Tampico *** (1944, Edward G Robinson, Lynn Bari, Victor McLaglen, Marc Lawrence, Mona Maris) – Classic Movie Review 13,778

Edward G Robinson stars in Tampico (1944) as an oil tanker skipper who rescues a woman (Lynn Bari) when her ship is sunk by a German U-boat. But is she a German agent?

Director Lothar Mendes’s 1944 20th Century Fox American black and white war drama film Tampico is based on a story by Ladislas Fodor, and stars Edward G Robinson, Lynn Bari, Victor McLaglen, Marc Lawrence, and Mona Maris.

Tampico is is a reasonably gripping wartime sea saga, set and partly filmed at Tampico Port in Mexico.

Edward G Robinson stars as World War Two oil tanker skipper Captain Bart Manson, who rescues Kathy Hall (Lynn Bari) when her ship is sunk by a German U-boat and later marries her. But then Manson’s ship is also sunk. He thinks that there’s a German agent at work and investigates whether it might be Kathy (Lynn Bari), who had no papers when she was rescued, or his first mate Fred Adamson (Victor McLaglen).

Maybe the film is a bit creaky and obvious, but the set-up and story are interesting enough, and the energetic acting keeps it afloat.

Cast: Edward G Robinson as Captain Bart Manson, Lynn Bari as Katherine ‘Kathy’ Hall, Victor McLaglen as Fred Adamson, Robert Bailey as Second Mate Watson, Marc Lawrence as Valdez, Edward James Ballantine as Silhouette Man, Mona Maris as Dolores Garcia, Tonio Selwart as Kruger, Ann Corcoran as Karla, Carl Ekberg, Roy Roberts, George Sorel, Charles Lang, Ralph Byrd, Trevor Bardette, Nestor Paiva, Otto Reichow, Chris-Pin Martin, Margaret Martin, Constantine Romanoff, Hans von Morhart, Antonio Moreno, Paul Kruger, Martin Garralaga, Ludwig Donath, Arno Frey, Helen Brown, Martin Black, David Cota, Jean Del Val, Ben Erway, and Peter Helmers.

Tampico is directed by Lothar Mendes, runs 75 minutes, is made and released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Kenneth Gamet, Fred Niblo Jr and Richard Macaulay, based on a story by Ladislas Fodor, is shot in black and white by Charles G Clarke, is produced by Robert Bassler, is scored by David Raksin, and is designed by James Basevi.

Release date: April 10, 1944 (US).

Lynn Bari (born Marjorie Schuyler Fisher, December 18, 1919 – November 20, 1989) acted in about 150 20th Century Fox films from the early 1930s through the 1940s.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,778

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com