Secret Command (1944)

In 1944 Carole starred in the World War 2 drama Secret Command. She plays Jill McGann, a secret agent who goes undercover to expose a deadly plot. 20th Century Fox loaned her to Columbia to make the movie. Pat O'Brien plays Sam Gallagher, a man who pretends to be Jill's husband while they search for spies at a ship-building plant. He was one of the film's producers and had requested that Carole be his costar. She and had been friends since 1937 and would work together again in Having Wonderful Crime. Secret Command was a low budget independent film made by Torneen productions. It was based on the Saturday Evening Post story "The Saboteurs". The cast includes Chester Morris, Ruth Warrick, and Barton MacLane.

Carole and Pat O'Brien

Secret Command was directed by Eddie Sutherland, who became one of Carole's closest friends. The movie's original title was Pilebuck. It was filmed at Columbia Studios in Los Angeles from January 17 until March 8, 1944. Carole was paid $2,500 a week and she never missed a day of work even though she was suffering from the flu. Her costumes were designed by Jean Louis. She wore a blue butterfly dress from the film during her tour of the South Pacific and was later buried in it. Secret Command was released on July 30, 1944. The film's tagline was "Drama...by a handful of men and women who fight the enemy within our gates". It received mixed reviews and was not a box-office success. The movie was nominated for an Oscar for Special Effects.