Lure Of The Islands

1977. LURE OF THE ISLANDS (1942-usa). WITH margie hart, robert lowery, guinn “BIG BOY” WILLIAMS, GALE STORM. Directed by JEAN YARBROUGH. Fabled burlesque ecdysiast (that’s a “stripper” to you) Margie Hart stars in this peppy tale which deftly combines intrigue, comedy and sex. The setting is an exotic Pacific isle which during any other time would be a peaceful locale of “palm trees, soft music and beautiful babes.” However, the advent of World War II has made it a hotbed of Fifth Column activity. Nazis reportedly are using it as a point in which to link up with the Japanese. Arriving on the scene to determine what exactly is going on are a pair of American agents posing as shipwrecks: a two-fisted hunk named Wally and his thick-headÂed, Texas-accented partner. Wally keeps reminding his girl-obsessed cohort that their job is to sniff out Nazis and not waste an instant ogling the island beauties. He changes his tune upon setting eyes on a captivating native damsel whom he instantaneously labels a “gorgeous hunk of woman.” She is played by Hart, who can’t act but nonetheless oozes a sexuality rarely seen on movie screens in the early 1940s. Her character is quite a character: don’t even ask how she came by the surÂname O’Shaughnessy. She surprises Wally as she explains that she would prefer residency in a Park Avenue penthouse rather than on an island paradise. There is a frenetic plot, crammed with action and spicy bits of comic relief, and then there are all those saronged starlets who join Hart in dancing hulas and frolicking in Pacific waters. 61 minutes. Drama