In this second Carter mystery, a mysterious rash of cargo ships sinking in Panama leads insurers Llewellyns of London to hire vacationer Nick Carter and his eccentric associate Bartholomew to investigate. Nick recognizes influential nightclub owner Al Taurez as a shady operator, but getting the goods on him depends on slick diversions involving the heavyweight champ of the Pacific Tuna Fleet, a Panamanian bombshell armed with American slang, a young couple in love and a whole raft of crooks and cutthroats.
Direction
Tourneur already showing his shadow-drenched genius on a shoestring budget.
Acting
Donald Meek's Bartholomew: eccentric sidekick as an art form.
Director
Jacques Tourneur
Walter Pidgeon
Nick Carter
Donald Meek
Bartholomew
Joseph Schildkraut
Mr. Al Taurez
Florence Rice
Cora Barnes
Nat Pendleton
'Gunboat' Jacklin
Cecil Kellaway
Franklin Morris
John Carroll
John Ramsell Jr.
Steffi Duna
Dolores
Dwight Frye
Eddie Anders
Matthew Boulton
John Ramsell Sr.
Harry Tyler
Cafe Waiter
Joe Yule
Sailor
Alec Craig
Andy MacMillan
Thomas W. Ross
Dr. Grisson
Hugh Beaumont
Seaman
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Jacques Tourneur's second feature after years as a second-unit director — his shadow-play techniques here directly preview his later horror masterpieces Cat People and I Walked With a Zombie.
The Nick Carter franchise was MGM's attempt to compete with Fox's Charlie Chan and Warner's Sherlock Holmes series — this middle entry got buried because it was deemed too similar to their own Thin Man formula.
US
