In 1944 Carole starred in the World War 2 drama Secret Command. Carole is Jill McGann, a secret agent who goes undercover to expose a deadly plot. Fox loaned her to Columbia to make the movie. Pat O'Brien plays Sam Gallagher who pretends to be Jill's husband while they search for spies at a ship-building plant. The cast includes Chester Morris, Ruth Warrick, and Barton MacLane. Pat was one of the film's producers and he requested that Carole be his costar. They had been friends since 1937 and would work together again in Having Wonderful Crime. Secret Command was a low budget independent film made by Torneen productions. It was based on the Saturday Evening Post story "The Saboteurs". The original title of the movie was Pilebuck. Carole was paid $2,500 a week and she never missed a day of work even though she was suffering from the flu. Secret Command was directed by Eddie Sutherland, one of Carole's closest friends. It was filmed at Columbia Studios from January 17 until March 8, 1944. The costumes were designed by Jean Louis. Carole wore a blue butterfly dress from the film during her tour of the South Pacific in 1944. Secret Command was released on July 30, 1944. The film's tagline was "Drama...by a handful of men and women who fight the enemy within our gates". The movie received mixed reviews and was not a box-office success. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Special Effects.
New York Times Review from Bosley Crowther (Published June 14, 1944)
Eire may be neutral in today's war, but, so far as Pat O'Brien is concerned, there's no question about the sentiments of the Irish; they'll fight Nazis at the drop of a clich�. And in "Secret Command," his first venture as a producer as well as an actor of films, Mr. O'Brien is proving it with both fists and a virtually all-Irish cast. As a matter of fact, the enthusiasm of the Irish for a fight in this film is so great that when they aren't slugging Nazis they are often slamming around among themselves. And an honest Irish "pilebuck" in a shipyard is no less fair game than a Nazi saboteur. A fight is the essence of action. That's the sort of picture this new one at Loew's Criterion is. In short, "Secret Command" finds Mr. O'Brien in another of his slashing muscular roles, this time on an FBI assignment to rout out Nazis in a West Coast shipyard. He is somewhat retarded in his efforts by his mystified brother, Chester Morris, but is assisted considerably by Carole Landis, who is assigned to pretend to be his wife. (The consequences hereafter are obvious.) And it all boils up to a big fight between Mr. O'Brien and the chief villain aboard a new ship while a time-bomb ticks away. It is fair to say that the performances are not shaded with nuances. Mr. O'Brien's first venture as a producer is as subtle as a right to the jaw.
* Secret Command is not available on DVD. You can buy a copy from Gwen Serna (GMovies@aol.com)
