ID

FBW001391      Fiction

Country / Year

USA, 1941

Original Title

World Premiere

Directed by

Ted Tetzlaff

Produced by

Paramount Pictures, Inc., Los Angeles, CA / New York, NY

Staff

Producer: Sol C. Siegel; Script: Earl Felton; Based on: Gordon Kahn; Camera: Dan Flapp; Editing: Archie Marshek

Cast

John Barrymore (Duncan DeGrasse); Frances Farmer (Kitty Carr); Eugène Pallette (Gregory Martin); Virginia Dale (Lee Morrison); Ricardo Cortez (Mark Saunders); Sig Rumann (Franz von Bushmaster); Don Castle (Joe Bemis); William Wright (Luther Skinkley); Fritz Feld (Muller); Luis Alberni (Signor Scaletti); Cliff Nazarro (Peters); Andrew Tombes (Nixon)

Length

70'

Format

35mm/sw

Abstract

Duncan DeGrasse is a film producer who is preparing to have his picture, "The Earth in Flames," premiered in Washington, DC. To heighten word-of-mouth about his anti-Axis film, DeGrasse and his publicity agent, Joe Bemis, hire three "spies" to deliver threatening messages which promise to disrupt the premiere. What confuses the matter, however, is that three actual spies plan to show a propaganda film in place of DeGrasse's much-awaited epic. Their main obstacle in switching the film is getting into the cage of a Bengal tiger - the company mascot of Bengal Pictures - where the film is being kept as yet another publicity stunt. The trip from Hollywood to Washington is spiced with romance when the film's star, Marc Saunders, finds himself explaining to traveling companion Kitty Carr his attraction for bit player Lee Morrison. Meantime, Carr's annoyance at his crush on Morrison is magnified by gossipmonger Luther Skinley, who plays her against Saunders in order to get juicy material for his column. By the time the entourage reaches Washington, the plan of espionage has been succesfully carried out and, when the curtain rises, the propaganda picture begins to roll. It takes DeGrasse a few moments to realize the ruse, but before long everything is straightened out and the world premiere goes on without any further hitches.

Subject Terms

Anti-Nazi films (US)

Bibliography

- Nash, Ray R. / Ross, Stanley R. / Conelly, Robert B. (Ed.): Motion Picture Guide. Chicago, IL: Cinebooks, 1987