I Was a Communist for the FBI

I Was a Communist for the FBI is a 1951 American film noir crime film directed by Gordon Douglas and starring Frank Lovejoy.[3] The film was produced by Bryan Foy who was head of Warners B picture unit until 1942.

I Was a Communist for the FBI
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGordon Douglas
Produced byBryan Foy
Screenplay byCrane Wilbur
Based onthe SEP articles "I Posed as a Communist for the F.B.I."
by Matt Cvetic
Pete Martin
StarringFrank Lovejoy
Narrated byFrank Lovejoy
Music byWilliam Lava
Max Steiner (uncredited)
CinematographyEdwin B. DuPar
Edited byFolmar Blangsted
Color processBlack and white
Production
company
Warner Bros.
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • May 2, 1951 (1951-05-02) (New York City)
  • May 5, 1951 (1951-05-05) (United States)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$684,000[1]
Box office$1,759,000 (total)[1]
$1.3 million (US rentals)[2]

It was also a radio show starring Dana Andrews that ran for 78 episodes from April 23, 1952 until October 14, 1953.[4]

The film was based on a series of stories written by Matt Cvetic that appeared in The Saturday Evening Post.[5] The stories were later turned into a best-selling book and radio series.

The story follows Cvetic, who infiltrated a local Communist Party cell for nine years and reported back to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on their activities.

The film and radio show are, in part, artifacts of the McCarthy era, as well as a time capsule of American society during the Second Red Scare. The purpose of both is partly to warn people about the threat of Communist subversion of American society. The tone of the show is ultra-patriotic, with Communists portrayed as racist, vindictive, and tools of a totalitarian foreign power, the Soviet Union.

Plot

Matt Cvetic (Frank Lovejoy), who works in a Pittsburgh steel mill, has been infiltrating the Communist Party for the FBI in Pittsburgh for nine years. During this time he has been unable to tell his family about his dual role, so they assume that he is a genuine believer in Communism and despise him.

He becomes emotionally involved with a Communist school teacher (Dorothy Hart), who is becoming disenchanted with the party. She breaks with the party when it foments a violent strike. Cvetic helps her escape the Communists in violent sequences in which two Communists and an FBI agent are killed.

Communists are portrayed in the film as cynical opportunists, racists who are interested only in seizing power on behalf of the Soviets and not in improving social and labor conditions in the U.S. They are shown exploiting ethnic tensions to get their way, such as by wrapping copies of a Jewish newspaper around lead pipes used to beat up people during a strike. They also are shown fomenting discontent among blacks. They are shown as cynical racists, calling blacks "niggers" and Jews "kikes".

The Communists in the movie are shown to be violent thugs who kill informers.

Cvetic ultimately testifies against the Communists before the House Un-American Activities Committee and reconciles with his brother and son.

Cast

Radio

The radio version of I Was a Communist for the FBI consisted of 78 episodes syndicated by the Frederick W. Ziv Company to more than 600 stations, including KNX in Los Angeles, California, with original episodes running from March 30, 1952 to September 20, 1953. The program was made without the cooperation of the FBI. Real-life undercover agent Matt Cvetic was portrayed by Dana Andrews. The show had a budget of $12,000 per week, a very high cost to produce a radio show at the time.[6]

The program frequently dealt with the great stress that Cvetic was under, as he covertly infiltrated a local Communist Party cell. There were many personal and family problems caused by his being a Communist as well as a certain amount of mental torment. He saw the party as being hypocritical and a great danger to society.

In 1953, Ziv created I Led Three Lives, based on the life of Herbert Philbrick, an advertising executive who also infiltrated the U.S. Communist Party on behalf of the FBI in the 1940s. This time, the FBI approved all of the show's scripts.

Reception

Box office

According to Warner Bros, records, the film earned $1,319,000 in the U.S. and $440,000 elsewhere.[1]

Critical response

When the film was released, The New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther was critical of the message in the film. He wrote, "In many respects, this heated item bears comparison to the hearings before the House Un-American Activities Committee—which, incidentally, it extols...For instance, in glibly detailing how the Communists foment racial hate and labor unrest in this country...[it] hint[s] that most Negroes and most laborers are 'pinks'. It raises suspicion of school teachers...[and] that people who embrace liberal causes, such as the Scottsboro trial defense, are Communist dupes...and the film itself glows with patriotism. But it plays a bit recklessly with fire".[7]

The staff at Variety magazine wrote a positive review: "From the real life experiences of Matt Cvetic [published in the Saturday Evening Post as "I Posed as a Communist for the F.B.I"], scripter Crane Wilbur has fashioned an exciting film. Direction of Gordon Douglas plays up suspense and pace strongly, and the cast, headed by Frank Lovejoy in the title role, punches over the expose of the Communist menace."[8]

Accolades

This dramatic film was nominated for an Academy Award as the Best Documentary Feature of the year.[9]

References
  1. Warner Bros financial information in The William Shaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p. 31 doi:10.1080/01439689508604551
  2. 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1951', Variety, January 2, 1952.
  3. I Was a Communist for the FBI at the American Film Institute Catalog.
  4. http://www.radioechoes.com/?page=series&genre=OTR-Thriller&series=I%20Was%20A%20Communist%20For%20The%20FBI
  5. Filreis, Al. Web site at University of Pennsylvania, based on Federal Bureau of Investigation - Freedom of Information Privacy Act. Accessed: July 17, 2013.
  6. Wudarczyk, James Archived 2007-08-10 at the Wayback Machine. Lawrenceville Historical Society, book review, September 24, 2006. Accessed: July 17, 2013.
  7. Crowther, Bosley. The New York Times, film review, May 3, 1951. Accessed: July 17, 2013.
  8. Variety. Staff film review, 1951. Accessed: July 17, 2013.
  9. IMDb, awards section.

Audio streaming
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.