Dana Andrews On Troubled Water

Mayhem Follows Search for Sealed Cargo (1951)

A little tired, but game, WWII adventure with Dana Andrews' fishing vessel running afoul of U-Boats headed for rendezvous to stock torpedoes. A show like this calls for big-scale action, which RKO couldn't necessarily supply, what with costs kept generally below a million, except on those projects to which Howard Hughes gave personal attention. There are spies among Andrews' crew, that taking time and dialogue to sort out before a blow-up finale. Cargo anticipates The Guns Of Navarone for structure and build toward last reel cataclysm, even if done on modest scale. One reason to stick for a second half is Claude Rains turning up as a skipper who's maybe part of the German push, he being understated and effective as always. Sealed Cargo played mostly duals, but did have a Broadway preem at the 3,664-seat Paramount Theatre with Peggy Lee, Red Buttons, and the Ray McKinley Orchestra on stage. Live acts were liveliest and a primary draw when they had chart-buster songs for lure, as was certainly case with Lee, whose Manana was being hummed nationwide. Sealed Cargo runs occasional on TCM and awaits placement among Warner Archive choices after a hopeful fresh transfer.