''Pacific Rendezvous'' is a 1942 American

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, i ...

directed by

George Sidney George Sidney (October 4, 1916May 5, 2002) was an American film director and producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His work includes cult classics '' Bye Bye Birdie'' (1963) and ''Viva Las Vegas'' (1964). With an extensive backgr ...

. It stars

Lee Bowman Lee Bowman (December 28, 1914 – December 25, 1979) was an American film and television actor. According to one obituary, "his roles ranged from romantic lead to worldly, wisecracking lout in his most famous years". Career Born in Cincinnati, ...

and

Jean Rogers Jean Rogers (born Eleanor Dorothy Lovegren, March 25, 1916 – February 24, 1991) was an American actress who starred in serial films in the 1930s and low–budget feature films in the 1940s as a leading lady. She is best remembered for ...

. The previous film version was the 1935 film '' Rendezvous'', starring

William Powell William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor. A major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the '' Thin Man'' series based on the Nick and Nora Charles characters cr ...

and

Rosalind Russell Catherine Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907November 28, 1976) was an American actress, comedienne, screenwriter, and singer,Obituary '' Variety'', December 1, 1976, p. 79. known for her role as fast-talking newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson in the H ...

, directed by

William K. Howard William K. Howard (June 16, 1899 – February 21, 1954) was an American film director, writer, and producer. Considered one of Hollywood's leading directors, he directed over 50 films from 1921 to 1946, including '' The Thundering Herd'' (1925), ...

and

Sam Wood Samuel Grosvenor Wood (July 10, 1883 – September 22, 1949) was an American film director and producer who is best known for having directed such Hollywood hits as '' A Night at the Opera'', '' A Day at the Races'', '' Goodbye, Mr. Chips'', '' ...

. P. J. Wolfson and

George Oppenheimer George Seligman Oppenheimer (February 7, 1900 in New York City – August 14, 1977) was an American screenwriter, playwright, and journalist. Career In 1925, Oppenheimer cofounded The Viking Press, but becoming more interested in writing than pu ...

were credited with the screenplay of ''Rendezvous'', and

Bella Spewack Bella (25 March 1899 – 27 April 1990) and Samuel Spewack (16 September 1899 – 14 October 1971) were a husband-and-wife writing team. Samuel, who also directed many of their plays, was born in Ukraine. He attended Stuyvesant High School in N ...

and Samuel Spewack were credited as adapters of the book ''

The American Black Chamber ''The American Black Chamber'' is a 1931 book by Herbert O. Yardley. The book describes the inner workings of the interwar American governmental cryptography organization called the Black Chamber. The cryptography historian David Kahn called the b ...

'' by Major Herbert O. Yardley (1931).

Plot summary

A code expert (Lee Bowman) working for Naval Intelligence is assigned to decode enemy messages despite his desire for active duty.

Cast

Production

The film was directed by George Sidney who says that George Seitz meant to direct the film but dropped out at the last minute. Sidney directed a screen test for Lee Bowman. He used Jean Rogers to appear alongside him and MGM executives liked the test so much that both were cast in the film. The film was shot in 22 days although Sidney was unhappy he had so little preparation time.

Reception

According to MGM records the film earned $253,000 in the US and Canada and $154,000 elsewhere, making the studio a profit of $23,000.

References

External links

* * * * {{George Sidney 1942 films Films directed by George Sidney Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films produced by B. F. Zeidman American black-and-white films American mystery films 1942 mystery films 1940s American films 1940s English-language films