Malaya (film)

Malaya is a 1949 American war thriller film set in colonial Malaya during World War II directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Spencer Tracy, James Stewart and Valentina Cortese. The supporting cast features Sydney Greenstreet, John Hodiak, and Lionel Barrymore, with Richard Loo and Gilbert Roland. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Plot
In January 1942, one month after the United States entered World War II, reporter John Royer returns to the United States. He goes to see his friend, newspaper publisher John Manchester, about a scheme to smuggle desperately needed rubber out of Japanese-occupied Malaya. Manchester, though he has been selected by the government to deal with the rubber shortage, does not seem interested. However, government agent Kellar takes Royer to a meeting with Manchester and others. Royer is granted approval to put the smuggling plan into action.

Royer needs the help of his old friend, smuggler Carnaghan. He succeeds in getting Carnaghan released from Alcatraz — where Royer's exposé had landed him — to help. They slip into Malaya and contact Carnaghan's associate, the Dutchman, who recruits a gang for them from customers in his saloon, including Romano. Carnaghan also renews his acquaintance with the saloon's Italian singer, Luana.

Using money and intimidation, they succeed in purchasing all the available rubber, but eventually the Japanese commander, Colonel Tomura, gets wind of the scheme. On the last trip to transport the remaining rubber (belonging to German plantation owner Bruno Gerber) to a waiting freighter, Carnaghan smells an ambush. He forces Gerber to confess that he tipped off Tomura. Royer decides to try going around the ambush; Carnaghan refuses to go with him. He and the Dutchman hear the machine guns slaughtering everyone in the boats—including Royer.

Tomura hints to the Dutchman that he would be willing to look the other way and let the rubber go in return for gold. The Dutchman is certain that Tomura cannot be bought, but Carnaghan takes him up on his offer. He and Romano make plans to foil Tomura, knowing they may end up as “angels.”

Realizing that Carnaghan plans to “follow” his friend, Luana gets into his boat, expecting to die with him. He shoves her overboard, waving as she swims for shore. Carnaghan takes Tomura to where the freighter lies hidden. When a Japanese warship appears, he talks about a “miracle like a couple of PT-boats.”  Carnaghan shoots the two sailors guarding him and kills Tomura. Wounded, Carnaghan hauls himself up on the gunwale to watch as those two PT boats sink the warship. He collapses, out of sight.

Cut to the Japanese flag being replaced by the flag of Australia. Kellar walks through the bar to the office of the Dutchman, who asks, “Did you find him?”, meaning Carnaghan. Kellar tells how he tracked the smuggler to the island where he lives with Luana and offered him a medal. Carnaghan sends it back—to the Dutchman.

Cast

 * Spencer Tracy as Carnaghan
 * James Stewart as John Royer
 * Valentina Cortese as Luana, bar singer and Carnaghan's former girlfriend
 * Sydney Greenstreet as The Dutchman
 * John Hodiak as Kellar
 * Lionel Barrymore as John Manchester
 * Richard Loo as Colonel Tomura
 * Gilbert Roland as Romano
 * Roland Winters as Bruno Gerber, a German plantation owner

Cast notes
 * This was Greenstreet's last picture. He was borrowed from Warner Bros. for the film.
 * Valentina Cortese was borrowed from 20th Century Fox.
 * DeForest Kelley appears as Lt. Glenson.

Production
The film was based on Manchester Boddy's plan to get rubber out of Japanese-held Malaya after a fire destroyed a large part of the US government's supply of raw rubber at the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company's plant in Fall River, Massachusetts. The character John Manchester, portrayed by Lionel Barrymore, was based on Boddy.

The film was originally developed by Dore Schary for RKO under the title Operation Malaya. Howard Hughes rejected both Operation Malaya and Battleground. When Schary left RKO to go to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he bought the property from MGM. Principal photography took place from mid-February to March 24, 1949. The film's release was delayed due to hesitation about making a film about World War II.

This film was the first occasion on which James Stewart worked with Spencer Tracy since his screen debut in Murder Man (1935) in which he had a minor role with sixth billing.

Reception
The New York Times critic Bosley Crowther called the film "a rousing, old-fashioned thriller about bold men with wily minds and crushing fists. Scenarist Frank Fenton crowded plenty of action into the script and Richard Thorpe's direction keeps the screen pulsing with excitement".

According to MGM records, the film earned $1,959,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $1,128,000 in other markets, resulting in a profit of $691,000.