Panama Patrol (1939)

Touches You

Fresh and Exciting

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Director: CHARLES LAMONT. Screenplay: Arthur Hoerl. Based on characters created by Arthur Hoerl and Monroe Shaff. Photography: Arthur Martinelli. Film editor: Bernard Loftus. Art director: Ralph Berger. Set decorator: Glenn Thompson. Costumes: W.H. McCrary. Production manager: Irene Schreck. Music director: David Chudnow. Assistant director: V.O. Smith. Sound recording: Hal Bumbaugh. Production executive: J. Samuel Berkowitz. Associate producer: Charles Lamont. Executive producer: Franklyn Warner. A Fine Arts Production. Copyright 20 May 1939 by Fine Arts Pictures. Released in the U.S.A. through Grand National: 20 May 1939. No New York opening. Never theatrically released in Australia. 69 minutes. SYNOPSIS: Major Philip Waring (Leon Ames) is an Army Intelligence officer, stationed at the Washington cipher bureau. He is about to marry his secretary (Charlotte Wynters), but is forced to postpone the ceremony in order to track down a nest of Oriental spies who are plotting the destruction of the Panama Canal. An interpreter for Army Intelligence (Abner Biberman) puts him on the trail of an Oriental femme fatale (Adrienne Ames). NOTES: Sequel to Cipher Bureau (1938) which has the same stars and many of the same technicians, including photographer Martinelli and associate producer/director Charles Lamont.Leon Ames is not related to Adrienne Ames. His real name is Leon Wycoff (under which name he was once billed). Miss Ames (her birth name) was Mrs Bruce Cabot off-screen. COMMENT: Despite the credits, this is actor Abner Biberman's picture - and a grand job he makes of it too, ably assisted by Charles Lamont's obviously sympathetic direction. Notice that Biberman receives as many, if not more close-ups than Leon Ames, despite the fact that his role is smaller. And, though her part is brief, Adrienne (the spelling of her name in the credit titles is incorrect) Ames also scores strongly with both director and audience. Whilst Biberman is allowed by both director and script to give a portrait in depth, the same cannot be said for Leon Ames and the lovely Charlotte Wynters. Both are personable, but rather bland. Of the support players, it's odd to say that Mickey Rooney's perennial mascot, Sidney Miller, provides the most ingratiating performance. The script has its share of excitement, is skillfully photographed by Arthur Martinelli and directed with more style than we expect of Charles Lamont. An insistent music score sometimes helps with atmosphere, sometimes not, but always lends a bit of class.

"Panama Patrol" is a low budgeted B-movie...and as such my expectations were relatively low. So imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a pretty good action and adventure film!When the film begins, Major Waring (Leon Ames) and Helen Lane (Charlotte Wynters) are about to get married. However, an emergency phone call interrupts their plans...some very big espionage ciphers MUST be decoded NOW and their wedding will have to wait. Little do they know that soon they'll both be caught up in a life and death struggle with Asian agents! And, little do they know that one of their own people is actually working for these evil no-goodnicks!In some ways, this movie plays like a movie serial because there is a lot of action and something always seems to be happening. But it generally works well and the acting is good for this sort of nonsense. My only reservations are WHO these Asians were...the film never tells us, though they would appear to be Chinese--which is odd since the Chinese were essentially friendly with the US at the time. Also, the scene where Miss Lane gets captured is a bit lame...she did seem a tad silly to let this happen so easily.

Overloaded with Asian stereotypes and clichéd flowery dialog between two of the Asian couples, this pre World War II espionage thriller is enjoyable for its tense action, but offensive in modern sensibilities. It concerns federal agent Leon Ames uncovering a plot against the Panama Canal and his ingenious ways of uncovering it and breaking it. He is aided by his brave secretary/fiancée Charlotte Wynters who is willing to risk her own life by confronting the villain (Richard Loo) and his very Caucasian looking Asian assistant (Adrienne Ames). There are some very interesting details, particularly the uncrypting of code and how everything is exposed. Enjoyable in spite of the bad elements, it has to be looked at as a product of its time and make us happy that we've moved past these insensitivity's.

Based on a series of books about a code breaker, this film begins as our hero is trying to get a license to get married. Called back to the office before he can actually get the piece of paper he dives into work on breaking a diplomatic code that may have something to do with an Asian power. Things heat up as a suspicious Asian is seen coming out of a government car. Soon bodies begin to pile up and it isn't long before it looks like our hero will end up dead before he can tie the knot. Okay program drama is more a time killer then something that one will put on for enjoyment. The film isn't bad, its just not exciting enough or compelling enough to be much of anything thing. I was half way into this hour long film and all I could think was with all the movies I own I was stuck watching this. I liked it to a point, but at the same time there are so many other better movies one could be watching. I'd take a pass if given a choice