Secret Command (1944)
By Bosley Crowther
Published: June 14, 1944
Eire may be neutral in today's war, but, so far as Pat O'Brien is concerned, there's no question about the sentiments of the Irish; they'll fight Nazis at the drop of a cliché. And in "Secret Command," his first venture as a producer as well as an actor of films, Mr. O'Brien is proving it with both fists and a virtually all-Irish cast As a matter of fact, the enthusiasm of the Irish for a fight in this film is so great that when they aren't slugging Nazis they are often slamming around among themselves. And an honest Irish "pilebuck" in a shipyard is no less fair game than a Nazi saboteur. A fight is the essence of action. That's the sort of picture this new one at Loew's Criterion is.
In short, "Secret Command" finds Mr. O'Brien in another of his slashing muscular roles, this time on an FBI assignment to rout out Nazis in a West Coast shipyard. He is somewhat retarded in his efforts by his mystified brother, Chester Morris, but is assisted considerably by Carole Landis, who is assigned to pretend to be his wife. (The consequences hereafter are obvious.) And it all boils up to a big fight between Mr. O'Brien and the chief villain aboard a new ship while a time-bomb ticks away. It is fair to say that the performances are not shaded with nuances. Mr. O'Brien's first venture as a producer is as subtle as a right to the jaw.
Biff! Bang!
SECRET COMMAND, screen play by Roy Chanslor; adapted from the story. The Saboteurs by John and Ward Hawkins; directed by Edward Sutherland; produced by Phil Ryan; a Terneen Production presented by Columbia Pictures.
Sam Gellagher . . . . . Pat O'Brien
Jill McCann . . . . . Carole Landis
Jeff Gallagher . . . . . Chester Morris
Lea Damaron . . . . . Ruth Warrick
Red Kelly . . . . . Barton MacLane
Brownell . . . . . Tom Tully
Miller . . . . . Wallace Ford
Max Lessing . . . . . Howard Freeman
Ben Royall . . . . . Erik Rolf
Curly . . . . . Matt McHugh
Shawn . . . . . Frank Sully
Simms . . . . . Frank Fenton
James Thane . . . . . Charles D. Brown
Joan . . . . . Carol Nugent
Paul . . . . . Richard Lane
