The Purple V

Last updated
The Purple V
The Purple V.jpg
Film poster
Directed by George Sherman
Written byRobert R. Mill
Bertram Millhauser
Curt Siodmak
Produced byGeorge Sherman
Starring John Archer
Mary McLeod
Fritz Kortner
Cinematography Ernest Miller
Edited by Charles Craft
Music by Mort Glickman
Production
company
Distributed byRepublic Pictures
Release date
  • March 12, 1943 (1943-03-12)
Running time
58 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Purple V is a 1943 American war film directed by George Sherman and starring John Archer, Mary McLeod and Fritz Kortner. [1] The Purple V marked German stage star Fritz Kortner's American film debut. Actors John Archer and Mary McLeod were borrowed from M-G-M for the production. [2] [N 1]

Contents

Plot

Royal Air Force flyer Jimmy Thorne (John Archer) and pilot Roger (Peter Lawford) are returning from a night photo reconnaissance flight over Germany, Jimmy recognizes the area. He reveals he lived there 10 years earlier, when his father was American consul in the region.

Encountering a German cargo aircraft, they shoot it down, but Jimmy is forced to parachute from his damaged aircraft so that Roger can get the important photos back to England. Jimmy lands near the wreck of the German aircraft, finding a dead German aviator, and takes his uniform. He then helps another Luftwaffe officer, near death who entrusts him with a personal note from Field Marshall Irwin Rommel to Adolf Hitler. The officer sees a purple V tattoo on Jimmy's left arm and realizes he has given away the secrets of the North African campaign.

Jimmy heads to the nearby village of Diederfeld, where an old acquaintance, Professor Thomas Forster (Fritz Kortner), his daughter Katti (Mary McLeod), and son Paul (Rex Williams). The Forsters are wary of Jimmy and claim not to remember him. Finally Jimmy reminds Katti and Paul of childhood events. Paul is determined to help Jimmy.

At the wreck, the German officer is found alive and tells state police officer Johann Keller (Kurt Katch) about Jimmy's purple V tattoo, but dies before he can reveal Rommel's message. The Forsters soon hear a radio announcement about an RAF pilot in a German uniform with a purple V tattoo. Paul and Katti volunteer to take the message out of the country, but the professor says it is too dangerous.

Paul brands his left arm with a V, takes the German uniform but is caught by as German patrol and shot. Katti, the professor and Jimmy hear a radio announcement that the British spy is dead. Jimmy and Katti prepare to go to Zurich, posing as brother and sister. Keller suspects Paul was not the spy, and goes to the Forster home to force the professor and Katti to divulge Jimmy's whereabouts.

Jimmy kills Keller and he and Katti begin their trip. At a final border check, the professor dressed in Keller's uniform, "arrests" Jimmy and Katti and takes them to an airfield. When the professor's real identity is discovered, he holds off several soldiers before being killed, allowing Jimmy and Katti time to escape on a waiting aircraft.

When Jimmy and Katti land in England, Roger vouches for Jimmy which authenticates the important message. Jimmy and Katti decide to marry later.

Cast

Production

The sets of The Purple V were designed by the art director Russell Kimball. All the action was filmed on sound stages with principal photography starting in early January 1943. [4]

The aircraft in The Purple V were:

The Capelis XC-12 was purchased by RKO in March 1939, after which the studio's insurance company permanently grounded the aircraft. Used as a full-size prop, the transport appeared only in ground roles in RKO's feature films made during World War II. Flying sequences used a scale XC-12 miniature. The aircraft became a RKO back lot relic, falling into worse repair during the 1940s with the XC-12 miniature continued to be used in later feature films. [6]

Reception

Hal Erickson reviewed The Purple V for allmovie.com. He said: "Though technically a Republic 'B', the 58-minute The Purple V has glossy production values commensurate with a top-of-the-bill A picture. German expatriate Fritz Kortner plays the largest role, as an anti-Nazi schoolmaster who helps a downed American flyer (John Archer) reached Allied lines with vital war information. As usual, the Nazis are incredibly stupid and lead-footed, enabling the flyer to accomplish his mission. Featured in the cast is Peter Lawford in one of his first major roles of the 1940s (contrary to popular belief, Lawford was not 'discovered' in this film, having made his American screen debut in 1938's Lord Jeff ). The only drawback to the film is the lackluster performance by leading lady Mary McLeod." [7]

Aviation film historian Stephen Pendo in Aviation in the Cinema (1985) dismissed The Purple V as "... another low-budget film." [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fritz Kortner</span> Austrian actor and theater director (1892–1970)

Fritz Kortner was an Austrian stage and film actor and theatre director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heinz Rühmann</span> German actor (1902–1994)

Heinrich Wilhelm "Heinz" Rühmann was a German film actor who appeared in over 100 films between 1926 and 1993. He is one of the most famous and popular German actors of the 20th century, and is considered a German film legend. Rühmann is best known for playing the part of a comic ordinary citizen in film comedies such as Three from the Filling Station and The Punch Bowl. During his later years, he was also a respected character actor in films such as The Captain from Köpenick and It Happened in Broad Daylight. His only English-speaking movie was Ship of Fools in 1964.

<i>Five Came Back</i> 1939 film by John Farrow

Five Came Back is a 1939 American black-and-white melodrama from RKO Radio Pictures produced by Robert Sisk, directed by John Farrow, written by Jerry Cady, Dalton Trumbo, and Nathanael West, and starring Chester Morris and Lucille Ball. The film was photographed by cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca. Although considered a B movie, the positive notices received by Ball helped launch her career as an A-list actress. Five Came Back is considered a precursor of the disaster film genre. The supporting cast features Wendy Barrie, John Carradine, C. Aubrey Smith, Kent Taylor, and Patric Knowles.

<i>Flying Tigers</i> (film) 1942 black-and-white war film directed by David Miller

Flying Tigers is a 1942 American black-and-white war film drama from Republic Pictures that was produced by Edmund Grainger, directed by David Miller, and stars John Wayne, John Carroll, and Anna Lee.

<i>King of the Zombies</i> 1941 film

King of the Zombies is a 1941 American zombie comedy film directed by Jean Yarbrough and starring Dick Purcell, Joan Woodbury, and Mantan Moreland. The film was produced by Monogram Pictures, and was typical of its B films produced by the Pine-Thomas team. Along with flying scenes, the use of zany characters and slapstick efforts were juxtaposed with a spy and zombie story.

<i>S.O.S. Eisberg</i> 1933 film

S.O.S. Eisberg is a 1933 German-US pre-Code drama film directed by Arnold Fanck and starring Gustav Diessl, Leni Riefenstahl, Sepp Rist, Gibson Gowland, Rod La Rocque, and Ernst Udet. The film was written by Tom Reed based on a story by Arnold Fanck and Friedrich Wolf. S.O.S. Eisberg follows the account of the real-life Alfred Lothar Wegener polar expedition of 1929-30. Fritz Loewe and Ernst Sorge, two members of the ill-fated Wegener Expedition served as technical consultants to Universal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capelis XC-12</span> Type of aircraft

The Capelis XC-12 was a failed 1933 aircraft design that most notably was used as a prop in the films Five Came Back, The Flying Tigers, The Falcon in Danger, and Immortal Sergeant. The aircraft featured unusual twin horizontal tail structures supported by three vertical tail surfaces. Construction and finishing methods involved using sheet metal screws which ultimately led to the abandoning of the project.

<i>The Last Illusion</i> 1949 film

The Last Illusion is a 1949 German drama film directed by Josef von Báky and starring Fritz Kortner, Johanna Hofer and Lina Carstens. It was entered into the 1949 Cannes Film Festival. It was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Munich. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Fritz Lück, Fritz Maurischat and Hans Sohnle.

<i>Squadron Leader X</i> 1943 British film, now lost

Squadron Leader X is a 1943 British World War II spy drama directed by Lance Comfort and starring Eric Portman and Ann Dvorak. The screenplay was adapted by Miles Malleson and Wolfgang Wilhelm from a short story by Emeric Pressburger. Unfortunately, the BFI National Archive currently considered this film as "missing, believed lost".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt Katch</span> Polish actor (1893–1958)

Kurt Katch was a Polish film and television actor. He appeared in Quiet Please, Murder, The Purple V, The Mask of Dimitrios, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, among many others. Katch appeared in the first James Bond story filmed in 1954 for the Climax! TV show. Katch died from cancer and is interred at Eden Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

<i>Action in Arabia</i> 1944 film by Léonide Moguy

Action in Arabia is a 1944 drama film directed by Leonide Moguy and starring George Sanders and Virginia Bruce. The film was based on the novel The Fanatic of Fez by M. V. Heberden. Action in Arabia was written by Philip MacDonald and Herbert J. Biberman. The supporting cast includes Gene Lockhart and Robert Armstrong, and the plot involves trouble and intrigue with the Nazis in Damascus, who scheme to seize control of the Suez Canal.

<i>Sky Giant</i> 1938 film by Lew Landers

Sky Giant, also known as Ground Crew and Northern Flight, is a 1938 drama film directed by Lew Landers. The film stars Richard Dix, Chester Morris and Joan Fontaine. The plot revolves around a love triangle with two pilots in love with the same woman.

<i>International Squadron</i> (film) 1941 film by Lewis Seiler, Lothar Mendes

International Squadron is a 1941 American war film directed by Lewis Seiler and Lothar Mendes that starred Ronald Reagan, Olympe Bradna and in his final film, James Stephenson. The film is based on the Eagle Squadrons, American pilots who volunteered to fly for the Royal Air Force during World War II. International Squadron featured noted Hollywood pilot Paul Mantz who acted as the film's aerial coordinator and flew during the production.

<i>You Dont Forget Such a Girl</i> 1932 film

You Don't Forget Such a Girl is a 1932 Austrian-German romantic comedy film directed by Fritz Kortner and starring Willi Forst, Dolly Haas, and Oskar Sima. The film was shot at the Halensee Studios in Berlin. It was the last film made by Kortner before he went into exile following the Nazi takeover of 1933.

<i>Daredevils of the Clouds</i> 1948 film by George Blair

Daredevils of the Clouds is a 1948 American drama film directed by George Blair and produced by Republic Pictures. The film stars Robert Livingston, Mae Clarke and James Cardwell. Daredevils of the Clouds depicts bush pilot flying in northern Canada.

<i>Forced Landing</i> (1935 film) 1935 film by Melville W. Brown

Forced Landing is a 1935 American mystery film directed by Melville W. Brown and written by William Scott Darling. The film stars Esther Ralston, Onslow Stevens, Sidney Blackmer, Toby Wing, Edward Nugent and Barbara Pepper. Forced Landing was released on November 2, 1935, by Republic Pictures.

<i>Wings Over the Pacific</i> 1943 film by Phil Rosen

Wings Over the Pacific is a 60-minute 1943 drama film, directed by Phil Rosen and starring Inez Cooper, Edward Norris and Montagu Love. Produced by Monogram Pictures, the film depicts an island community in the South Pacific caught up in World War II.

The Sky Raider is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by T. Hayes Hunter and starring Charles Nungesser, Jacqueline Logan and Gladys Walton. With the interest in the aviators of World War I, producer Gilbert E. Gable and Arcadia Productions, were able to showcase the talents of Nungesser, a genuine hero, who had 43 aerial victories, as the third-highest French ace. The Sky Raider was based on the short story, "The Great Air Mail Robbery" by Jack Lait.

<i>A Romance of the Air</i> 1918 American film

A Romance of the Air is a 1918 American silent drama film based on the book En L'air (1918), by Bert Hall, one of America's first combat aviators, flying with the famed Lafayette Escadrille in France before the United States entered World War I. Directed by Harry Revier, the film was heavily influenced by the exploits of Hall, who was featured in the film and took an active role in promoting and marketing A Romance of the Air.

<i>Pour le Mérite</i> (film) 1938 German film

Pour le Mérite is a 1938 propaganda film produced and directed by Karl Ritter for Nazi Germany. The film follows the story of officers of the Luftstreitkräfte in the First World War who were later involved in the formation of the Luftwaffe. Pour le Mérite propagates the "stab legend", which consigns the German military defeat in World War I to an alleged treason in the homeland. At the same time, Ritter also glorifies the former fighter pilots as heroes of National Socialism.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ The film title, The Purple V relates to the V for Victory slogan advocated buy the Allies. [3]

Citations

  1. ↑ Martin 1998, p. 144,
  2. ↑ "Catalog: 'The Purple V'." AFI, 2019. Retrieved: July 19, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Newswatch 1940s: 1940/1941; War prompts naming and campaigning." BBC News, 2019. Retrieved: July 19, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Original print information: 'The Purple V'." TCM, 2019. Retrieved: July 19, 2019.
  5. ↑ Santoir, Christian. "Review: 'The Purple V'." Aeromovies, June 30, 2014. Retrieved: July 19, 2019.
  6. ↑ Farmer 1984, p. 40.
  7. ↑ Erickson, Hal. "Review: 'The Purple V'." Allmovie, 2019. Retrieved: July 19, 2019.
  8. ↑ Pendo 1985, p. 163.

Bibliography

  • Farmer, James H. Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation. Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: Tab Books Inc., 1984. ISBN   978-0-83062-374-7.
  • Martin, Len D. The Republic Pictures Checklist: Features, Serials, Cartoons, Short Subjects and Training Films of Republic Pictures Corporation, 1935-1959. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company Inc., 1998. ISBN   978-0-78640-438-4.
  • Pendo, Stephen. Aviation in the Cinema. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. ISBN   0-8-1081-746-2.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.