Dangerously They Live

John Garfield battles Nazi spies headed by menacing Raymond Massey in the wartime thriller Dangerously They Live. Garfield plays Dr. Michael Lewis, thrust into a New York netherworld of espionage when a beautiful British agent named Jane (Nancy Coleman) is wheeled into his ambulance after a car crash. Jane feigns amnesia and is placed under the care of a famed psychiatrist (Massey) at his home. She reveals her identity to Michael and begs him to accompany her. Although skeptical, Michael obliges -- and soon realizes he and Jane are captives of ruthless Nazis who wield syringes full of truth serum. Fast-paced and ominous, Dangerously They Live was also timely: it premiered just 17 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. And the story undoubtedly resonated with Garfield. A member of Hollywood's Anti-Nazi League, he warned against fascism long before most Americans grasped the danger they faced.

• drama
• romance
• thriller