Seven Miles from Alcatraz

Seven Miles to Alcatraz (1942)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Silly but entertaining "B" picture about a couple cons (James Craig, Frank Jenks) who break out of Alcatraz just after the Pearl Harbor bombing. They end up taking a group hostage at a lighthouse but their problems grow even bigger when it's discovered that Nazis are about to use a sub to sink San Francisco. If you're looking for logic then I'd recommend staying away from this film but if you have an hour to kill and want some cheap fun then I'm sure you'll get a kick out of this thing. This is a pretty wild little story even though the main moral is to preach that Americans, no matter what their profession, should stick up for their country and bring down the enemy. What really makes the film so funny are a few scenes where Craig gets to make fun of Hitler, which while it's not Chaplin, it was still pretty funny. Even funnier are the Nazis here who are so over the top that you can't help but laugh. The female Nazi and her crush on Hitler and her anger when people make fun of his is rather priceless. Director Dmytryk would certainly go onto do bigger and better pictures but he manages to keep the film moving at a fast pace and he even gets a few nice shots in including a very nice one when the men first get out of the water and reach land. The entire story is pretty far fetched and the way the men escape and how easy they swim to shore is even sillier. As far as the performances go, none of them are great but they're at least entertaining with Craig and Jenks both fitting their roles just fine. Former Nancy Drew's Bonita Granville isn't too bad in her role even if it is a thankless one. Again, if you want a smart WWII pic then this here isn't for you but if you want some cheap action then you'll want to check this one out.

James Craig and Frank Jenks play cell-mates in Alcatraz. They manage to escape this supposedly escape-proof prison and manage to make their way to a lighthouse that is occupied by several folks (including Cliff Edwards and Bonita Granville)--who they then hold prisoner. Little do they know that a German u-boat is nearby--waiting to invade America. Also, little do they know that one of these captives is a German agent!! And, amazingly enough, soon you see that there are spies all over San Francisco awaiting their Nazi overlords--including folks in defense plants and in high society!! What's next? See the film and find out for yourself.

While much of this film is pretty silly and filled with very obvious propaganda, it's certainly understandable considering it was made during the early days of WWII for the United States. The story was meant to create a sense of patriotism in the audience as well as a tiny bit of paranoia concerning enemy agents. The idea of Germans being in San Francisco was pretty silly, as they would have been much more likely to attack on the East coast. Why not make them Japanese agents instead? Who knows. All I know is that you must judge the film, to some extent, on how well it meets these objectives--not just how entertaining the film is when you see it today. And, on this level the film is rousing--the sort of cheesy stuff the public loved. Technically speaking, this is a well-made B-movie--with slightly better acting and production values than you'd expect...but, of course, a silly story at times. Overall, fun but a bit dopey.

This is a neat little RKO programmer from 1942. We were in full patriotic fervor and it shows. All the ingredients are present. A couple of scoundrels escape from Alcatraz and end up at a remote lighthouse somewhere in San Francisco Bay. Although we know that only the worst of the worst were ever sent there, somehow this movie would like us to think they were arrested for selling ties on the street corner without a permit. There is an appealing cast of characters at the lighthouse, including Bonita Granville, and a weasel played by Erford Gage who is an undercover Nazi spy. The cons inadvertently kill the spy just before he is to pass on some valuable information from a Nazi sub to a cosmopolitan spy ring in SF. There is the inevitable confrontation between the Nazi spies and the cons - and guess who wins. According to the protocol of the times, even vicious gangsters were preferable to these Nazi vermin.

A note about the cast. James Craig must be the worst actor ever to work in Hollywood. He looks good, but he telegraphs every move he makes and acts like a Ray Harryhausen mockup. Frank Jenks made a great living playing wisecracking sidekicks - and for good reason. Bonita Granville looks as good as ever, but she underplays her role for a change to good advantage. John Banner (from Hogan's Heros) plays the Nazi big cheese. If it weren't for his voice, I would never have recognized him. Slender, sophisticated, and rather handsome. Nobody else is really notable except, perhaps, Erford Gage who plays the undercover Nazi spy. What an odd looking guy.

At 65 minutes this won't take up much of your time, but I think it's worth it. But then I was a fan of Brass Bancroft and Dick Tracy. Besides, I like lighthouses.

The Alcatraz workshop has gone silent during the war as all the needed material gets redirected towards the war effort. Champ Larkin is going stir crazy and ropes his cellmate Jimbo into escaping. They end up stranded on a lighthouse island and take a group of civilians hostage. Then there are the Nazis.

This is a wartime propaganda film. This is the standard message where even the lowest of the low can contribute to the war effort. While I get the message, I don't know if it's the most effective. The plot is already convoluted before the Nazis. Apparently, Nazi operatives were all over the place.

Thanks to the fast-moving direction of Edward Dmytryk, SEVEN MILES FROM ALCATRAZ makes for a diverting prison break film, although it definitely shows its B-film origins. In fact, the last twenty minutes is strictly cliffhanger stuff that would have made good material for a Saturday afternoon serial.

It's got lots of wartime propaganda and the plot about Nazi spies using a lighthouse as an operation for their espionage is hard to swallow, but it works as an adventure film with an interesting locale and some competent players.

JAMES CRAIG carries most of the film on his sturdy shoulders, a handsome and rugged leading man who never quite made it to major stardom. FRANK JENKS is "Jimbo", his sidekick, and the supporting cast includes BONITA GRANVILLE (in one of her more underplayed roles), GEORGE CLEVELAND and CLIFF EDWARDS, who does his bug-eyed comic relief with a little too much relish.

There's plenty of action along with the talky moments. Fortunately, the action far outweighs any sense the script makes and is well staged by director Dmytryk. Craig gives one of his livelier performances as the escaped convict with a yen for Granville.

Passes the time quickly and it's easy to get hooked into the spy aspect of the story, but it's nothing special.