Men in Exile (1937) Online

John Farrow, in his first full feature -- so to speak, since it's a one-hour Warner B -- tackles his favorite theme of the 1930s: take a random group of people, put them in an exotic location under pressure and see how they behave. His best handling of it was FIVE CAME BACK and it's a good theme.

The basic interest of the story is somewhat undercut by the fact that it's all B actors, none of whom manage to demonstrate any intensity. The best is Alan Baxter, but the others never seem more than querulous The camera work is very simple. The camera sets into classical compositions and never seems to move more than a few inches, except for the big introduction scene about ten minutes in and once when June Travis runs off to speak with her brother.

Still, I have a weakness for these one-hour Warners and this one fills its time slot efficiently if not brilliantly. Even though Farrow would return to the theme and do it much better, this short-form version will fill in an hour decently.

Director: JOHN FARROW. Screenplay: Roy Chanslor. Story: Marie Baumer, Houston Branch. Photography: Arthur Todd. Film editor: Terry Morse. Art director: Carl Jules Weyl. Music composed by Howard Jackson, directed by Leo F. Forbstein. Dialogue director: Jo Graham. Unit manager: Lee Hugunin. Assistant director: Carroll Sax. Uncredited producer: Bryan Foy.

Copyright 19 February 1937 by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. A First National picture. No recorded New York opening. U.S. release: 4 April 1937. 6 reels. 58 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Unjustly accused of murder, an American flees to the island of Caribo where he tries to avoid getting involved in gun-running for local revolutionaries.

VIEWER'S GUIDE: Alan Baxter's ultra-realistic portrayal of cowardice and treachery, plus a forceful firing squad sequence, may disturb children.

COMMENT: Definitely a minor work, but this Farrow film has its moments. Aside from the suspenseful firing squad episodes which are imaginatively staged and edited, the direction is fairly routine, though some of the action spots pack plenty of punch and Farrow has drawn some excellent performances, particularly from Alan Baxter as a double-crossing villain, the attractive June Travis as a spirited heroine, Veda Ann Borg as the two-timing Rita, Carlos De Valdez as a gentlemanly traitor, John Alexander as a put-upon waiter and Alec Harford as the loyal Limey.

As the chief villain, blustering Norman Willis is okay (though we love the way he wears his hat), whilst Dick Purcell makes a reasonably serviceable adventurer. A pity someone more charismatic than Victor Varconi was not cast in the key role of Colonel Gomez and that Margaret Irving seems somewhat uncomfortable as Mother Haines, - she is obviously too young for the role.

By second-string "B" levels, production values are considerably more than adequate. Todd's sharp cinematography is a major asset.

This is a B-movie through and through. Now a lot of readers hear that term and don't exactly know what it means. A 'B' is a second and lesser film from a double-feature (mostly made in the 1930s and 40s). They had much smaller budgets, lesser-known or completely unknown actors and usually ran only about 60 minutes. Big studios made them and tiny independent 'poverty row' studios (with even smaller budgets) cranked them out one after another. They have a reputation for being cheap (that's true) and crappy (not at all true in most cases). They filled a nice niche at the time and are often breezy escapist entertainment.

"Men in Exile" has B-movie written all over it. None of the actors are recognizable to the average viewer, though you might recognize Dick Purcell--who appeared in some A-pictures though did not star in them (typical of many B leading men). It also runs at just about 60 minutes. And, like many Bs, it is an action-adventure film.

The movie is set on the mythical Caribbean island of Caribo. A mug (Purcell) is framed for a killing and escapes there because the government of the island could care less about your past and he can get a new start. However, a quiet life is NOT in store for him, as he's gotten himself in the middle of a plot to bring guns to revolutionaries on the island! His 'friend' Rocky wants him to come in with him in the gun-running venture but he refuses--only to end up smack in the middle of another conspiracy. Can poor Dickie survive AND/OR clear his name? The acting and direction are good here-as you'd expect in a Warner Brother B-film. It also sports an exotic-looking locale (actually just a nicely decorated sound stage with a few outdoor sets) that many Bs could not match. It also has a reasonably interesting plot and a few nice plot twists. As a result, the film was enjoyable and worth seeing--but like many Bs also a bit unremarkable.

By the way, this film is a remake of "Safe in Hell"--a film I absolutely hated. However, unlike the original, "Men in Exile" has been sanitized A LOT. The original film was made before the toughened Production Code and had many sleazy plot elements (including several attempted rapes!)--all these are missing in the remake. In fact, the newer film has been changed so much, it's hard tell they are the same basic plot. I much prefer the remake--and that is rare for me. It's just because the original was too florid and silly, while the remake is more believable and engaging.

By the way, Purcell's life story is pretty sad. Believe it or not, he died from a heart attack at only age 36! So ended the life of the first big screen Captain America.

. . . for the proverbial "other shoe" to drop. About 24:26 into MEN IN EXILE, lead fugitive character "Jimmy Carmody" calls his African-Caribo Islander hotel work colleague "S*mbo," even though he knows perfectly well that the bellhop's name actually is "Ronald Witherspoon." Though Major League Baseball and most other American institutions were "Lily White" in 1937, the always eponymous Warner Bros. courageously took the lead with Pictures such as MEN IN EXILE to warn the USA's renegade "Jim Crow" South that Real Life was NOT a GONE WITH THE WIND racist fairy tale. Warner's prophetic prognosticators used this seemingly flimsy flick to warn the denizens of that deplorable citrus basket that they might not have many more "Tomorrows" to which they could look forward UNLESS they immediately mended their racist ways. Even though Jimmy apologizes to Ron until he's blue in the face, no-nonsense Caribo ruler "Col. Emanuel Gomez" soon has Jimmy plastered against a wall, facing his firing squad. Watch MEN IN EXILE for yourself to see how this cautionary tale turns out.

The first, credited, full -length film directed by John Farrow (Mia's dad!). Extra exotic, due to its "location"... the Caribbean island of Caribo, the haven for criminals, according to the opening title card. "Jimmy" (Dick Purcell) is forced to run off to the getaway when he is forced to be part of a holdup back in the states. Jimmy starts working for the family that runs the inn, and tries to protect them, but bad stuff happens, and of course Jimmy gets caught up in more trouble. Starts out kind of fun, but moves pretty slowly, in spite of the fact that it's only 58 minutes. No real major stars in this one...must have been the "B" feature at the moving picture show. The story actually has legs...too bad they didn't put more into the script to make it a full length film. Some of the actors do a great job, but a couple of them are flatter than cardboard. June Travis, Victor Varconi, and Norman Willis co-star. Peruvian Carlos DeValdez made a ton of films in the 1930s, but died suddenly at age 45. Our star, Purcell, died of a heart attack at 35, according to wikipedia.