Dangerous Passage

A Mr. Beck shows up to a South American solicitor's office to find out he has inherited a fortune from a discarded uncle. The solicitor makes him show him his proof of who he is. Then gives him instructions on traveling back to Texas to claim his fortune. That evening he is attacked in an attempt to get his proof of identification papers and he accidentally kills the attacker defending himself. Realizing he has to get out of town quickly, he talks his way on to the only boat leaving port that night. The boat has an additional passenger, a woman who he thinks is a singer escaping her lot in life. On board the ship things aren't what they seem. The lady has a scheme hatched with a crew member...and the captain and other crew members have a scheme of their own going...to top it of the solicitor and another thug board the boat at one of the port stops!

This was a great twisted film noir plot...with a wonderful mid-movie Mexican serenade beachside moment.

If you are a film noir fan...this is one you should know in your repertoire.

After being informed that he has just inherited $200,000, "Joe Beck" (Robert Lowry) is then told that he needs to catch the ship departing from Honduras in a couple of days en route to Texas in order to claim it. However, after he is stalked by a man who subsequently tries to kill him, Joe decides to take the first cargo ship out instead. Unfortunately, this particular ship has a captain and first mate who share a sinister agenda that doesn't coincide with taking on passengers like Joe. And they are determined to get rid of him one way or another. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that, although this movie was rather short (60 minutes) it still managed to maintain my interest for the most part. Admittedly, it had a grade-B look to it but the acting was adequate and having an attractive actress like Phyllis Brooks (as "Nita Paxton") certainly didn't hurt in any way. In any case, while it certainly didn't win any Academy Awards for that particular year, I thought this movie was good enough for a rainy day and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

From 1944, Dangerous Passage is a B film starring Robert Lowery, Phyllis Brooks, John Eldredge, and Jack La Rue.

Joe Beck (Lowery) is living in Central America when he learns he has inherited $200,000 ($3 million today) from his grandfather. He's in a rush to get to Galveston, Texas, and after being assaulted, he's in a bigger rush and takes a ship that night. There was a better ship, but it leaves the next day, and he's not waiting around.

It's apparent while on board that he's not wanted, but he can't figure out what's going on. He meets the lovely Nita, who is close with one man, Dawson, a steward, while another man, Vaughn (Eldredge) wants to marry her. Then an "accident" on board nearly kills him.

Not a bad story, with the main character dealing with a hidden agenda on board ship and people who want to steal his documents and cheat him out of his inheritance. William Berke, the director, does a good job with a small budget.

Studio-bound programmer. I expect the movie was good diversion for wartime audiences on the late shift. Seems inheritance-rich Beck (Lowery) gets onto a ship where the fog never lifts, a touch that's both atmospheric and cost cutting. On board, he quickly runs into intrigues where nobody can be trusted, not even the fetching Nita (Brooks)-- so, should he kiss her or search her. And will he ever get to Texas and claim his inheritance. He won't if the deck hands don't tie down the heavy oil drums better, or is it the shadowy guy with the rope-cutting knife. Well, after all, the movie is titled Dangerous Passage not Sunshine Cruises.

Plot-wise, the two separate intrigues are awkward and overloaded for a 60-minute runtime, suggesting that the insurance scheme, at least, should have been dropped. Except for LaRue's uncertain character, the acting is good for a programmer. And hats off to Lowery who must have jumped from one movie set to the next, so busy was he during this period. Nothing special here, just serviceable entertainment, even for generations later.

The film begins with an American expatriate being told about his inheriting $200,000. However, shortly after this, an attempt is made on his life--so it's obvious that someone wants that money. When he books passage on a steamer, it seems that he's fallen into ANOTHER plot--and the crew mistakes him for someone else....someone they want to kill! Talk about bad luck! DANGEROUS PASSAGE is a pretty well-written film--with an interesting plot that could have been handled a lot better. The problem is that the film was made by Pine-Thomas Productions--a very low-budget independent company that had only been making films for a short time before this film. As a result, the acting is only adequate, at best, and the direction is limp. In fact, given better direction, the film really could have been something worth seeing. As is, it's just a time-passer and it's easy to see why this film passed into the public domain.