For the Common Defense!

For the Common Defense!

For the Common Defense!

Share

For the Common Defense!

"Another Crime Does Not Pay Subject"

1942

0h 22m

4.7(7 votes)

Drama

Crime

Overview

This Crime Does Not Pay short shows how cooperation among all the nations of the Americas helps the war effort. In this case, a US government agent travels to Chile and Colombia. He works with local authorities to try to thwart an Axis plan to ship stolen ammunition.

Links & Resources

Social & External

Production Companies

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Cast & Crew

9 members

Acting

John Litel

Subprefect Santiago Castillo

John Litel

Acting

Douglas Fowley

Dutch Mullner

Douglas Fowley

Acting

Stephen McNally

Lt. Guytan

Stephen McNally

Acting

Van Johnson

Agent Pritchard

Van Johnson

Acting

Egon Brecher

Adolph (uncredited)

Egon Brecher

Acting

Jacqueline Dalya

Buckley's girlfriend (uncredited)

Jacqueline Dalya

Acting

Mark Daniels

MGM Crime Reporter (uncredited)

Mark Daniels

Acting

Steven Geray

Heinrich Ort (uncredited)

Steven Geray

Acting

José Portugal

Officer (uncredited)

No Image

Similar Movies

My Life for Ireland

My Life for Ireland

A Nazi propaganda movie from 1941 directed by Max W. Kimmich, covering a story of Irish heroism and martyrdom over two generations under the occupation of the British.

Katyn

Katyn

On September 1st, 1939, Nazi Germany invades Poland, unleashing World War II. On September 17th, the Soviet Red Army crosses the border. The Polish army, unable to fight on two fronts, is defeated. Thousands of Polish men, both military and government officials, are captured by the invaders. Their fate will only be known several years later.

Sergeant York

Sergeant York

Alvin York a hillbilly sharpshooter transforms himself from ruffian to religious pacifist. He is then called to serve his country and despite deep religious and moral objections to fighting becomes one of the most celebrated American heroes of WWI.

The Slacker

The Slacker

Robert Wallace, the elder son of a rich and indulgent father, marries Margaret Christy, a spirited patriot, so that he can escape the call to war. Discovering the reason for Robert's haste to get married, Margaret is appalled and resolves to bring home to her husband a sense of his personal responsibility. In order to instill patriotism in Robert, Margaret contrasts him with John Harding, the man who gave her up to go to war. When Robert protests his wife's tactics, Margaret accuses him of being a contemptible coward. The next day a German insults the American flag, and Robert, his sense of justice aroused, makes him salute it. He then bids Margaret farewell and marches off to war. Margaret sees him off without divulging the secret that she is pregnant, thus sacrificing her own welfare for that of her country.

Soak the Old

Soak the Old

Part of MGM's "Crime Does Not Pay" series, this short film focuses on crimes revolving around pension scams.

Their Finest

Their Finest

During the Blitz of World War II, a female screenwriter works on a film celebrating England's resilience as a way to buoy a weary populace's spirits. Her efforts to dramatise the true story of two sisters who undertook their own maritime mission to rescue wounded soldiers are met with mixed feelings by a dismissive all-male staff.

Red Nightmare

Red Nightmare

A man takes his American freedoms for granted, until he wakes up one morning to find out that the United States Government has been replaced with a Communist system. The basis for this short film, narrated by Jack Webb, is the alleged Soviet re-creation of US communities for the purpose of training infiltrators, spies, and moles.

Night Train to Munich

Night Train to Munich

Czechoslovakia, March 1939, on the eve of World War II. As the German invaders occupy Prague, inventor Axel Bomasch manages to flee and reach England; but those who need to put his knowledge at the service of the Nazi war machine, in order to carry out their evil plans of destruction, will stop at nothing to capture him.

The Iron Lady

The Iron Lady

A look at the life of Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, with a focus on the price she paid for power.

Know Your Money

Know Your Money

This MGM Crime Does Not Pay series short tells the fictitious story of a bill counterfeiting ring and explores the government's attempt to curb counterfeiting.

Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi

Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi

A propaganda film during World War II about a boy who grows up to become a Nazi soldier.

The Silver Fleet

The Silver Fleet

The Silver Fleet was inspired by a true story from World War II. Holland now under German occupation, a Shipyard owner and Chief engineer Jaap van Leyden is summoned to build ships for the German war effort. The commission would allow Leyden to build sophisticated submarines whilst safeguarding jobs for the local Dutch workforce. A newly built U-boat, named U107 goes out on her first sea trial and is hijacked by a Dutch crew and they re-route the vessel to England. As such it provided an opportunity to refuel patriotism in the face of a seemingly interminable war and almost unbearable civilian hardship.

Purity Squad

Purity Squad

This entry in the Crime Does Not Pay series focuses on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's effort to ensure that drugs are fully tested before they are sold to consumers. Two unscrupulous investors market the drug 'Diabulin' as a substitute for insulin after preliminary tests show good results. After a short time, however, users start dying from the drug. The FDA and the state attorney general's office then go after the drug marketers.

Money to Loan

Money to Loan

The MGM crime reporter introduces Norman Kennedy, District Attorney of a large city, he who talks about the general want for money, and the extraordinary lengths some will go to to get it. The loan sharking business has that want for money on both sides. He tells the story of one such loan shark, Stephen Hanley, who tried to pass his company off as a legitimate loan business, but who charged exorbitant rates, and used extortion and fraud to get out of his customers even more than what they may have owed on paper.

The Negro Soldier

The Negro Soldier

Documentary focusing on the contributions to the American war effort of African-American soldiers.

Help Wanted

Help Wanted

A temporary laborer who helps bring down a mob-sponsored employment racket

Think It Over

Think It Over

A gang of 'professional torches' burn down stores for the insurance money.

A Criminal Is Born

A Criminal Is Born

An entry in MGM's Crime Does Not Pay series, this short tells the true story of how a young man, ignored by his parents, gets into a gang and starts a crime spree which leads to murder.

They're Always Caught

They're Always Caught

This MGM Crime Does Not Pay series short shows the role the crime laboratory plays in the solving of cases, and how even the smallest detail can become a major clue.

Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows

A police psychiatrist is enlisted to catch a killer.

Recommended Movies

Re-Existences

Re-Existences

“Re-Existence” is a documentary about migration stories of individuals from the Brazilian queer community.

Main Tera Hero

Main Tera Hero

Seenu loves Sunaina but they're chased by a stalking cop, an infatuated beauty and her mafia don dad - can Seenu's heroics work?

Last Ma(i)nland

Last Ma(i)nland

Photographer Grigory Yaroshenko gets a chance to visit Antarctica and learn about the life of polar explorers. But his wife is expecting their second child, and life changes. Gregory is faced with the question of male self-identification and acceptance of new family circumstances.

Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty

Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty

Part two of Leni Riefenstahl's monumental examination of the 1938 Olympic Games, the cameras leave the main stadium and venture into the many halls and fields deployed for such sports as fencing, polo, cycling, and the modern pentathlon, which was won by American Glenn Morris.

Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya?

Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya?

Dr Samir is an absolute charmer when it comes to women, but he poses as a married man to keep them at bay. Love becomes a three-ring-circus for him after he ends up tangled in his web of lies with his girlfriend Sonia and pretend wife Naina.

The Garden of Sinners: Paradox Spiral

The Garden of Sinners: Paradox Spiral

Tomoe Enjou is attacked by bullies from his old school and saved by Shiki Ryougi. He asks her to hide him at her place and admits that he killed someone. Several days later, there are still no broadcasts about the murder as if it didn't happen... and when the victims are found, they're alive and unharmed.

Divers at Work on the Wreck of the "Maine"

Divers at Work on the Wreck of the "Maine"

Divers go to work on a wrecked ship (the battleship Maine that was blown up in Havana harbour during the Spanish-American War), surrounded by curiously disproportionate fish.

Main Atal Hoon

Main Atal Hoon

Statesman and poet Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee's eloquence and vision shaped India's destiny. A look at his remarkable life as he led his country through a challenging period of change and development as the 10th Prime Minister of India.

Disney Presents: Main Street Electrical Parade - Farewell Season

Disney Presents: Main Street Electrical Parade - Farewell Season

Catch the spark after dark at Disneyland Park. And say farewell to one of the Magic Kingdom's most celebrated traditions - The Main Street Electrical Parade. Where else, but in The Main Street Electrical Parade, could you see an illuminated 40-foot-long fire-breathing dragon? And hear the energy of its legendary melody one last time? It's unforgettable after-dark magic that will glow in your heart long after the last float has disappeared.

DIABOLIK LOVERS ~re:requiem~

DIABOLIK LOVERS ~re:requiem~

live action Diabolik Lovers

Re-Generator

Re-Generator

A plane containing a highly classified government project crashes outside of a small town in the US. Realizing the level of danger, the government tries to secretly fix the problem. As tensions grow, the situation gets out of control, and civilians from the town find themselves facing their worst nightmare: a genetically enhanced killing machine that doesn't know how to stop.

Liberation: Direction of the Main Blow

Liberation: Direction of the Main Blow

This five part epic war drama gives a dramatized detailed account of Soviet Union's war against Nazi Germany during world war two. Each of the five parts represents a separate major eastern front campaign.

The Julius House: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery

The Julius House: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery

Aurora Teagarden is a beautiful young librarian with a passion for solving murders. After an exhaustive search for the perfect home, Aurora finally purchases her dream house, unaware of its murky history. As she prepares to move in, Aurora discovers that the family who once lived there mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

East of Main Street: Asians Aloud

East of Main Street: Asians Aloud

In celebration of Asian Heritage Month, HBO presents a collection of perspectives from a diverse group of Asian Americans.

Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar

Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar

To earn extra cash, Mickey helps couples break up — but life gets complicated when he falls for Tinni, a career woman with an independent streak.

Re-Elected

Re-Elected

Friends battle former U.S. presidents when they come back from the dead as zombies on the Fourth of July.

Main Street

Main Street

A small town in Spain, October 1955. Isabel, a 35-year-old dreamer who feels like a failure because she is not married yet, becomes the new target of a group of soulless pranksters.

The Botanical Avatar of Mademoiselle Flora

A young woman lives sadly in a small garrison town with a soldier. Little by little, won over by boredom, sadness, total inaction, she develops a relationship with plants and starts talking to plants.

Main Street on the March!

Main Street on the March!

This Best Short Subject Academy Award winning film begins in the spring of 1940, just before the Nazi occupation of the Benelux countries, and ends immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It chronicles how the people of "Main Street America", the country's military forces, and its industrial base were completely transformed when the decision was made to gear up for war. Original footage is interspersed with contemporary newsreels and stock footage.

Hunan: The Other World of Avatar

How China's magical Zhangjiajie National Park attracted director James Cameron, who came seeking inspiration for a mysterious fictional planet.