Customer Reviews

Desperate Cargo

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Desperate Cargo, 1941 film

This is based on the story "Loot Below" from Argosy Magazine. The film begins with a map of Puerta Nueve. The Caribbean Cruiser was grounded due to weather. Two men in dark suits arrive at the hotel to see the Professor (who is in a wheelchair as if sick). They have a plans about the money carried in a safe. The airship needs a new purser. Tony Benson gets called. A man in a hotel gets robbed of his bankroll; Jim Halsey is a reporter. Two girls want to get back to the states, they expect tickets. Can they get a ride back to New York? Miss Ann Howard gets tickets from Bronson. Will Tony find out about that cancelled show? Yes, and there is an argument. Butch picks a fight with Tony in the bar. Tony is arrested. [We see the inside of a Panama Clipper.] Those four men will go aboard at the last minute.

The four-engine seaplane takes off from the seaport. The four men hijack the seaplane to get the cash in the safe. They will land somewhere at sea. The passengers are locked in their compartments until they land. What can they do? "Sounds alright to me." The gang leader wants that gun handed back or he will kill the skipper and the crew! Tony has a plan to rescue the crew, then disarm the gang. They will take off and fly to Miami. There will be a happy ending for the couples. Peggy Morton and Jim Halsey plan to buy a farm, become self-employed, and settle down.

Was this the first movie to feature the hijacking of an airplane? This average story shows its low-budget. It does show what a flight in a Panama Clipper was for the passengers (separate cabins). Seaplanes could land at any seaport, no special landing fields were needed. This also limited their travel. Ralph Byrd starred in may adventure movies in this era and was best known for the "Dick Tracy" series.