Comrade X *** (1940, Clark Gable, Hedy Lamarr, Oscar Homolka, Felix Bressart, Eve Arden, Sig Ruman) – Classic Movie Review 7411

Hedy Lamarr stars as a beautiful Communist Moscow train driver, who is romanced by American reporter Clark Gable in Soviet Moscow, in MGM’s 1940 film Comrade X.

This is much pleasure, as well as quite a few laughs, to be found in director King Vidor’s 1940 MGM black and white comedy spy film Comrade X, when Hedy Lamarr stars as a beautiful Communist Moscow train driver who is romanced in Soviet Moscow by an American reporter, played by Clark Gable.

Mac (Gable) is smuggling uncensored news out of Moscow under the alias of Comrade X, but hotel valet Vanya (Felix Bressart) finds out and blackmails Mac into helping his daughter Theodore escape the country, and that is where the romance comes in.

Based on an Oscar-nominated original story by Walter Reisch, this mild but likeable wartime romantic comedy of manners is sharpened with barbed anti-communist stabs at the political situation of the time.

The yarn strains belief of course, and perhaps Vidor’s touch is not light enough. But Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer bring wit and acid to the screenplay, and the star chemistry is there on screen, with Gable twinkling nicely and Lamarr making the most of one of her best acting opportunities as Theodore.

Plus there is an ideal support cast to back the stars up all the way. They include Oscar Homolka, Eve Arden, Sig Ruman, Natasha Lytess, Vladimir Sokoloff, Edgar Barrier, Georges Renavent, John Piccori and Mikhail Rasumny. It runs a brisk 90 minutes, and, for that, double Oscar-winning film editor Harold F Kress must share in the credit.

It may be an Oscar-nominated original story but it plays very much like Ninotchka, and was even advertised as ‘The Funniest Love Comedy Since Ninotchka’.

Filming began in late August 1940 and it was released on 13 December 1940 in the US.

It was a hit, costing $920,000, and earning $1,520,000 in the US and Canada plus $559,000 elsewhere, for a profit of $484,000.

Ah the fickle finger of fate! Here, in Ninotchka and other US films, Russians are shown as backward, dreary, depressing and totalitarian. But, after the US entered the war on Russia’s side, Hollywood immediately changed its tune to make films to show Russians as brave, honourable, freedom-loving liberators. In the UK, Comrade X was pulled from the cinemas.

The cast are Clark Gable as McKinley B ‘Mac’ Thompson, Hedy Lamarr as Golubka / Theodore Yahupitz / Lizvanetchka “Lizzie”, Oskar Homolka as Commissar Vasiliev, Felix Bressart as Igor Yahupitz / Vanya, Eve Arden as Jane Wilson, Sig Ruman as Emil Von Hofer, Natasha Lytess as Olga Milanava, Vladimir Sokoloff as Michael Bastakoff, Edgar Barrier as Commissar’s Aide Rubick, Georges Renavent (credited as George Renevant) as world press attendee Laszlo, Mikhail Rasumny as arresting Russian officer, and John Piccori.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7411

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