THE DAWN EXPRESS
US, 1942 62 minutes, black and white.
Michael Whalen, Anne Nagel, William Bakewell, Constance Worth, Hans Heinrich von Towardowski.
Directed by Albert Herman.
The main reason for seeing The Dawn Express is for historical purposes. More specifically, it is of interest as to how small-budget American films, with brief running times, tackled the issue of espionage in the United States in the immediate aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbour.
The film focuses on a fifth column of Germans in an American city, fairly obvious in their look and manner, in their gathering at a particular restaurant, with the police having an eye on them.
At the core of the film is the preparation of a formula which will enhance gasoline and cause greater explosions, something which the German powers want. It is being developed in two separate facilities.
Two friends who work at one facility are targeted by the spies after they have abducted a number of workers, interrogated them and killed them. One is a happy-go-lucky type and a blonde spy infiltrates his attention to someone to his being interrogated by the Germans, his mother and sister with whom he lives, are threatened and he decides to give information to the Germans. He is very anxious, something which concerns his sister who is engaged to his friend. The main thrust of the film is that the friend contacts the blonde spy, is interrogated by the German authorities, makes all kinds of promises to give them information.
The complication is that in talking with the authorities, bodyguards are assigned and one of them is murdered, a sinister character, blind with a begging bowl gives espionage information from outside the restaurant.
There is a climax where the hero is knocked out, his friend offers to give the information to the Germans, they escaped to the airport where they meet the Dawn Express with a German scientist so that they can test the formula. They take off in the plane, and it is clear that the man is going to ignite the formula and blow himself, the Germans and the plane to pieces – which happens.
The acting is fairly stodgy but the head of the Germans had the real-life name of Hans Heinrich von Towardowski and appeared in quite a number of films from 1942 to 1945, often uncredited, but playing sinister Germans.
An American contribution to the war effort.
