''Secret Agent of Japan'' is a 1942 film directed by Irving Pichel and starring Preston Foster. It was the first American anti-Japanese war film produced by a major studio after the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

Plot

A nightclub owner in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

becomes involved in espionage revolving around preparations for the attack.

Cast

* Preston Foster as James Carmichael, alias Roy Bonnell *

Lynn Bari Lynn Bari (born Marjorie Schuyler Fisher, December 18, 1919 – November 20, 1989) was an American film actress who specialized in playing sultry, statuesque man-killers in roughly 150 films for 20th Century Fox, from the early 1930s through t ...

as Kay Murdock * Noel Madison as Isoda Saito * Victor Sen Yung as Fu Yen * Janis Carter as Doris Poole * Steven Geray as Mulhauser, alias Constantin Alexandri * Kurt Katch as Traeger *

Addison Richards Addison Whittaker Richards, Jr. (October 20, 1902 – March 22, 1964) was an American actor of film and television. Richards appeared in more than 300 films between 1933 and his death in 1964. Biography A native of Zanesville, Ohio, Richard ...

as Detective Remsen *

Ian Wolfe Ian Marcus Wolfe (November 4, 1896 – January 23, 1992) was an American character actor with around 400 film and television credits. Until 1934, he worked in the theatre. That year, he appeared in his first film role and later television, as ...

as Capt. Karl Larsen * Hermine Sterler as Frau Mulhauser *

Selmer Jackson Selmer Adolf Jackson (May 7, 1888 – March 30, 1971) was an American stage film and television actor. He appeared in nearly 400 films between 1921 and 1963. His name was sometimes spelled Selmar Jackson. Jackson was born in Lake Mills, Iowa ...

as American Naval Captain * Frank Puglia as Victor Eminescu * Leyland Hodgson as English Secret Service *Leslie Denison as English Secret Service *

Jean Del Val Jean Del Val (born Jean Jacques Gauthier; 17 November 1891 – 13 March 1975) was a French-born actor, also credited as Jean Gauthier and Jean Gautier. Career He played roles during the Hollywood silent era, beginning with ''The Fortunes of Fi ...

as Pierre Solaire

Critical reception

The film drew mixed reviews from critics.

Theodore Strauss Theodore Strauss (December 27, 1912 – October 30, 2009) was an American writer and filmmaker. Biography Strauss was born in Oklahoma on December 27, 1912."In memoriam". ''Writers Guild of America West Journal''. Vol. 14, Iss. 1. p. 56. He w ...

of ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' panned the film, calling it "a very mild hate-brew" and "third-rate drama", and stating, "Nowadays, we doubt whether anybody, even

Hirohito , Posthumous name, posthumously honored as , was the 124th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, from 25 December 1926 until Death and state funeral of Hirohito, his death in 1989. He remains Japan's longest-reigni ...

, will be much excited". '' Variety'' wrote that "the picture doesn't achieve more than moderately entertaining proportions for the adult ... Foster and Miss Bari show off excellently, though some of the supporting parts are pretty awful." ''

Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informati ...

'' called it "a rousing melodrama" but found the twists and turns of the plot confusing. ''

Harrison's Reports ''Harrison's Reports'' was a New York City–based motion picture trade journal published weekly from 1919 to 1962. The typical issue was four letter-size pages sent to subscribers under a second-class mail permit. Its founder, editor and publish ...

'' wrote: "An engrossing espionage melodrama that is timely. The story value is good, and competent direction and excellent performances help maintain the interest throughout." The film seems to "have legs", though, as it scores a 6.9/10 stars on IMDB (see link below).

References

External links

* * 1942 films American spy films American black-and-white films Films directed by Irving Pichel Pearl Harbor films American World War II propaganda films 1940s spy films 20th Century Fox films Films set in Shanghai Japan in non-Japanese culture {{WWII-film-stub