Amsterdamned be damned!  What's this Jan Kijlstra says about "Operation
Amsterdam" masquerading under the alias "Amsterdamned" with something
nasty prowling canals?  Are you sure about that, Jan?

"Operation Amsterdam" is a war movie (the second world variety)
starring Peter Finch and Eva Bartok, which has been shown on British TV
several times.  The plot centres (centers? schmenters? who cares...)
around the efforts of Dutch bankers to get their stocks of diamonds to
England before those awful Nazis arrive.

A large street organ is featured prominently, cranked by Melvin Hayes,
who has been instructed to start playing it if he sees any swastika-
bedecked soldiers approaching the building where the bankers are
meeting.

Now, I don't want to give too much away here, but the final scene
shows Finch (wearing an heroic but modest smile and clutching a bag
full of you-know-what) on a boat heading for England.  He is waving a
sad farewell to Eva (with whom he has had his evil way, so to speak) on
the dockside.  (No, it didn't happen on the dockside.)  She has decided
to stay behind and save Holland.

Gripping stuff, huh?  But there are no canal lurkers to be seen
anywhere.

If it is shown on TV again here in the UK I have promised Scott Olson
that I will tape it for him in exchange for the Fats Waller piano roll
of "West Indies Blues".

John Farrell