For the Common Defense!

Jun 20, 1942

0h 22m

★ 4.7

Another Crime Does Not Pay Subject

Overview

This Crime Does Not Pay short shows how cooperation among all the nations of the Americas helps the war effort. In this case, a US government agent travels to Chile and Colombia. He works with local authorities to try to thwart an Axis plan to ship stolen ammunition.

Genres

Drama

Crime

Production Companies

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

For the Common Defense! Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Subprefect Santiago Castillo

John Litel

Dutch Mullner

Douglas Fowley

Lt. Guytan

Stephen McNally

Agent Pritchard

Van Johnson

Adolph (uncredited)

Egon Brecher

Buckley's girlfriend (uncredited)

Jacqueline Dalya

MGM Crime Reporter (uncredited)

Mark Daniels

Heinrich Ort (uncredited)

Steven Geray

Officer (uncredited)

José Portugal

On September 1st, 1939, Nazi Germany invades Poland, unleashing World War II. On September 17th, the Soviet Red Army crosses the border. The Polish army, unable to fight on two fronts, is defeated. Thousands of Polish men, both military and government officials, are captured by the invaders. Their fate will only be known several years later.

6.9

Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi

Jan 15, 1943

A propaganda film during World War II about a boy who grows up to become a Nazi soldier.

6.0

Red Nightmare

Feb 11, 1962

A man takes his American freedoms for granted, until he wakes up one morning to find out that the United States Government has been replaced with a Communist system. The basis for this short film, narrated by Jack Webb, is the alleged Soviet re-creation of US communities for the purpose of training infiltrators, spies, and moles.

6.6

Their Finest

Feb 19, 2017

During the Blitz of World War II, a female screenwriter works on a film celebrating England's resilience as a way to buoy a weary populace's spirits. Her efforts to dramatise the true story of two sisters who undertook their own maritime mission to rescue wounded soldiers are met with mixed feelings by a dismissive all-male staff.

6.4

The Iron Lady

Dec 26, 2011

A look at the life of Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, with a focus on the price she paid for power.

9.0

Know Your Money

Jan 27, 1940

This MGM Crime Does Not Pay series short tells the fictitious story of a bill counterfeiting ring and explores the government's attempt to curb counterfeiting.

6.1

The Negro Soldier

Apr 10, 1944

Documentary focusing on the contributions to the American war effort of African-American soldiers.

6.7

Money to Loan

Mar 11, 1939

The MGM crime reporter introduces Norman Kennedy, District Attorney of a large city, he who talks about the general want for money, and the extraordinary lengths some will go to to get it. The loan sharking business has that want for money on both sides. He tells the story of one such loan shark, Stephen Hanley, who tried to pass his company off as a legitimate loan business, but who charged exorbitant rates, and used extortion and fraud to get out of his customers even more than what they may have owed on paper.

7.0

Purity Squad

Nov 3, 1945

This entry in the Crime Does Not Pay series focuses on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's effort to ensure that drugs are fully tested before they are sold to consumers. Two unscrupulous investors market the drug 'Diabulin' as a substitute for insulin after preliminary tests show good results. After a short time, however, users start dying from the drug. The FDA and the state attorney general's office then go after the drug marketers.

6.0

The Silver Fleet

Jun 16, 1943

The Silver Fleet was inspired by a true story from World War II. Holland now under German occupation, a Shipyard owner and Chief engineer Jaap van Leyden is summoned to build ships for the German war effort. The commission would allow Leyden to build sophisticated submarines whilst safeguarding jobs for the local Dutch workforce. A newly built U-boat, named U107 goes out on her first sea trial and is hijacked by a Dutch crew and they re-route the vessel to England. As such it provided an opportunity to refuel patriotism in the face of a seemingly interminable war and almost unbearable civilian hardship.

5.9

Don't Talk

Feb 28, 1942

This Crime Does Not Pay series entry dramatizes the idea that during wartime, people should not discuss anything related to their work when in public. A casual remark can be overheard by an enemy agent and used to sabotage the war effort. In this short, the story involves shipments of parts to a defense plant.

5.9

The Wrong Way Out

Dec 24, 1938

Two young people get married and run away, even though their parents advise them to build up their savings first. After they get settled they can barely make ends meet. When opportunity suddenly presents itself, they start on a downward spiral of crime.

6.0

Buried Loot

Jan 19, 1935

An embezzler who expects to serve his time in prison and then pick up his buried loot is in for a surprise.

6.0

Alibi Racket

Sep 14, 1935

How police interrogation cracks the "airtight" alibi of a criminal.

7.0

Women in Hiding

Jun 22, 1940

In this Crime Does Not Pay series short, a young woman wants to save her baby, but is afraid of telling her parents and has no money to pay the hospital costs involved. She falls prey to a baby-for-sale racket with quack doctors performing their services.

5.7

Behind the Criminal

Oct 30, 1937

Episode 13 of the Crime Does Not Play series from MGM.

6.0

What Price Safety!

Feb 5, 1938

Racketeers muscle in on construction business, use inferior materials, make big profits and endanger the public safety.

5.6

Miracle Money

Mar 26, 1938

In this MGM Crime Does Not Pay series short, doctors scam patients with a fake cure for cancer.