Rookies in Burma
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Leslie Goodwins
Wally Brown
Alan Carney
Erford Gage
Joan Barclay
Claire Carleton
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Army rookies Jerry Miles and Mike Strager are peeling potatoes in Burma when they are called into combat. After becoming separated from their company in the jungle, they are captured by the Japanese and taken to a prisoner-of-war camp, where they are reunited with their platoon leader, Sgt. Burke. Assuming that the camp commandant, Capt. Tomura, is unable to understand English, the rookies insult him until he calmly addresses them in English and orders them to interpret the American double-talk spoken by Burke. When Burke is brought into Tomura's office, the three Americans communicate in double-talk, and Mike hits Tomura over the head and takes his clothes. After stealing two other uniforms from their Japanese sentries, the three Americans escape in a station wagon. They are chased by the Japanese, and when one of their pursuers' bullets pierces a bag of sugar in the back of the station wagon, the sugar pours out, leaving a trail. Upon discovering the sugar, Burke stops the car, pulls out the bag and pours a trail leading to the edge of a cliff. Following the trail, their Japanese pursuers then plunge over the cliff. When their car runs out of gas, the three walk to the village below. Hungry, Mike and Jerry sneak into a café looking for food. There they meet Connie and Janie, fellow Americans who have been stranded in Burma. When Tomura arrives at the café, Mike and Jerry disguise themselves in native robes and stumble into a knife-throwing act. They are saved from the daggers by Burke, who shows them a briefcase full of secret documents that he has stolen from the Japanese camp. The next day, Burke decides to escape to freedom on board an elephant and the women insist upon joining them. As the elephant and its five passengers lumbers through the jungle, it is followed by Japanese soldiers. After the elephant stumbles and sends its passengers tumbling to the ground, the five take refuge in the brush. When the Japanese park their vehicles to search for the Americans, Burke chains their truck to a tree and the five drive off in the jeep. Jumping into the truck, the Japanese gun the engine and topple the tree over onto the truck. Undeterred, Tomura calls headquarters and alerts a surveillance plane to dive bomb the Americans. After being blasted off the road by a bomb, the group continues on foot until they come to the last mountain pass before crossing over to the American lines. Leaving the women behind, the men cross the pass and see a Japanese convoy on the other side. After pulling off their robes to expose their Japanese uniforms, the three steal a Japanese tank, return for the women and, after hoisting the white flag of surrender, head for the American lines. The Americans, thinking that the Japanese tank wants to surrender, hold their fire until a Japanese soldier, who was hidden in the tank, begins shooting. Now fired on by both sides, Burke jumps out of the tank and prints American slang on its side, causing the Americans to stop shooting. After being honored for securing the secret Japanese plans, Mike and Jerry return to peeling potatoes.
Director
Leslie Goodwins
Cast
Wally Brown
Alan Carney
Erford Gage
Joan Barclay
Claire Carleton
Ted Hecht
Preston Lee
Owen Song
Richard Loo
Joseph Kim
Robert Andersen
Michael Road
Barry Regan
Leroy Strine
Steve Clemento
Pete Katchenaro
Beal Wong
Frank Wong
Emory Chow
Allan Jung
Eddie Lee
James B. Leong
Albert Law
Lim Sin
Carlos San Garrido
Jack Santos
Chuck Hamilton
John Hamilton
Crew
C. Bakaleinikoff
James Casey
Albert S. D'agostino
Al Fields
Bert Gilroy
Al Herman
Edward James
Harry Marker
Frank Mcwhorter
Renie
Darrell Silvera
Harry J. Wild
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Although the Variety review credits Claire Carelton with the role of "Janie" and Joan Barclay with that of "Connie", the CBCS reverses these credits. This film was a sequel to the 1943 RKO film Adventures of a Rookie and it was the second and last picture in RKO's proposed "Rookie" series. It was also producer Bert Gilroy's last film for RKO and actor Erford Gage's last film appearance before meeting his death in battle at Iwo Jima on March 17, 1945.
