Customs Agent

I am a fan of William Eythe, and followed his career from the star build-up at 20th Century Fox, through his later years bouncing from studio to studio.

This film, his last film, I expected to be a poorly done and cheapy B-picture, but was quite surprised to see the high production values that this film has.

The film is similar in style to that of House on 92nd Street, a popular film about the FBI, this film is similar in that it covers the life of a Custom Agent.

Eythe plays a custom agent in China, who is not at his partners side when he is murdered. As a result of this, he is fired from his position. Left in China, Eythe turns to drink, only to be spotted by a smuggler who decides to hire Eythe to smuggle drugs into the US. On the ship to the states, Eythe meets Marjorie Reynolds, who he later learns is also in the smuggling business.

The film is good, has good acting, nice sets and was enjoyable. This film is not available on VHS or DVD, and is still under copyright.

This is a moderate sub-B picture which has nothing wrong with it, but has little to offer. The one very interesting thing is that in 1950 the early anti-biotic drug strepto-mycin was so rare and so controlled (only tiny amounts could be exported from the USA. its only source, on special licence) that there was a big market for smugglers who could send it to China, where it was worth more than narcotics. The whole film is therefore based on a customs agent who tries to expose the criminal ring who are stealing strepto-mycin and smuggling it into Shanghai. The film begins in Shanghai, where we get a couple of shots of stock footage of the Bund, and one two-second glimpse of Nanjing Xi Lu, and the rest is cheap California sets with some extras grabbed from Chinatown. The lead is played by William Eythe, who I must say seems pretty unexciting to me. This is a walk-through-it-and-join-the-dots story. Anyone who is an undemanding viewer can sit through this without being offended, and be entertained in a middling manner.

At least, for a Columbia Pictures flick, this is not a Sam Katzman production, and I guessed that with him it would have been far far worse. But Sam Katzman was better in crime films than anywhere else. This Seymour Friedman's film is pretty good, not a lousy, ordinary forgettable movie. The plot is basic, at first sight not interesting at all, but I confirrm that this feature is worth the watch. Plus it is not too long. You can at least make a small effort, especially if you are in search for rare items from the golden age. Full of charrm and action, the fifties era atmosphere. Not a masterpiece but who cares?