Mystery Sea Raider (1940) DVD-R

Starring Carole Landis, Henry Wilcoxon, Onslow Stevens, Kathleen Howard, Wally Rairden
Directed by Edward Dmytryk

Print: black/white
Runtime: 73 min.
Genre: drama
Print Quality: B

At the outset of World War II, June McCarthy (Carole Landis) meets Carl Cutler (Onslow
Stevens) aboard the S.S.Aleria, a British vessel en route to New York from London, where
she has been dancing. The ship is sunk in mid-voyage by an unidentified submarine, and
Cutler aids in rescuing June. As they arrive safely in Manhattan, June asks Cutler to contact
her fiance, Jimmy Madden (Henry Wilcoxin), about the use of his stranded freighter,
"Apache", in Cutler's "import business." By this action, she has unwittingly aided Cutler,
who is an undercover Nazi naval officer, with acquiring a "mother ship" for German
submarines in the Atlantic. Cutler charters the "Apache" and also kidnaps June who, he
fears, might realize he was responsible for the sinking of the "Alleria." When the ship is at
sea, a submarine comes along-side, and the crew climbs aboard to be met by Cutler and his
aides in full uniform. Madden is informed that Cutler is now the ship's captain, and then
takes the ship on missions of commerce raiding in the Carribbean, with Madden and his
crew imprisoned in the ship's hold. June is allowed freedom of the ship and Madden
believes she is an accomplice of Cutler's. She regains his favor and trust when she
conceives the idea of cutting carbide flares from the life preservers for floating S.O.S.
messages.