Malaya (1949)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

Manchester Boddy (story)
Frank Fenton (writer)

Release Date:

24 April 1950 (Sweden)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Plot:

Newspaperman Royer convinces government officials of a plan to obtain rubber by stealing it out from under the Japanese...

Plot Keywords:

WWII

Cast

Spencer Tracy	...	Carnaghan
James Stewart	...	John Royer
Valentina Cortese	...	Luana (as Valentina Cortesa)
Sydney Greenstreet	...	The Dutchman
John Hodiak	...	Kellar
Lionel Barrymore	...	John Manchester
Gilbert Roland	...	Romano
Roland Winters	...	Bruno Gruber
Richard Loo	...	Col. Tomura
Ian MacDonald	...	Carlos Tassuma
Tom Helmore	...	Matisson
Lester Matthews	...	Matisson (scenes deleted)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joel Allen	...	Federal Agent (uncredited)
Besmark Auelua	...	Henchman (uncredited)
George M. Carleton	...	Small Man (uncredited)
Silan Chan	...	Malay Girl (uncredited)
Spencer Chan	...	Chinese Shipmaster (uncredited)
Joseph Crehan	...	Businessman with Pipe (uncredited)
Luther Crockett	...	Naval Officer (uncredited)
Jack Davis	...	Captain (uncredited)
Carl Deloro	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Carli Elinor	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Roque Espiritu	...	Malay Servant (uncredited)
David Fresco	...	Barracuda Ed (uncredited)
Vic Groves	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Ben Hagerty	...	Submarine Officer (uncredited)
Don Haggerty	...	Submarine Commander (uncredited)
Herbert Heywood	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Russell Hicks	...	Businessman with Cigar (uncredited)
Anthony Jochim	...	Lean Man (uncredited)
DeForest Kelley	...	Lt. Glenson (uncredited)
George Khoury	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Paul Kruger	...	Official (uncredited)
Eddie Lee	...	Japanese Aide (uncredited)
Uluao Letuli	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Weaver Levy	...	Japanese Aide (uncredited)
Leon Lontoc	...	Servant (uncredited)
Peter Mamakos	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Charles Meredith	...	Big Man (uncredited)
Matt Moore	...	George, Prison Official (uncredited)
Anna Q. Nilsson	...	Secretary (uncredited)
Jimmy O'Gatty	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Alex Pope	...	Henchman (uncredited)
William Self	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Jack Shea	...	Intern (uncredited)
Paul Singh	...	Servant (uncredited)
James Somers	...	Army Transport Captain (uncredited)
Leon Stewart	...	Piano Player (uncredited)
Leonard Strong	...	Half-witted Malay (uncredited)
James Todd	...	Carson (uncredited)
Kula Tutiama	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Frank Wilcox	...	Naval Officer with Businessmen (uncredited)
Robert Williams	...	Army Sergeant (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Thorpe

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Manchester Boddy		story
Frank Fenton		writer

Produced by
Edwin H. Knopf	....	producer

Original Music by
Bronislau Kaper

Cinematography by
George J. Folsey		(as George Folsey)

Film Editing by
Ben Lewis

Production Design by
Malcolm Brown

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by
Irene
Valles

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup artist
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair stylist: Miss Cortesa

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bert Glazer	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Henry Grace	....	associate set decorator (as Henry W. Grace)

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording supervisor

Special Effects by
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	special effects
Warren Newcombe	....	special effects

Music Department
André Previn	....	conductor

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1979) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
• Warner Home Video (2009) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

East of the Rising Sun (UK)
Operation Malaya (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

98 min | 95 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #13788)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden - 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Sydney Greenstreet's final film.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: One scene features wild chimpanzees. Chimps are natives of Africa, not Malaya.

Quotes:

Carnaghan: [on Col. Tomura] I don't care if he's a Jap, I can do business with anybody.

Movie Connections:

Edited from They Were Expendable (1945)

Sydney Greenstreet is superb (as always) !!

There is a scene that makes the whole picture worthwhile (although it is otherwise pretty ordinary):

Sydney GREENSTREET is entering a room after app. 2/3 of the movie, where Spencery Tracey has just been "treated kindly" in an "interview", Greenstreet is sweating (as always), sitting down and looking at the molestor of Tracy, then says (roughly): "If you say this was necessary, then of course it was necessary, but wasn't that much for a bottle of poor booze?". The officer say: "But he broke our rules". Greenstreet: "A man who drinks and then doesn't break any rules is no man. Drinking and making troubles goes together, this is also a rule." What a line !! Officer: "I love your logic." Of course these are not exactly the lines from the picture, cause I saw the German dubbed version and re-translated them, but they can only be better in the English version.

Hilarious! Tape it, when shown on TV next time and get to that scene, it is just great!