Blue, White, and Perfect (1942)

Detective Michael Shayne (Lloyd Nolan) boards a Hawaii-bound ocean liner on the trail of stolen industrial diamonds and a Nazi smuggling ring.I have never heard of the Michael Shayne series, and I know by starting here I am jumping in the middle. Hopefully I didn't miss much, but the story still makes plenty of sense. And actually, it is really, really good. I get the feeling this was something of a B-picture, but today (2017) it feels more fun and fresh than some of the A-pictures of the time.It serves as an interesting blend of detective fiction and spycraft, and has the interesting distinction of being set at least partially in Hawaii. As I understand it, the film was released in 1942 but was probably filmed in 1941... thus they had no idea just how crucial Hawaii would be to the World War II story. In fact, if this was filmed prior to Pearl harbor, America was not technically even in the war yet!

Michael Shane takes on Nazi spies in the fourth entry of this comedy mystery series which moves very quickly but contains far too many characters, red herrings and confusing loopholes. The entertainment value doesn't come from the story itself but from the witty screenplay and the way that Nolan and Mary Beth Hughes play off of each other. I found it to be at times to be too convoluted to follow and while the adventure scenes are exciting, too much seems to be happening at once. Even knowing when this was made. Nolan and Hughes seem to be having a very good time in the making of this film, but the way that the script moves the plot along makes it more irritating and hard to get though. However, if you can stand to watch this several times, you may begin to understand what the plot is all about. I've seen enough of these war movies to know what works and what is filled with unbelievable plot devices, and this seems to be more of the later than the former.

Number four of the twelve-picture Michael Shayne series. In this one, Shayne tackles Nazi agents who have stolen industrial diamonds that, while valuable, are neither blue nor white – and a long way from perfect. But, never mind. Aside from a slightly disappointing climax, this is a well-nigh perfect little "B" with an outstanding cast and A-1 technical effects. Lloyd Nolan's fans will be glad to see their hero get away with another of his famous impersonations. He's a bogus Southern colonel this time. Co-star, Mary Beth Hughes, is forceful too; but the plum female role is taken by Helene Reynolds who plays so delightfully and with such captivating ease, one wonders why she didn't become a major star. George "Superman" Reeves come across well too, but the guy who has all the male contingent (including Lloyd) well and truly beaten, is Curt Bois, who enjoys a made-to-order role as an over-solicitous steward.

Diamond smugglers lead detective Michael Shayne to shipboard intrigue and danger.A lively cast, good production values, and an intriguing mystery, add up to a superior entry in the Michael Shayne series. Lloyd Nolan is so good as the brash detective, injecting real spark into his scenes. Ditto the brassy Hughes as his long-suffering girlfriend. But it's really Superman George Reeves who surprises as the mustachioed bon vivant, O'Hara. He's looser and more charming than I've seen him—no "Man of Steel" here. And I wonder what became of Helene Reynolds who also shows flair, as a shady lady, but appears to have left the business soon after. Too bad.Anyway, it's a TCF production, which means even B-pictures get quality attention, as the well stocked crowd scenes show. Plus, the suspense part keeps you guessing, like who's trying to drown Shayne and O'Hara aboard ship— a really well thought out and nail-biting sequence. Then too, all the ingredients are wrapped into a neat fast-moving package by director Leeds. In passing-- note how the politics of the diamonds remains curiously unclear. It looks like the movie was produced around Pearl Harbor time, but no mention is made of the Japanese. Instead, Nazi's are mentioned as behind the diamond smuggling, even though America is not yet at war with Hitler. I wonder what the story is here.Nonetheless, this energetic little programmer still manages a solid degree of entertainment plus.