Stopover Tokyo
Encyclopedia
Stopover Tokyo is a 1957
American espionage
drama
directed by Richard L. Breen
and starring Robert Wagner
, Joan Collins
, Edmond O'Brien
and Ken Scott. Filmed in Japan in CinemaScope
, the film is set in Tokyo
and follows a US counterintelligence agent foiling a communist assassination plot.
The film is based very loosely on final Mr. Moto
novel by John P. Marquand's
called, Right You Are, Mr. Moto. The biggest change is that Me. Moto is entirely cut from the film.
) is sent to Tokyo on a routine courier mission but soon uncovers communist George Underwood’s (Edmond O'Brien
) plot to assassinate the American High Commissioner (Larry Keating
).
Whilst there he meets Welsh receptionist (Joan Collins
) who fellow agent Tony Barrett (Ken Scott
) has the hots for. Though this causes initial animosity between the two they manage to race against the clock to foil the assassination.
made expansive use of location shooting in Kyoto. The city was not bombed in World War II
due to the fact no war industries had been located there, the city being a sacred Shinto area and retained its Japanese character.
1957 in film
The year 1957 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue-Awards:...
American espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
directed by Richard L. Breen
Richard L. Breen
Richard L. Breen was a Hollywood screenwriter and director. He began as a freelance radio writer. After a stint in the US Navy during World War II, he began writing for films and worked alone and in collaboration with such distinguished writers as Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett.He won an Oscar...
and starring Robert Wagner
Robert Wagner
Robert John Wagner is an American actor of stage, screen, and television.A veteran of many films in the 1950s and 1960s, Wagner gained prominence in three American television series that spanned three decades: It Takes a Thief , Switch , and Hart to Hart...
, Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
, Edmond O'Brien
Edmond O'Brien
Edmond O'Brien was an American actor who is perhaps best remembered for his role in D.O.A. and his Oscar winning role in The Barefoot Contessa...
and Ken Scott. Filmed in Japan in CinemaScope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
, the film is set in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and follows a US counterintelligence agent foiling a communist assassination plot.
The film is based very loosely on final Mr. Moto
Mr. Moto
Mr. Moto is a fictional Japanese secret agent created by the American author John P. Marquand. He appeared in six novels by Marquand published between 1935 and 1957. Marquand initially created the character for the Saturday Evening Post, which was seeking stories with an Asian hero after the death...
novel by John P. Marquand's
John P. Marquand
John Phillips Marquand was a American writer. Originally best known for his Mr. Moto spy stories, he achieved popular success and critical respect for his satirical novels, winning a Pulitzer Prize for The Late George Apley in 1938...
called, Right You Are, Mr. Moto. The biggest change is that Me. Moto is entirely cut from the film.
Plot
US Intelligence Agent Mark Fannon (Robert WagnerRobert Wagner
Robert John Wagner is an American actor of stage, screen, and television.A veteran of many films in the 1950s and 1960s, Wagner gained prominence in three American television series that spanned three decades: It Takes a Thief , Switch , and Hart to Hart...
) is sent to Tokyo on a routine courier mission but soon uncovers communist George Underwood’s (Edmond O'Brien
Edmond O'Brien
Edmond O'Brien was an American actor who is perhaps best remembered for his role in D.O.A. and his Oscar winning role in The Barefoot Contessa...
) plot to assassinate the American High Commissioner (Larry Keating
Larry Keating
Larry Keating was an American actor born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is known for his role of next-door neighbor Roger Addison on the television series Mister Ed, which he played from 1961 until his death in 1963...
).
Whilst there he meets Welsh receptionist (Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
) who fellow agent Tony Barrett (Ken Scott
Ken Scott
Ken Scott is an English record producer and recording engineer.-Career:Scott started at the age of 16 working in the tape library at Abbey Road Studios. He became a recording engineer working with such acts as The Beatles, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and Procol Harum...
) has the hots for. Though this causes initial animosity between the two they manage to race against the clock to foil the assassination.
Filming
Cinematographer Charles G. ClarkeCharles G. Clarke
Charles G. Clarke ASC an American cinematographer who worked in Hollywood for over 40 years and was treasurer and president of the American Society of Cinematographers.-Career:...
made expansive use of location shooting in Kyoto. The city was not bombed in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
due to the fact no war industries had been located there, the city being a sacred Shinto area and retained its Japanese character.
Cast
- Robert WagnerRobert WagnerRobert John Wagner is an American actor of stage, screen, and television.A veteran of many films in the 1950s and 1960s, Wagner gained prominence in three American television series that spanned three decades: It Takes a Thief , Switch , and Hart to Hart...
as Mark Fannon - Joan CollinsJoan CollinsJoan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
as Tina Llewellyn - Edmond O'BrienEdmond O'BrienEdmond O'Brien was an American actor who is perhaps best remembered for his role in D.O.A. and his Oscar winning role in The Barefoot Contessa...
as George Underwood - Ken Scott as Tony Barrett
- Larry KeatingLarry KeatingLarry Keating was an American actor born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is known for his role of next-door neighbor Roger Addison on the television series Mister Ed, which he played from 1961 until his death in 1963...
as High Commissioner - Sarah Shelby as High Commissioner's wife
- Reiko Oyama as Koko