Main Cast: Clark Gable, Rosalind Russell, Peter Lorre, Reginald Owen, Matthew Boulton, Jessie Ralph
Release Year: 1941
Country: US
Run Time: 93 minutes
Plot
They Met in Bombay is a typical MGM star vehicle, in which the leading players are called upon to carry a pencil-thin plotline on the force of sheer personality. Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell play Gerald Meldrick and Anya Von Duren, a pair of rival jewel thieves at large in India. Both parties are after the same prize, a priceless diamond owned by the Duchess of Beltravers (Jessie Ralph). To inveigle their way into the Duchess' confidence, Gerald poses as a Scotland Yard detective, while Anya pretends to be an aristocrat. After several reels of cross-purposes, hero and heroine decide to team up, keeping one step ahead of a diligent police inspector (Matthew Boulton) and mercenary freighter captain Chang (Peter Lorre). Both Gerald and Anya betray the nobler sides of their natures in the final reels, participating in a pitched battle against invading Japanese military forces. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
They Met in Bombay is not one of the better "rival thieves" films, but it does have the unique pairing of Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell going for it. The stars do indeed shine; the script, at best, merely twinkles. The biggest problem is that Bombaydoesn't really know what kind of a film it wants to be. A romance? A comedy? A thriller? An espionage flick? A piece of wartime propaganda? By trying to be all of these, it ends up falling apart long before it reaches the home stretch. Some of the dialogue is witty (and some is not), and there are some nice character touches, such as having a Duchess who's a bit rougher than expected. But this just makes the viewer wish that the creators had taken a firm stand on the direction in which the picture was headed and steered a clear course, rather than dithering back and forth. Still, with Gable and Russell on hand, there's only so far off course a film can go, no matter how hard it tries. So the story doesn't really make sense. These two don't mind, and they try their hardest to make sure the viewer doesn't either. If you're in the mood for some star-gazing, sit back and enjoy -- and try to ignore the story that keeps buzzing around and getting in the way. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Gerald Meldrick (Clark Gable) and Anya Von Duren (Rosalind Russell) are a pair of rival jewel thieves at large in India. Both parties are after the same prize, a priceless diamond owned by the Duchess of Beltravers (Jessie Ralph). To inveigle their way into the Duchess' confidence, Gerald poses as a Scotland Yard detective, while Anya pretends to be an aristocrat. After working at cross purposes, they decide to team up, keeping one step ahead of a diligent police inspector (Matthew Boulton) and mercenary freighter captain Chang (Peter Lorre). Both Gerald (joining the Winnipeg Grenadiers) and Anya betray the nobler sides of their natures in the end, fighting in a pitched battle in China against the invading Japanese army.
