both parts. The questionable actions keep piling up. The movie tries to say something against Germany without actually naming the country. After all, the poison gas is targeted against London. Then there is Allan Lane trying to be funny. This is a light-weight espionage thriller trying to do some heavy-lifting and faltering.

I just finished watching this movie on TCM. Conspiracy was made in 1939 and was released just before the start of WWII. It stars Allan "Rocky" Lane as an American radio operator on a ship. He gets mixed up in a murder on board and jumps off and swims to a small fascist controlled country. Fortunately, he meets cafe singer Linda Hayes who is a member of the resistance and helps him try to get out of the country before the secret police gets him. Americans Robert Barrat and Charles Foy help. The movie is action packed with lots of action packed into its 56 minutes. Allan Lane does OK in a non-western, even without his trusty horse Blackjack to ride. Linda Hayes really stands out. Her foreign accent was convincing and she proves she could really sing! She should have been a major star. I won't spoil the ending, but it may remind you of Casablanca (1942). The country is never identified but it seems to be a combination of Italy, Germany, and maybe Russia. This movie received an A-1 rating from the National Legion of Decency, which means it is not objectionable to general audiences. Conspiracy (1939) is a good little movie and I found it worth watching on a Saturday morning.

Dynamic reciprocity nor nude dancing could save this one. It was, though, at least semi-entertaining. Allan "Rocky" Lane and Robert Barrat were stalwart cowboy stars most of their careers in "B" movies, but on occasion they escaped the dusty trails for the spotlight in many other endeavors. This one has them in a Land of Convoluted Escapes and Escapades in a place that may or may not be pre war Germany or Spain. In fact, it could also be Italy. At least, I think we can be sure it is a fascist regime with none of them able to burst into a song like "Springtime for Hitler" or "Home on the Range".

Yes, the camera work was above the usual "B" status and the director, one, good old "B" movie master Lew Landers who made everything from pot boilers to brain numbing rubbish here shows he had a fairly deft hand when dealing with " rah, rah, zis-boom-bah" get yer blood pumping and flag waving arms up in the air! He knew how to make audiences believe the Fascisties were the bad guys they really were. And in the end, when the audience thought all was right with the world, he made us know there are those who would be free and those who would stay behind to continue the fight.

There was a huge, glaring error though, in all this folderol; namely, there were two short scenes with the terrific character actor Dwight Frye, but he does not speak a word and just seems to nod to a radio. Yet he is dressed as one of the miscreants. Why is he even shown when he says nothing and does nothing? What is the point of including him? Of course, there is no answer and we are just made to wonder.

Yeah, its an OK time waster, but not much else. And now, I leave you.

Conspiracy is one of those murky mysteries where the protagonist isn't quit sure who to trust until the end. Allan Lane who later concentrated on westerns plays a freighter radio operator who catches Henry Brandon sending an illegal wireless message to shore. The port authorities board the ship and both men swim for shore.

J. Farrell MacDonald's ship is carrying the chemical fixings for poison gas. An item of concern to the world who witnessed it being used by Mussolini in Ethiopia. Gave the film a dimension of immediacy not appreciated by an audience of today.

Anyway Lne runs into Linda ayes anda couple of expatriate Americans Charlie Foy and Robert Barrat and all their roles are murky.

Mediocre programmer from RKO.