It's the War of 1812, and Captain Jim Marshall (Mark Stevens) is chosen to sail one of America's few naval ships, the Concord, to France and bring back a donation of gold for the war effort. Scheming former British captain Ben Waldridge (Patrick Knowles) and his men are aboard as part of Jim’s crew, planning to mutiny and reroute the gold to England. When Waldridge brings an old girlfriend (Angela Lansbury) back with him on the return trip, however, it seems he might have other plans, like grabbing the gold, the girl, and high-tailing it out of there. It’s up to Captain Marshall to make sure the bullion gets back to the States, as the fate of the young nation hangs in the balance. Edward Dmytryk (who would later direct the more famous CAINE MUTINY) was just back from being blacklisted when he tackled this Univeral programmer for the King Brothers, and he nicely interweaves naval action and human drama. The beautiful cinematography is courtesy of Ernest Lazlo.

release year: 1952

star(s): Angela Lansbury