BOMBER'S MOON (1943)

During WWII, American bomber pilot Jeff Dakin (George Montgomery), flying for the British, is trying to return to England after getting attacked in the air over Belgium. He tells his younger brother Danny, the bomb sighter, to use his parachute to escape the damaged plane, but as he falls, Danny is shot and killed by German pilot Streicher, who seems to take great delight in the killing. Jeff bails out, is captured, recovers from his injuries and is sent to a prison camp for officers. He is cared for by Russian nurse Alexandra (Annabella) and becomes buddies with Paul (Kent Taylor), a Czech prisoner who is planning an escape. The three manage to get out during an air raid and make their way to the home of Nazi economist Prof. Mueller who is actually a resistance leader who gives them papers and plans for getting out to Holland. But as they're about to leave, Paul is revealed to be a Nazi spy who kills Mueller and calls a Gestapo colonel to come and get Jeff and Alexandra. The two get away and pose as a married couple to get to Rotterdam where they make contact with another resistance fighter before the last leg of their trip to England. But when Jeff discovers that Nazi pilot Streicher is about to take off on a spy trip to assassinate Winston Churchill, he stays behind and poses as a German flier in an attempt to stop the assassination and to get revenge for his brother. This war film is thoroughly average and wastes an evocative title (it's referenced briefly at the beginning and end; it refers to a clear night with a bright full moon) and a good lead actor. I usually like Montgomery as a B-movie lead but he feels tamped down here by the script and direction. Certainly the storyline has promise, but the fairly quick pace of the proceedings, usually a plus in B-films, doesn’t allow much character or plot development. Annabella is OK in a mostly thankless role, Kent Taylor is also OK, and Martin Kosleck, one of Hollywood’s go-to Nazis, is a little better but his role is too small. The director of credit is Charles Fuhr, a pseudonym for three directors (mostly Edward Ludwig) and that may be one reason why the movie doesn't quite come together. Still, it's relatively painless and fans of George Montgomery (pictured) will like this enough. [YouTube]