Tropic Zone

In so many ways, "Tropic Zone" is like a B-western...but set on a tropical island instead of the American west. Think about it...the plot involves a powerful guy trying to force a woman off her banana plantation. Substitute 'banana plantation' for 'ranch' and you've got a western!

Flanders (Rhonda Fleming) inherited a banana plantation from her father. But she's having a hard time making a go of it...and much is because her foreman is actually actively trying to make the place lose money. Why? Because a rich jerk wants her land and he's paying the foreman to be an obstructionist. When she meets Dan (Ronald Reagan), she is taken with him and his knowledge of bananas...so she hires him to run her outfit. Soon after this, the same rich jerk who was paying the foreman now comes to Dan with a proposition....to also hinder her banana production or else the guy will turn Dan into the law. Apparently, in some nearby country, Dan got on the wrong side of the recent junta...and they have put up a reward for him. But Dan is an honorable guy. While he tells the jerk he'll sabotage the operation, he actually works hard to make a go of it.

Another reason the film reminds me of a western is that Estelita Rodriquez is in the film. She made a career out of appearing in Roy Rogers films...and effectively ruining them because of her horrible acting. Fortunately, she's not as noticeable in this one. I think this change might be because unlike the Rogers films, which were made by Republic Studios, this one is made by Pine-Thomas...and Herbert Yates (the president of Republic) was rumored to have taken a special interest in Estelita. I have no idea if it's true, but it would explain why such a godawful actress would appear in so many films by Republic. But again...here she's not good...but she's also not annoying is easy to hate like she is in the Rogers films.

So is the film any good? Well, it's okay. The plot is VERY familiar despite the change of locales and the story is also very easy to predict. Fleming and Reagan give it their best, but with such a script mediocrity is the best they could hope to achieve.