In 2011, I announced I was trying to see every film released in 1939. This new series chronicles films released in 1939 as I watch them. As we start out this blog feature, this section may become more concrete as I search for a common thread that runs throughout each film of the year. Right now, that’s difficult.

1939 film:
Conspiracy (1939)

Release date:
Aug. 1, 1939

Cast:
Allan Lane, Linda Hayes, Robert Barrat, Charley Foy, Lionel Royce, J. Farrell MacDonald, Lester Matthews, Henry Brandon, Wilhelm von Brincken, Solly Ward, Charles Drake (uncredited), Dwight Frye (uncredited)

Studio:
RKO Studios

Director:
Lew Landers

Plot:
Steve Kendall (Allan) is a telegraph operator aboard a cargo ship, unaware of what the ship is carrying. When Steve finds someone else in the telegraph office, he becomes aware that something is amiss and becomes entangled in a political plot. Steve escapes the ship by swimming ashore and meets Nedra Carlson (Hayes), who was awaiting another contact from the ship. Steve finds that the country the ship was delivering to is in a revolution and the ship was carrying chemicals and weapons. While running from secret police, Steve meets other Americans tied to the revolution and works to get back to America.

1939 Notes:
• Linda Hayes started in films in 1939. This was her first starring role.
• Charles Drake’s second film, who’s career started in 1939.
• By the numbers:

Other trivia:
• Based on a story by John P. McCarthy and Faith Thomas called “Salute to Faith.”

My review: Searching for the “1939 feature”:
As war was brewing in Europe days before the outbreak of World War II, many in the United States wanted to not get involved — including in Hollywood films.

But some Hollywood studios did more than toe the line when it came to telling stories about the rise of Nazism and similar government regimes — they told stories mirroring what was going on overseas and seeping into the United States.

The Warner Bros. film, CONFESSIONS OF A NAZI SPY (1939) was the first film to boldly take a look at Nazi rallies being held in the United States, and several other films followed.

CONSPIRACY (1939) is one of these films, though perhaps not told as well or effectively.

Told in a brisk 56 minutes, this 1939 war espionage film follows a ship telegraph operator, Steve (Allan Lane) as he escapes his ship an unknowingly ends up in a country that is in a revolutionary and crawling with secret police. Nedra Carlson (Hayes) helps Steve find his way back to America. In the film, the country that Steve lands in and Nedra lives in is never named.

Compared to other similar films of 1939 delving into national politics, this story is rather thin. The film received mixed reviews when it was released, with Film Daily saying the plot got “muddled,” which perhaps it does. However, it’s still quite enjoyable. Interestingly, this film was in production from June to July 1939 and released in August 1939, a month prior to Germany invading Poland.

Going in to the film, I wasn’t familiar with the leads Allan Lane or Linda Hayes. Hayes had a relatively brief career but Lane later was the voice of MR. ED on the 1960s television show. I was sorry that we only saw Henry Brandon briefly.

While overall, this film is rather forgettable, it’s still interesting to see yet another studio focus on the growing topic prior to Poland’s invasion.

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