This film has a choppy plot with a mix of genres and its screenplay doesn't fit them together very well. But, it has a fine cast of actors in interesting roles, and is quite entertaining. It's also eerily prophetic about an event of WWII.
Two independent thieves, unaware of each other, have their eyes set on the prize Star of Asia. Each has his/her own plan and way of going about nabbing the prize. That's the setting for the start of "They Met in Bombay."
Clark Gable is Gerald Meldrick (aka, Captain Houston), and Rosalind Russell plays opposite him as Anya Von Duren. Jessie Ralph is wonderful as the Duchess of Beltravers. Matthew Boulton is excellent as the persevering and frustrated Inspector Cressney. Reginald Owen is superb as the general in charge of the British forces in Hong Kong. Eduardo Ciannelli is the perfect hotel manager in Bombay. And, Peter Lorre looks the role for his Chinese Captain Chang who commands a freight ship.
What starts off as a comedy caper soon turns into a chase and escape adventure with romance. By the film's end, the adventure turns into war action and the romance turns into love and reform. The ending is an uncanny twist with history. Gerald and Anya are in Hong Kong when the Japanese Army nears the city. Masquerading this time as a captain in a Canadian regiment – which he had served in before, Gerald is ushered into active service in the Hong Kong garrison. He leads a convoy to rescue Europeans and Chinese in an outlying village from the advancing Japanese army.
The war action takes place here, and Gerald's heroics save the convoy from a Japanese ambush. He is wounded and is presented the Victoria Cross – the British counterpart of the American Medal of Honor. His actions and his falling in love with Anya lead to their reform. So, they give up the gem they stole and Gerald plans to return to military life
As I said, the story is quite far-fetched, but interesting and entertaining. The movie was based on a story by John Kafka. One might think that he and/or MGM had an uncanny premonition of the turns that were about to take place in the war. This film was released on June 27, 1941. Less than six months later, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The next day, Dec. 8, Japan began its assault of Hong Kong. A heavily outnumbered British force of 11,000 men withstood the Japanese Army and six Japanese bomber squadrons for 18 days before running low on ammunition and supplies and having to surrender on Christmas Day, 1941. About 4,500 British troops were killed and 6,500 taken prisoner. The Japanese lost 2,750 men.
Although the film is fictional, the General probably would be Maj. Gen. C.M. Maltby. The combat scenes with the Japanese were likely filmed in the Santa Monica Mountains, west of Los Angeles. The film appears to have a scene from Bombay with the opening credits. The sets are quite opulent and real. This is an example of the Hollywood studio arts and crafts of being able to make sets and stage scenes that appear to be the real thing in the real place. The Chinese village that Captain Houston goes to rescue looks like something right out of China – not a set in the hills outside Los Angeles. The street scenes in Hong Kong give the feel of a sprawling Chinese city.
The opening has a scene of Gerald's friends in crime making an imitation of the so-called Star of Asia. We never know what kind of a jewel it is. But, it's probably a star sapphire. There's also no specific value attributed to the gem. There is a real Star of Asia though. It's a 330-carat star sapphire. It is in the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The deep blue gem was mined in Burma (today's Myanmar), and is said to have belonged to the Maharajah of Jodhpur at one time. An even larger blue sapphire is the Star of India. The 563-carat gem is one of the largest of its kind in the world. It has a colorful history that includes being heisted in 1964 from the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The unusual stone, with stars on both sides, was recovered the following year. It was mined in Sri Lanka around the year 1600, but much of its past before the 20th century is clouded.
Here are a couple funny lines from exchanges early in the film between Anya and the Duchess of Beltravers. Duchess, "Do you read much?" Anya, "Oh, a little." Duchess, "Oh, I'm glad to hear it. No woman should read much. Every line in my face comes from reading some book or another." Later, as the two imbibe, the duchess says, "Well, I carried my children like a lady, and I carry my liquor like a gentleman."
