In 1944 Carole starred in the World War 2 drama
Secret Command. Carole is 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 who pretends to be Jill's
husband while they search for spies at a ship-building plant. The cast
includes Chester Morris, Ruth Warrick, and Barton MacLane. Pat was one
of the film's producers and he requested that Carole be his costar. They
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 original title of the movie was Pilebuck. Carole
was paid $2,500 a week and she never missed a day of work even though
she was suffering from the flu. Secret Command was directed by Eddie
Sutherland, one of Carole's closest friends. It was filmed at Columbia
Studios from January 17 until March 8, 1944. The costumes were designed
by Jean Louis. Carole 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". The movie received mixed
reviews and was not a box-office success. It was nominated for an Oscar for Special Effects.
Carole and Pat O'Brien
