Editing Michael Rennie (section)

===Rising fame===
Shortly after the outbreak of war in Europe on 1 September 1939, Rennie began to receive offers for larger film roles, including ''[[This Man Is Dangerous (1941 film)|This Man Is Dangerous]]'' (1940), ''[[Dangerous Moonlight]]'' (1941) and ''[[Pimpernel Smith]]'' (1941). Rennie auditioned again for [[Michael Balcon]], now head of [[Ealing Studios]], and was cast in ''[[Ships with Wings]]''.

While that film was being prepared, Rennie continued repertory work and accepted a one-line role in George Formby's ''[[Turned Out Nice Again]]''. Balcon says Rennie "declared that he enjoyed it as he was playing a motor salesman, and this reminded him of the days when he tried to sell cars – without securing a single buyer."<ref name="michael"/>

Rennie had his first big film role in the suspense drama ''[[Tower of Terror (1941 film)|Tower of Terror]]'' (1941). This starred [[Wilfrid Lawson (actor)|Wilfrid Lawson]] in the lead role as a crazed Dutch lighthouse keeper in the [[Netherlands in World War II|German-occupied Netherlands]], while the second-billed Rennie and third-billed [[Movita]] had the romantic leads. In a 1951 interview Rennie said this was his worst part.<ref name="jean">{{cite news| title=Seeing His Worst Movie After 10 Years Assures Michael Rennie Part as Jean Valjean Is His Best| url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/image/381168037/?terms=Seeing%2BHis%2BWorst%2BMovie%2BAfter%2B10%2BYears%2BAssures%2BMichael%2BRennie%2BPart%2Bas%2BJean%2BValjean%2BIs%2BHis%2BBest |last=Scheuer| first=Philip K.| newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=8 November 1951 |page=D1}}</ref>

Michael Balcon also used him in ''[[The Big Blockade]]'' (1942). He was called a "rapidly rising newcomer".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92372391 |title=News From The Talkie Studios |newspaper=[[The Chronicle (Adelaide)|The Chronicle]] |volume=LXXXIV |issue=4,804 |location=Adelaide |date=15 January 1942 |access-date=25 March 2017 |page=33 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Another profile referred to him as an "athletic, [[Clark Gable|Gable]]-ish young man."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article219386047 |title=We Introduce You To Some of the Actors Who Take Part In 'Ships With Wings' |newspaper=The Voice |volume=15 |issue=29 |location=Hobart |date=18 July 1942 |access-date=19 August 2020 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>