Big Jim McLain (1952)

(Daniel Webster's grave, Washington D.C., Hawaii; contemporary)
IMDb

This relic or curio from the early 1950's stars John Wayne as Jim McLain, an investigator for the House Un-American Activities Committee. McLain hates the communists, and how they exploit our constitution, particularly the 5th amendment, to get away with their nefarious schemes. He is matched in his disdain for the Marxists only by his partner Mal Baxter (a pre Gunsmoke James Arness), who frequently wants to beat the Reds senseless, in the courtroom or elsewhere. The two are sent to Hawaii to investigate communist agitation, particularly in the local unions. While there the Duke fins love in psychology student Nancy Vallon (Nancy Olson), and Mal finds a fatal overdose of truth serum (Wayne gives him an kick ass obituary in his head when identifying the body).

As you would want from a movie of this description it is over the top, starting with a bizarre prologue about Daniel Websters grave, in which the possibility of an angry zombie Senator Webster is provoked (It sounds like an uncredited Henry 'Harry' Morgan may have given the opening narration). There's a lot of spoon feed patriotism on display, from the choice of background music in the opening, to a largely pointless visit to the wreckage of the U.S.S. Arizona, before the memorial was built. My favorite odd touch to the film, largely because it was so random and thus memorable, was a crazy-type eccentric "doctor" who visits Wayne to inform him about his supper weapon, recent visit with Stalin, plan to make all people in the world look alike, and how he prefers his Lemonade made with Lemons. The whole sequence produced at least a couple audible "What the Hell's?" from me during viewing. Real life Honolulu chief of Police Dan Liu appears as himself, Alan Napier is the despicable mastermind of the communist plot.