Navy Spy (1937) User Reviews

Better than the others.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 13 February 2021]

"Navy Spy" is the second of four movies Conrad Nagel made as g-man, Alan O'Connor...the others being "Yellow Cargo", "The Gold Racket" and "Bank Alarm". These other three are a subpar lot...with the best of them earning a 4 from me. Is "Navy Spy" any better? Well, considering they were all made for "Grand National" (possibly the worst of the 'Poverty Row' independent studios), I sure didn't expect much!

A Navy lieutenant has come up with a formula for a special concentrated fuel. Not surprisingly, evil people also want the formula and soon the guy is kidnapped. When he disappears, O'Connor and Bobbie Reynolds (Eleanor Hunt) are sent to investigate. Their trail takes them to a nighclub singer...a singer who seems far from cooperative and defensive.

As with the other films in the series, Nagel is very good. Fortunately, the plot to "Navy Spy" is a bit better and more fun than the other three...making it worth seeing, although hardly a must-see picture.

Good Nagel, not so good else

[DeeJsBabe · 4/10 · 24 January 2011]

This is the second of four Alan O'Connor movies made in hopes of having a Boston Blackie type of success. This is not my favorite of the four, but Nagel looks more comfortable here than in his others. He dreadfully out-acts everyone else, and I don't mean overacts. His talent and natural voice would be smooth in this type of role, or even a more mysterious Lone Wolf (William Warren) role, although his facial structure lends him more to the Bob Hope type. Why am I going through all of this? Because, at this time in his career, Nagel was trying to re-find himself or re-launch his career -- without the help of the studios.

Dressed to the Nines, he makes his partner, Eleanor Hunt, look like a wilted flower pot. I mean, Torchy Blane is not that hot, and Torchy Blane, even she is not.

The story is OK. Some sailor gets kidnapped for his secret papers. Nagel and Bobbie run them down each using their talents in their own way. This actually is something other serial detectives lack -- sharing the case with someone else, on an almost equal level.

I've been waiting to see this installment, as it is the last of the four to be made available. It's available on Amazon as a DVD and a Video on Demand. Many of the Sinister Cinema movies are going to VOD, and there are plenty neat little early thirties Brit thrillers, so if it were not for Nagel, this would be much further down my list. The other three Alan O'Connors are available for free download at many archive places.