Conspiracy (1939) User Reviews

Asleep at the Radio Switch

[The_Dying_Flutchman · 5/10 · 12 October 2012]

Dynamic reciprocity nor nude dancing could save this one. It was, though, at least semi-entertaining. Allan "Rocky" Lane and Robert Barrat were stalwart cowboy stars most of their careers in "B" movies, but on occasion they escaped the dusty trails for the spotlight in many other endeavors. This one has them in a Land of Convoluted Escapes and Escapades in a place that may or may not be pre war Germany or Spain. In fact, it could also be Italy. At least, I think we can be sure it is a fascist regime with none of them able to burst into a song like "Springtime for Hitler" or "Home on the Range".

Yes, the camera work was above the usual "B" status and the director, one, good old "B" movie master Lew Landers who made everything from pot boilers to brain numbing rubbish here shows he had a fairly deft hand when dealing with " rah, rah, zis-boom-bah" get yer blood pumping and flag waving arms up in the air! He knew how to make audiences believe the Fascisties were the bad guys they really were. And in the end, when the audience thought all was right with the world, he made us know there are those who would be free and those who would stay behind to continue the fight.

There was a huge, glaring error though, in all this folderol; namely, there were two short scenes with the terrific character actor Dwight Frye, but he does not speak a word and just seems to nod to a radio. Yet he is dressed as one of the miscreants. Why is he even shown when he says nothing and does nothing? What is the point of including him? Of course, there is no answer and we are just made to wonder.

Yeah, its an OK time waster, but not much else. And now, I leave you.

Lively Pre-War Picture Set in a Fictional Hybrid (Italy-Spain-Germany) Country

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 1 July 2015]

Cowboy Star Allan "Rocky" Lane seems Uncomfortable Without a Horse and is at the Receiving End of One of the Stiffest Screen Kisses You're likely to see. Every so Often He Flashes an "Aw-Shucks" Smile and then the Movie returns to Dead Serious.

It's a Lively Pre-War Caution about a Merchant Ship Sailing into the Water of a Fictional Country (that is never named), a Hybrid of Italy-Spain-Germany.

"You call that concentration camp over there a Country?", the Captain Asks. Rocky States..."This isn't a Country it's a prison.", to Linda Hays, the Pretty Songbird/Rebel that is Helping Him out.

This is an Interesting Movie in Hindsight. It Moves quickly and there is a lot of Action and Interaction, Gunplay, Fisticuffs, Chases, and Intrigue throughout its narely One Hour Running Time. It has a "Casablanca" Ending.

Overall, an Above Average, totally Forgotten B-Movie but RKO manages some Good Photography, Blistering Pacing, and a Suspenseful Story. One does Notice, however, this is a Good Example why Allan "Rocky" Lane Rarely Got Off His Horse and/or Rode Into another Genre.

You call that concentration camp you have over there a country?

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 27 June 2022]

That's a quote by American cargo ships captain J. Farrell MacDonald who is forced against his will to play ball with agents from an unnamed foreign country (assumed to be fictional in this RKO programmer) to help arrest Allan Lane who is wanted for a murder he did not commit. The alluring Linda Hayes plays an interesting lady of mystery who could be an agent as well, and she's the best thing about this film. Robert Barrat co-stars as a friend of Lane's who is hiding him from the Nazi like villains.

I found the fact that the enemy country is ambiguous and unknown an interesting elements of the films plot, but the insinuations are obvious considering what was happening in 1939 overseas. Hayes, who had a brief contract at RKO and played the vindictive ex-fiancee in the first few "Mexican Spitfire" films and a few other above average RKO programmers, showed great potential with this, but she retired within a few years, becoming the mother to Cathy Lee Crosby. Filled with lots of action and suspense with several scenes set on a fast-moving motorboat, this flies by in just an hour, ahead of its time in predicting enemy attempts at espionage.

A deadly cargo

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 11 July 2020]

Conspiracy is one of those murky mysteries where the protagonist isn't quit sure who to trust until the end. Allan Lane who later concentrated on westerns plays a freighter radio operator who catches Henry Brandon sending an illegal wireless message to shore. The port authorities board the ship and both men swim for shore.

J. Farrell MacDonald's ship is carrying the chemical fixings for poison gas. An item of concern to the world who witnessed it being used by Mussolini in Ethiopia. Gave the film a dimension of immediacy not appreciated by an audience of today.

Anyway Lne runs into Linda ayes anda couple of expatriate Americans Charlie Foy and Robert Barrat and all their roles are murky.

Mediocre programmer from RKO.

Fun Watch

[shoretalk · 7/10 · 9 August 2020]

This 1930s matinee style movie is a fun watch!

It begins with the unexpected and then takes us on a journey that has just enough adventure to make it a good time filler.

Allan Lane Is the accidental hero and for once isn't riding the range as he navigates a treacherous journey doing his best to avoid the secret police. Linda Hayes as Nedra pulls us in and leaves viewers wanting to know more about the multitalented character.

The obviously low budgeted film still offers a few scenes that can keep you on edge while also having some silly realism in the midst.

Murky Mystery

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 7 July 2015]

Caught in a seafaring gunfight, handsome American radio broadcaster Allan Lane (as Steve Kendall) discovers he's on a ship smuggling illegal cargo. Secret agents decide to eliminate Mr. Lane, but he jumps ship and swims to safety. Luckily, Lane meets beautiful nightclub singer Linda Hayes (as Nedra Carlson) as soon as he hits shore. Shot trying to get away, Ms. Hayes' brother was on the same ship as Lane. Small world. Hayes decides to let Lane stay, as government revolutionaries close in on him. There are times when director Lew Landers, photographer Frank Redman and the RKO crew strike a nice visual tone with "Conspiracy". However, most of the time it looks thoughtless and hasty. Lane and Hayes are a very attractive couple; but they are unable to show much desire, either for each other or the roles. Worst of all, the story isn't just mysterious; it's muddled.

**** Conspiracy (1939-08-01) Lew Landers ~ Allan Lane, Linda Hayes, Robert Barrat, Charley Foy

Dark Goings On

[boblipton · 4/10 · 11 October 2012]

This is a visually stunning but muddily written spy thriller. Within the first minute, the question arises: when the spy wants to send a coded message, he sets the radio to the correct channel, holds a gun on the radio operator and tells him that he know Morse Code.... so why not just slug the operator and send the message himself? It took me two viewings to begin to make any sense of the story and the second viewing was interrupted by thoughts like this. Alan Lane spends the entire movie confused and I don't blame him. It looks to me as if they were trying to do a Graham Greene movie, not realizing that Greene's work is always about moral confusion, not situational confusion. Oh, well.

The cinematography is quite lovely, but then this is the fourth RKO movie I've thought that about and discovered the DP was Frank Redman. The man started in the silents and worked through the 1960s, with over a hundred episodes of PERRY MASON -- and that was some good-looking television work. It seems to be movies like this that kept him in the Bs, though if you can find BAD LANDS -- a western he photographed in 1939 -- you'll see this one is no fluke. There's plenty of proto-Film Nor shadows in this one.

Still, this is one that, despite the lovely pictures and what sounds like a German version of "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You", I would avoid.

Good RKO Programmer

[jamesbwill · 8/10 · 11 July 2020]

I just finished watching this movie on TCM. Conspiracy was made in 1939 and was released just before the start of WWII. It stars Allan "Rocky" Lane as an American radio operator on a ship. He gets mixed up in a murder on board and jumps off and swims to a small fascist controlled country. Fortunately, he meets cafe singer Linda Hayes who is a member of the resistance and helps him try to get out of the country before the secret police gets him. Americans Robert Barrat and Charles Foy help. The movie is action packed with lots of action packed into its 56 minutes. Allan Lane does OK in a non-western, even without his trusty horse Blackjack to ride. Linda Hayes really stands out. Her foreign accent was convincing and she proves she could really sing! She should have been a major star. I won't spoil the ending, but it may remind you of Casablanca (1942). The country is never identified but it seems to be a combination of Italy, Germany, and maybe Russia. This movie received an A-1 rating from the National Legion of Decency, which means it is not objectionable to general audiences. Conspiracy (1939) is a good little movie and I found it worth watching on a Saturday morning.