"Joe Smith, American" is a quaint WW2 propaganda piece with the steady Robert Young as the eponymous lead character.Joe Smith is an aircraft factory worker who is selected to work on the installation of a top secret bombsight. He's just a regular Joe alright with a drop-dead gorgeous wife, "Mary" (Marsha Hunt) and an "adorable" 9 yr old moppet of a son, "Johnny" (Darryl Hickman). While being driven to school, Johnny extols his father with his admiration for the Revolutionary War patriot, Nathan Hale, and continues to exhibit a steely determination to keep secret from his parents how he spent his allowance despite being punished for his refusal to reveal. Upon reaching the school, Joe is treated to the sight of Johnny and his classmates reciting the Pledge of Allegiance (in its original form prior to its inclusion of "under God") and singing "My Country tis of Thee." Joe's face beams with patriotic pride as he heads towards work.His son's determination not reveal his secret, the story of Nathan Hale, and the exhibits of patriotism at the school, all serve Joe in good stead to stay silent when he's kidnapped by dastardly spies who are determined to get the bombsight plans from Joe by either bribery, torture or threats of death. Of course, Joe endures and eventually is able to outwit his tormentors, but what do you expect from a WW2 propaganda piece- for the bad guys to actually get away with it?The best one can say about this film is that it's earnest. It truly wears its patriotic heart on its sleeve. Plus, Robert Young approached the role with his usual likable aplomb. Unfortunately, Marsha Hunt is given little to do except look pretty which she does very well. (Although how old was her character supposed to be when she got married and had a kid? 13? 14? Miss Hunt was just 23 or 24 when she made this movie.) However, Darryl Hickman was a truly annoying child actor. He's just so cloyingly cute that it makes one's teeth ache. Usually, I give kid actors some leeway, but Mr. Hickman gave a similar annoying performance in 1945's "Leave To Her Heaven" in which many in the audience were undoubtedly pleased when Gene Tierney's character didn't lift a finger to save his irritating character. So, how he acted here wasn't just a one-off performance.It was a different world. The unabashed patriotism and pride in being an American exhibited in this film is something that is NOT taught in our schools today. How many American school kids today can recite Nathan Hale's once famous final words?

Interesting movie on a number of levels. As a patriotic retrospective it is good to see how well the "pledge of allegiance" stands up without the "under G*d" inserted by the brave cold warriors of the Eisenhower era and defended with such valiance by the boobs of the new millennium.Another poster mentioned a strange fascist-like salute to the flag. What they were doing was not saluting the flag. When they stood sideways and raised their right hands, palms forward, fingers flattened and pointing at the flag, they were *presenting* the flag as one would present an honored guest at a banquet. I remember doing that as a child in school.

I haven't seen this movie in about 40 years but it scared the daylights out of me as a kid. To me Robert Young was Jim Anderson, the exemplary dad of Father Knows Best. So it was really disturbing to see him captured by enemy agents and tortured. I don't remember what they did to him but it was terrible. It seems like they smashed his fingers with pliers. Another cool aspect of this movie is the way Robert Young was able to remember the way to the enemy agents' hideout by sound, even though he was taken there blindfolded. To this day I try to listen to what things sound like whenever I am traveling some place, in case I have to go back there again.This movie also has an excellent visual texture to it -- shot in black and white with terrific use of shadows, sinister bad guys in dark clothing, bulky old cars.

I saw this as a child, probably 9 or 10 years old, and can remember thinking how clever this man was to remember the route of the kidnap car. Well acted, Robert Young as the hero and kept you on the edge of the seat all through the movie. Have not seen it since and need to review the movie again.