Even George MacReady's usual sinister ways is not enough to save this 1950 film. Problem is that the character should have more developed to produce more vile behavior. Film is predictable since you know that Agent John Hodiak, posing as a Hungarian with an authentic accent to break up a smuggling immigrant ring, shall fall for Hedy Lamarr, who is trying to gain entrance into the United States by any means.Half-way into the film, MacReady becomes aware of who Hodiak really is and the film goes rapidly downhill from there.Even the chase through the Florida swamp lands lacks the necessary excitement.

Wow, now this was a turkey. Even a couple of name brand actors couldn't save this thing.A couple of Immigration officials in Miami have had it with an organization sneaking in immigrants. One illegal gets killed in Miami and they decide to infiltrate the home base in Havana. Things don't too well and with a few missteps the crooks get away...but Immigration gives chase.Thats's pretty much it. You get a decent performance outta John Hodiak but Hedy Lamarr is just there for you to look at. Just as beautiful as any female to grace the screen. Nobody ever accused her of trying to win an Oscar and after watching this you can see why. They try to throw in a curve ball to make the film interesting in that Hedy Lamarr is stuck from one port to another and can't get citizenship anywhere cause she was a concentration camp survivor who was deported and can't get to stay anywhere. Even with that injected this thing is just dull and bland the whole way.A couple of fun parts to watch for. A scene early one where the undercover Immigration official goes into town after dark in a café where a girl is dancing.Take a close look at the girl. She ain't Cuban. Just a small white girl painted on with a deep dark tan. Reminds me of those old westerns where the Indians were all white guys darkened up. I think the best part is the plane chase sequence. They wanna keep track of this guy flying so they keep the navy on him with a flier. My issue is if these smugglers were so wanted why didn't they dispatch more planes to follow? The plane deliberately crashes and they coulda had another plane follow the raft the go off on. What a laugh. The worst is the plane crash itself. No one in the plane had seats so they had to sit on their luggage. The plane(model plane) crashes and hits a tree really hard and they all get out OK. Now I've never been in a plane crash but in this case, physics would dictate most if not all those passengers woulda flown out the cockpit window with the speed the plane hit that tree.Save your time and watch the sun set in a lawn chair with a cold beer and be happy you avoided a 73 minute waste of time.

**SPOILERS** Film about a smuggling ring operating out of Havana Cuba getting fake papers and passports for people desperately trying to enter the United States. It becomes apparent to the US Immigration Service that something is not right in Miami when Ramon Santez, Charles Wagenheim, is killed in a car accident in NYC. Having just arrived from Cuba Sentez was in possession of a half $1,000.00 bill when he was killed. We earlier saw that Santez was scared by this stranger who approached him in a car and threatened Sentez about something that he had going with this guy named Palinov, Geore Macready. That threat had him running for his life and head first into a moving automobile! who's the heck is this Palinov?It's later fond out by the INS, Immigration and Naturalization Service, that Sentez was in the country illegally. It's also found out that he was supposed to pay the person who scared him into practically killing himself the other half of the bill that he had on him. Sending Hungarian/American INS agent Pete Karcgaz, John Hodiak, to Havana Cuba to check on the late Satnez connections there Pete decides to go undercover as an Hungarian national. Pete masquerade's around as the snobbish and self-centered Josef Gombush who's trying to enter the United States. This act on Petes part is to get to the bottom of the story that leads him straight to the mysterious Palinov.It's Palinov who approaches Gombush, the undercover INS agent Karczag, not the other way around and invites him to his café the "Gulf Stream" in downtown Havana to talk business. Needing $1,000.00 to get the papers in order for Gombush to enter the US Palinov felt that the guy is loaded and $1,000.00 feed can easily be doubled or even tripled by him.It just happens that Palinov is also working on the papers of beautiful Buchenwald Concentration Camp survivor Marianne Lorress, Hedy Lamarr, who doesn't have the cash, $1,000.00, but sure as hell has the looks to get him to get her into the United States. Gombush/Karcgaz also notices the gorgeous knock-out Marianne at the café which almost causes him to lose both his composure as well as his fake Hungarian accent.Gombush/Karcgaz really over doing it by acting like some high class jerk get's Palinov suspicious of his intentions. He later has a number of his boys break into Gombush's hotel room and work him over. It's then found out that Gombush is actually Pete Karczag American INS agent which completely blows his cover. Knowing that the heat is on Palinov starts to work fast to check out of Cuba but makes a point to point out to the exotic and alluring Marianne that her boyfriend Gombush, he didn't take long to make a move on her,is really American INS agent Pete Karczag! This has her drop Karczag cold and leave together with Palinvo, who's also crazy about her, and a number of other illegal refugees on a chartered plane to Florida.With the US military and local police having an all points bulletin out in looking for him Palinov has his pilot James ,Bruce Cowling, crash land in the wetlands of the Florida Everglades It's then that Palinov takes off with James and of course the captivating Marianne by rubber raft for the open sea in a boat that he had hidden in the swamps.Tracked down by INS agent Karcgaz and his boss chief Westake, James Craig, Palinvo ends up losing his pilot James to an attack by a poisonous water-moccasins. Palivo now on foot makes it to the boat only to run into Karcgaz who made it there first. After trying to shoot and miss both Karcgaz and, I guess he didn't love her anymore, Marianne Palinvo helplessly sails into the fog to Key West. With all his plans now shot to pieces Palinvo is then picked up by the awaiting US Coast Guard as he become stranded, because of agent Karcgaz sabotaging his boat, in the Caribbean Sea.

By the time of "Lady Without a Passport," Hedy Lamarr had seen better days. Of course, having seen better days for Hedy Lamarr would be any other beautiful woman's ultimate moment. She was one of the great film beauties. She never was one of the great film actresses, however, although she's pretty good in this post-war film about immigrants trying to get into the U.S. illegally with the help of the always oily George Macready. Immigration operative John Hodiak is sent to Havana, where he poses as a Hungarian trying to get into the states. He falls in love with Lamarr along the way.John Hodiak, who facially has always reminded me of Martin Landau, does a very good job. There is some magnificent Havana scenery to behold. For me the film bogs down in the protracted ending as everyone is tracing a plane, but picks up again in scenes filmed in the Florida everglades.The movie is black and white and very atmospheric.