Review of The Spy Ring

While the cheery presence of Jane Wyman in the female leading role might attract interest in this B film that saw her loaned out from Warner Brothers to Universal, it is the performance of veteran silent actress Esther Ralston as a memorable bad girl that is the stand-out in an otherwise forgettable film. The basic story deals with enemy agents out to get the goods on new army weapons, with Ralston as one of the villains who uses her feminine wiles to make a connection with the men in charge of the creation of this anti-aircraft weapon. Much of this hour long film either takes place either at an army base dance or on the polo fields, leaving little time for much detail concerning the major point of the plot. William Hall is a rather dull leading hero, with Ben Alexander cast as his partner who ends up murdered after Ralston gets from him what she needs. This leads to a hostage situation with Ralston and her cohorts holding Hall and Wyman at gunpoint with predictable results. Wyman seems to be pidgeon-holed into the typecast cheery young lady role that would dominate her career during the late 1930's into the mid 1940's, only changed into a dramatic direction by her surprise casting in "The Lost Weekend" which set the course for the remainder of her career and made her a true actress rather than just a studio contract player. Her role here does her no justice, and other than Ralston, the remainder of the cast seems to be just going through their paces anyway.