To me, this movie is perfection.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Lloyd Nolan (Lucky) leads a small group of US guerrillas engaged in warfare against the invading Japanese in the Phillipines. The purpose of the guerrillas is debated and it is finally agreed that they are there to broadcast the truth to the world.The main problem with this film is the manner which most of the cast play it. Lloyd Nolan seems the only one taking this situation seriously. Elisha Cook Jr (Gillman) seems more interested in his pet monkey and chicken, which is ridiculous, and showgirl Carole Landis (Edna) fires out one too many wisecracks as do many others in the cast. This is a serious war situation! Something else – Cornel Wilde (Jeff) is the group's leader for most of the film but just doesn't have the presence and is totally undermined in his position by Nolan who seems the far more commanding personality. Bad casting. The story is flag-waving propaganda with a corny broadcast at the end. It's OK to watch but I was disappointed with this effort.

If you are a fan of 1940s actress Carole Landis this is a must-see movie. I'm thrilled that Fox has finally released it on DVD. Carole plays a showgirl who gets trapped with a group of soldiers in the Phillipines during World War 2. Her costar and love interest is the always terrific Lloyd Nolan. This drama has a really wonderful cast including Cornel Wilde, Elisha Cook Jr, and James Gleason. The groups tries to stay alive on a plantation when they get attacked by the enemy. Manila Calling has some great action and a few heart wrenching scenes. It's one of my favorite WW2 movies and one of Carole's best performances. TEN STARS!!!!! For years this movie was very hard to find but now Manila Calling is available on DVD from amazon and movies unlimited. I highly recommend it :-)

The war in my town of Cabanatuan in the center of Luzon island in the Philippines just ended although there were still Japanese die-hards hiding in the foothills around our town, taking pot shots at GIs, civilians etc. I remember seeing this movie, "Manila Calling," in this kind of postwar atmosphere. I must have been in first grade, knowing no English except "Hello Joe," "Victory Joe," "Got chewing gum, Joe?" but I remember understanding and being able to follow the story line or plot of the movie. I loved this movie as I loved all the other American war movies that I saw as a little boy, just delivered from the misery of war and the brutality of the Japanese conquerors. The GIs and General MacArthur were our heroes. After a span of more than five decades I can remember vividly Lloyd Nolan's character trying to outwit the Japs and get an old, broken down two-seat civilian airplane started so he can escape. It's kind of hazy, being not able to understand the dialogue, but I do remember that before fleeing from the Japanese, Nolan and the townspeople were desperate in their attempt to find fresh water as the Japanese either poisoned or cut off the town's water supply. I wish I can see this movie again, either on TV or to purchase or rent a VHS version of it.

Manilla calling chronicles the activities of a group of Americans, cut off and trapped in Luzon by the Japanese advance. They elected to hide in the mountains rather than surrender and go to Japanese prison camps. Lloyd Nolan plays a role as a tough guy with a soft heart. It has little hype and no revisionist history, an accurate account of how it was.