Made in the Autumn of 1941 and released after Pearl Harbor in the New Year. Minor criminal 'Gloves' Humphrey Bogart discovers filthy Nazis at work in Manhattan in this jocular crime drama, produced by Hal Wallis and featuring pre-Casablanca Conrad Veidt and Peter Lorre, who met his wife-to-be Kaaren Verne on the picture. (It didn't last.)
Bogart's buddies William Demarest and Frank McHugh provide laughs. It's a cracking cast, actually, also with Jane Darwell, Judith Anderson, Jackie Gleason, Phil Silvers, Barton MacLane and Edward Brophy. And Sam McDaniel.
Written by Leonard Spigelgass and Edwin Gilbert. Photographed by Sid Hickox. Music by Adolph Deutsch (actually born in London). Edited by Rudi Fehr (German-Jewish; in the USA from the mid-thirties, became head of post-production at Warner Bros in the fifties.)
Interesting though to hear Dachau being referenced so early on.
Bogie's fights are tough and difficult and awkward, which makes a nice change.
Abraham Orovitz wanted to be an actor and changed his name to Vincent Sherman. He won a few small roles in the thirties (acted alongside Richard Quine, funnily enough) then became a writer before moving up to director. He had affairs with Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Rita Hayworth. Was greylisted in the fifties as a result of HUAC investigation, came back as a TV director. Other notable films: Mr Skeffington (interesting, considering its subject matter), Old Acquaintance.
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