In the early years of World War II, Hollywood made many movies similar to this one. Well, not exactly similar. Every major studio had made spy films, patriotic, flag-waving and morale-boosting propaganda films, and war-related comedies. Some of them had been very good satires, especially about the Nazis. Yet no one had made a movie that combined all of these and then topped it off as a musical. But that's exactly what MGM did with "Cairo." And it also borders on screwball comedy.
There's no doubt that this is a spoof of spying plots. It says so in the prologue as the movie opens. "To the authors of "spy" dramas - those unsung heroes of the pen without whose inspiration international spies could not possibly be as clever as they are-this picture is irreverently dedicated..."
This is a film that one should watch two, three or more times. Because each time more humor and satire come through. Some of it is just in the zany plot to begin with. It's a film with plots and plotting within the plot. The several cast elements are more preposterous even than unlikely.
The Times Leader of Cavity Rock, California, has been picked as THE typical small town newspaper by the Small Town Newspaper Association. And its star reporter (as if there was more than one), Homer Smith, will report on the war for the small town papers. Enroute to North Africa his ship is torpedoed. He's first feared lost at sea, but then one other survivor swims up to his small raft. That's Englishman Philo Cobson. He convinces Smith that he's with British intelligence, but he's really the Nazi super spy. When they reach land, the Italian army there wants to surrender to them and be turned over to the British. The two separate, and Homer has a message to deliver for Cobson in Cairo to a Mrs. Morrison. In the meantime, famous American singer and actress Marcia Warren has been outside the States for three years. She first had tours around Europe but when the war broke out, she made her way to Cairo and has been unable to get back to the States.
Those are the main improbabilities that form the main plot of this film, but there still are more. The subplots include a plot by the Nazis to sink an American destroyer in the Suez Canal. They will do that by a radio controlled plane loaded with bombs that will crash into the ship. The bomber is being assembled near the pyramids under camouflage. The chief Arab spy orchestrating all of this has white mice for pets. The Nazi hideout is inside one of the pyramids. A tuning fork with the pitch of a high C note opens the wall of the pyramid. The high C is part of a clever word play with very funny results. Marcia Warren sings a perfect high C, and Homer Smith has a money belt with C-notes (100-dollar bills).
All of the cast in "Cairo" are superb. Jeanette MacDonald is Marcia Warren and Robert Young is Homer Smith. They have great chemistry, and each one suspects the other of being a Nazi spy. Mona Barrie is excellent as Mrs. Morrison - a top Nazi spy. Ethel Watters is Marcia's assistant, Cleona Jones, and sings a couple of songs. Reginald Owen is Philo Cobson. Eduardo Ciannelli is Ahmed Ben Hassan. Dooley Wilson is Hector. And others add nicely to the humor or spoofery - Lionel Atwill, Dennis Hoey, Mitchell Lewis, Larry Nunn and more.
The hilarious twists and turns in this film make it a wonderful mix of music and merriment that all should enjoy. The epilogue has the WW II appeal to buy bonds for the war effort. Here are some very funny snippets and lines from this film.
When he's snooping through Marcia Warren's desk, Homer comes across a fan letter and reads it. It's from Wilbur Snoddicka of Empty Gulch, North Dakota. "Dear Miss Warren: I am 87 years old and I have a sow and 4 tons of alfalfa. If you do not want to marry me, plees send me a ottograffed pitcher." (sic)
Marcia Warren, "Tell me, Mr. Uh..." Homer Smith, "Jones." Marcia, "Couldn't you do better than that? You might as well have said Smith." Homer, "No, it is Jones. Uh, eh, Juniper Jones."
Marcia Warren, "Don't ask me why, Cleo, but he's gotta be out tonight, and we've gotta be in." Cleona Jones, "Why don't we go out and let him be in?" Marcia, "No, that's just exactly what he wants."
Marcia Warren, "He won't go out if we don't go out. And we can't go out if he doesn't go out. But, if we won't go out unless he goes out, maybe he'll go out." Cleona Jones, "Miss Warren, I think you better take a nice warm bath and lay down."
Cleona Jones, "What is he doing, Miss Warren?" Marcia Warren, "I don't know. Looks like he's trying to commit hari-kari."
Cleona Jones, "Miss Warren, I've got a confession to make. I'm the biggest coward in the world." Marcie Warren, "No you're not. You're next to the biggest."
Marcia Warren, sniffing, "Have you a woman accomplice with you?" Homer Smith, "Not that I know of." Marcia, "This room positively wreaks of cheap, vulgar perfume." Homer, "Well, it's yours." Marcia, "Oh!" Homer, "I spilled it on me."
Homer Smith, "Go ahead, turn me over to the Nazis. I'd a lot rather die as a hick newspaperman than live as a famous Nazi movie star."
Marcia Warren, "You think you can confuse me by calling me a Nazi, you Nazi." Homer Smith, "Don't you call me a Nazi, you Nazi."
Homer Smith, "I've been a dope long enough. Anybody with a half a brain could have seen you were a Nazi." Teutonic Gentleman, "How fortunate for us that you have such a limited supply."
There's no doubt that this is a spoof of spying plots. It says so in the prologue as the movie opens. "To the authors of "spy" dramas - those unsung heroes of the pen without whose inspiration international spies could not possibly be as clever as they are-this picture is irreverently dedicated..."
This is a film that one should watch two, three or more times. Because each time more humor and satire come through. Some of it is just in the zany plot to begin with. It's a film with plots and plotting within the plot. The several cast elements are more preposterous even than unlikely.
The Times Leader of Cavity Rock, California, has been picked as THE typical small town newspaper by the Small Town Newspaper Association. And its star reporter (as if there was more than one), Homer Smith, will report on the war for the small town papers. Enroute to North Africa his ship is torpedoed. He's first feared lost at sea, but then one other survivor swims up to his small raft. That's Englishman Philo Cobson. He convinces Smith that he's with British intelligence, but he's really the Nazi super spy. When they reach land, the Italian army there wants to surrender to them and be turned over to the British. The two separate, and Homer has a message to deliver for Cobson in Cairo to a Mrs. Morrison. In the meantime, famous American singer and actress Marcia Warren has been outside the States for three years. She first had tours around Europe but when the war broke out, she made her way to Cairo and has been unable to get back to the States.
Those are the main improbabilities that form the main plot of this film, but there still are more. The subplots include a plot by the Nazis to sink an American destroyer in the Suez Canal. They will do that by a radio controlled plane loaded with bombs that will crash into the ship. The bomber is being assembled near the pyramids under camouflage. The chief Arab spy orchestrating all of this has white mice for pets. The Nazi hideout is inside one of the pyramids. A tuning fork with the pitch of a high C note opens the wall of the pyramid. The high C is part of a clever word play with very funny results. Marcia Warren sings a perfect high C, and Homer Smith has a money belt with C-notes (100-dollar bills).
All of the cast in "Cairo" are superb. Jeanette MacDonald is Marcia Warren and Robert Young is Homer Smith. They have great chemistry, and each one suspects the other of being a Nazi spy. Mona Barrie is excellent as Mrs. Morrison - a top Nazi spy. Ethel Watters is Marcia's assistant, Cleona Jones, and sings a couple of songs. Reginald Owen is Philo Cobson. Eduardo Ciannelli is Ahmed Ben Hassan. Dooley Wilson is Hector. And others add nicely to the humor or spoofery - Lionel Atwill, Dennis Hoey, Mitchell Lewis, Larry Nunn and more.
The hilarious twists and turns in this film make it a wonderful mix of music and merriment that all should enjoy. The epilogue has the WW II appeal to buy bonds for the war effort. Here are some very funny snippets and lines from this film.
When he's snooping through Marcia Warren's desk, Homer comes across a fan letter and reads it. It's from Wilbur Snoddicka of Empty Gulch, North Dakota. "Dear Miss Warren: I am 87 years old and I have a sow and 4 tons of alfalfa. If you do not want to marry me, plees send me a ottograffed pitcher." (sic)
Marcia Warren, "Tell me, Mr. Uh..." Homer Smith, "Jones." Marcia, "Couldn't you do better than that? You might as well have said Smith." Homer, "No, it is Jones. Uh, eh, Juniper Jones."
Marcia Warren, "Don't ask me why, Cleo, but he's gotta be out tonight, and we've gotta be in." Cleona Jones, "Why don't we go out and let him be in?" Marcia, "No, that's just exactly what he wants."
Marcia Warren, "He won't go out if we don't go out. And we can't go out if he doesn't go out. But, if we won't go out unless he goes out, maybe he'll go out." Cleona Jones, "Miss Warren, I think you better take a nice warm bath and lay down."
Cleona Jones, "What is he doing, Miss Warren?" Marcia Warren, "I don't know. Looks like he's trying to commit hari-kari."
Cleona Jones, "Miss Warren, I've got a confession to make. I'm the biggest coward in the world." Marcie Warren, "No you're not. You're next to the biggest."
Marcia Warren, sniffing, "Have you a woman accomplice with you?" Homer Smith, "Not that I know of." Marcia, "This room positively wreaks of cheap, vulgar perfume." Homer, "Well, it's yours." Marcia, "Oh!" Homer, "I spilled it on me."
Homer Smith, "Go ahead, turn me over to the Nazis. I'd a lot rather die as a hick newspaperman than live as a famous Nazi movie star."
Marcia Warren, "You think you can confuse me by calling me a Nazi, you Nazi." Homer Smith, "Don't you call me a Nazi, you Nazi."
Homer Smith, "I've been a dope long enough. Anybody with a half a brain could have seen you were a Nazi." Teutonic Gentleman, "How fortunate for us that you have such a limited supply."