MGM’s “A Yank on the Burma Road” benefited from the timeliness of its release: It opened in New York City seven weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
A story about truck convoys, which reach their destination despite obstacles, the George B. Saitz directed movie centers on the experiences of a stalwart American (Barry Nelson) whose main interests are money and publicity.
A former New York cab driver, initially, he takes a truck-driving job for the money. However, after meeting Laraine Day, he gets some education and propaganda to the point where he becomes a selfless hero, leading trucks and Chinese guerrillas for an attack on the Japanese.
Credits:
Produced by Samuel Marx.
Directed by George B. Saitz.
Screenplay by George Kahn, Hugo Butler and David Lang.
Release date: January 28, 1942