Dangerously They Live

John Garfield battles Nazi spies headed by menacing Raymond Massey in the wartime thriller Dangerously They Live. Garfield plays Dr. Michael Lewis, thrust into a New York netherworld of espionage when a beautiful British agent named Jane (Nancy Coleman) is wheeled into his ambulance after a car crash. Jane feigns amnesia and is placed under the care of a famed psychiatrist (Massey) at his home. She reveals her identity to Michael and begs him to accompany her. Although skeptical, Michael obliges and soon realizes he and Jane are captives of ruthless Nazis who wield syringes full of truth serum. Fast-paced and ominous, Dangerously They Live was also timely: it premiered just 17 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. And the story undoubtedly resonated with Garfield. A member of Hollywoods Anti-Nazi League, he warned against fascism long before most Americans grasped the danger they faced.