Joe Smith, American (1942)

Directed by

Richard Thorpe

Genre

drama film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 03m

Rated

NR

Rating

6.5 of 10 from 6 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A factory worker who knows the secrets of a top secret bombsight is kidnapped by enemy spies. The film follows his struggle to protect the plans and defend his country.

patriotictensegrimearnestsuspensefulsomberwartimeurgent

What happens

Joe Smith, American is a 1942 American spy film directed by Richard Thorpe and stars Robert Young and Marsha Hunt. The film, loosely based on the story of Herman W. Lang, and the theft of plans of a top-secret bombsight, is the account of a worker at an aviation factory who is kidnapped by enemy spies. The opening credits contained the following written prologue: "This story is about a man who defended his country. His name is Joe Smith. He is an American. This picture is a tribute to all Joe Smiths." Joe Smith, American was the first in a series of B films made at MGM under the supervision of Dore Schary who also wrote the initial treatment, based on "his own yarn". His story was later adapted to a postwar setting and new characters to become The Big Operator (1959). (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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