Our next film is 1942's "Cairo", a comedy spy film starring Jeanette MacDonald and Robert Young. A newspaperman is sent to Cairo to get a story, and comes to believe an actress is a Nazi agent. Once he realizes she isn't a spy, they must work together to uncover the real enemy. The film's supporting players include Ethel Waters, Reginald Owen, Lionel Atwill, Eduardo Ciannelli, Dooley Wilson, and Mona Barrie.
The film opens in a movie theater, where newspaperman Homer Smith (Young) is watching a Marcia Warren (MacDonald) movie. It's the last film she made in America, and it's three years old. Homer beams as he watches Ms. Warren's movements. He's interrupted and told the newspaper office wants to see him right away. Once he gets there, he discovers that he has been selected to go overseas to be small town (Cavity Rock, CA) newspaper correspondent for the war.
On his way over, Homer's convoy goes down in the Mediterranean. He survives and gets on a raft. He meets a fellow castaway, Mr. Cobson, and the two strike up a conversation. They figure out that they're not too far from the Libyan coast. Homer uses his jacket as a sail and the two men make landfall.
On land, the presence of German soldiers in the area necessitates that the two men split up. Cobson gives Homer a message to carry to Cairo in the event he doesn't make it there. He must meet a woman, Mrs. Morrison, at a certain time at a hotel who is drinking a rainbow cocktail, and give her secret message. Cobson reveals he is a member of British intelligence who is trying to ascertain the identity of the Big Six, an German espionage group. No one knows who they are, only that their leader is a woman. As they part ways (Homer along the shore and Cobson in the direction of the German soldiers), Homer picks up Cobson's pipe that he left behind.
Homer arrives in Cairo, finds Mrs. Morrison, and passes on Cobson's message. Mrs. Morrison thanks him for the message and asks if there's anything she can do for him. He tells her he wants to know the identity of the woman who's the leader of the Big Six. She points him in the direction of Marcia Warren, who's singing at the hotel. Mrs. Morrison puts doubt in Homer's mind about why she's been absent from the United States for so long.
Homer goes to the bar where Marcia is singing. He hilariously tries to decode the various trills and pauses in her song, thinking it might be a secret enemy code. He finds out that Marcia is looking for a new butler, and has scheduled interviews for the next day. Figuring this might be a good way to gain information, he decides to apply for the job.
Homer introduces himself as Juniper Jones, a broke American in need of a job. Marcia hires him, though she's suspicious of his story and name, and the two have a very humorous conversation about the merits of living in Northern California versus Southern California. "Have you ever been in San Francisco?" asks Homer. "Yes, once, with Gable and Tracy," says Marcia, "and the joint fell apart!"
Later, while shopping in Cairo, Homer wanders into a shop to avoid being seen by Marcia. She walks in and sees a mouse and screams. As she does, a secret panel (butterfly door) opens, though Homer and Marcia don't know the cause. The shop owner asks Marcia if she is in the habit of screaming a perfect High C. After they leave, we find out that the door is opened by sound, and the High C note is the access key.
Who should emerge from behind the secret door, but Mrs. Morrison. The door is normally opened with a tuning fork, which emits the same High C sound.
On the other side of the secret door, we find a secret room. We also find out that Mrs. Morrison is the head of the Big Six, and she's sent Homer on a wild goose chase. Another thing we discover is that the Big Six is planning an attack on an American troop transport ship on the Suez Canal by a radio-controlled airplane crashing into it and destroying it with highly explosive material.
Back at Marcia's house, Homer is getting refreshments ready for six. He thinks the Big Six. What is really happening is a rehearsal for a show Marcia is getting ready to take part in. They do a really beautiful medley of patriotic songs that confuses Homer. How can a Nazi secret agent sing so beautifully about America?
Among the songs she sings is "Keep The Light Burning Bright", which speaks about the marching men coming home again. It's a beautiful, patriotic song, and Jeanette does it very well.
Later that evening, Homer tries to get Marcia out of the house so he can do a little investigating. He tells her she should go out and get some air so she can be in good voice for the next night's concert.
During the course of the evening, a British military officer comes to call on Marcia. After Homer leaves the room, he confides to Marcia that he believes Homer (whom he has had followed) to be Philo Cobson, a dangerous Nazi agent. He advises Marcia to get him out of the house so she can search his room. Do to him what he was planning to do to her.
Later that night, Marcia, Cleona, and Homer go out, and Marcia suggests they see a show. Homer insists on paying, but has to come back because the clerk won't take his money. All he has are hundred-dollar bills. "Imagine, nothin' to your name but a belt full of C notes", says Cleona. Once inside, all three disappear into their respective lounges, and disappear, hoping to get back to the house without the other knowing where they are.
After hilariously going through each other's things (including Homer starting a fire, getting soaking wet under the shower, spilling a bottle of Marcia's perfume on himself, and finally conking himself on the head under a piano), the two sort things out. "Have you a woman accomplice with you?" Marcia asks. "This room positively reeks of cheap, vulgar perfume." "Well, it's yours," says Homer. The two talk things out. "I'm not a spy. Believe me," says Marcia. "In the first place, the Screen Actors Guild wouldn't stand for it." Everything out in the open, the two resolve to help try to find who really is the Nazi spy. They also fall in love.
The next night at the concert, among some beautiful Egyptian ruins, Cleona sings "Buds Won't Bud", and gets caught up in a little romance of her own.
And Marcia sings the the title song "Cairo". During her performance she smiles at Homer who is watching from a distance.
It's a beautiful song, and brilliantly shot, the scenery lending a wonderful atmosphere to the musical number.
After her number, Marcia can't find Homer. She searches all over for him, but all she can find is the pipe he had that formerly belonged to Cobson. She puts it in her purse. Later, she smashes her purse down on a table, forgetting the pipe is inside. The pipe breaks into pieces, and Marcia finds a drawing, some kind of map, that had been concealed inside the pipe. She alerts British Intelligence and they figure out it is a map of the pyramids. But where is Homer?
What they don't know is that Homer saw Mrs. Morrison and some of the Big Six at the concert and hitched a ride on the back of their car. He arrives at the pyramids before Marcia. He watches Mrs. Morrison and company open the side of the pyramid by using the tuning fork playing High C. Homer drops several hundred-dollar bills "C-notes" as clues for Marcia and the others follow, before dashing quickly to an airplane to escape (earlier in the film we found out that Homer is an amateur pilot). Unfortunately for Homer, it is the radio controlled plane the Nazis plan on crashing into the American troop transport ship.
Marcia and the others arrive at the pyramids and decipher some clues Homer left. Marcia tries singing a regular C with no luck. She later moves on to High C, and the pyramid opens. They manage to catch Mrs. Morrison and the Big Six, but still can't get any help to Homer.
Luckily, Homer finds a way to alter the plane's course. He has to work fast because Allied planes are trying to shoot him down. He finds a parachute on board and bails out at the last moment, and lands on the ship, saving all on board.
The next scene shows that Homer and Marcia are married and giving a party for the boys from the ship. Homer reads a telegram saying that Hollywood wants him to co-star with his wife for a movie. He says he doesn't know the first thing about what to do in front of a camera. It's fun to watch them as they practice how to stay out of each other's close-ups.
The film ends with a reprise of "Keep The Light Burning Bright" as Homer and Marcia embrace. Cast rundown:
Mona Barrie................................................Mrs. Morrison And that's all for Cairo. It's a wonderfully entertaining film that's full of patriotic flavor. I'm very surprised it wasn't more popular when it was released. It's one of my favorites. As always, if you wish to comment, please remember our posting rules.
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