An exotic setting, glamorous sets, a young and stunningly beautiful Ava Gardner, Maury Gertsma’s great cinematography, a lovely score from Daniele Amfitheatrof and an exciting ending all combine to overcome the somewhat leisurely-paced first hour of this film and give it that something extra. A glossy crime and romance film with a romantic feel, Singapore entertains in a “Casablanca Light” kind of way. There are, in fact, many similarities to that film.

Fred MacMurray portrays Matt Gordon, returning to the Hotel Singapore now that the war is over hoping to retrieve a fortune in pearls he hid in his room. There are memories everywhere for Gordon of his romance with Linda Grahame (Ava Gardner). A small cafe table and two Gin Slings only remind him of the great love he lost when the Japanese bombed Singapore.

Deputy Hewitt (Richard Hayden) has a long memory as well, and puts Gordon on notice that he knows about the pearls, and will be keeping a close eye on Gordon. They have the type of cordial cop-crook rapport that mirrors the Rains-Bogart one in Casablanca.

Everything changes for Gordon, however, when he sees a very beautiful ghost. There are only two problems: she’s married to a rich plantation owner who loves her, and she has amnesia, with no memory of anything before the air raid. Hewitt’s cops helps here in filling in the blanks, even though she can remember none of it.

The relationship of Linda and her wealthy husband Michael (Roland Culver) mirrors the Bergman-Lukas one in Casablanca. Great character actor Thomas Gomez, so good in so many films, is the smarmy Sydney Greenstreet-type who decides Linda might have a clue about those pearls. This is the point where the film takes of, and the pace quickens.

Bullet wounds, changes of heart, and the inevitable knock on the head which brings all the memories back may be tropes after so many years, but they’re enjoyable ones with such an attractive cast and a setting to match. Spring Byington and Porter Hall add some humor as vacationers, Mr. and Mrs. Bellows. What is probably a three-star film for the first hour gets a big boost from that point forward if you enjoy those great Hollywood endings of the 1940s. A fortune in pearls, police, a plane and a pretty girl all make this one easy to take. As long as you don’t expect Casablanca, despite the similarities, quite enjoyable. ( )