They Came to Blow Up America (1943)

Director:

Edward Ludwig

Writers:

Michael Jacoby (story)
Aubrey Wisberg (writer)

Release Date:

7 May 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

Because of his German parentage, government agent Carl Steelman is assigned to by his chief, Craig, to join the Nazi Bund...

Plot Keywords:

Time Bomb | Submarine | Parent Child Relationship | WWII | Nazi Germany

Cast

George Sanders	...	Carl Steelman / Ernst Reiter
Anna Sten	...	Frau Reiter
Ward Bond	...	FBI Chief Craig
Dennis Hoey	...	Col. Taeger of Nazi police
Sig Ruman	...	Dr. Herman Holger
Ludwig Stössel	...	Papa Julius Steelman
Robert Barrat	...	Capt. Kranz - sabotage school chief
Poldi Dur	...	Helga Lorenz (as Poldy Dur)
Ralph Byrd	...	Burkhardt - 2d saboteur with Steelman
Elsa Janssen	...	Mama Henrietta Steelman (as Else Janssen)
Rex Williams	...	Eichner
Charles McGraw	...	Zellerbach
Sven Hugo Borg	...	Cmdr. Ullrich Hauser
Kurt Katch	...	Schonzeit - sabotage lecturer
Otto Reichow	...	Adam, S.S. Trooper

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Based on a true incident that occurred in 1942 when nine Nazi saboteurs were put ashore on the coast of Long Island, New York, by submarine, with orders to blow up various defense installations. They were caught, tried, and several were executed.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Early in the film, a building in Berlin is shown with a sign that says "Abteilung Geheimdienst", which means "Secret Service". However, it was translated in the film as "Naval Intelligence". A more appropriate sign would have read "Marine Nachrichten Geheimdienst".

Movie Connections:

Edited into All This and World War II (1976)

Traitors in Our Midst

The first person we see in this movie is Ludwig Stossel, best remembered as the father of Lou Gehrig in PRIDE OF THE YANKEES. He is German, naturlich, and has spent the last twenty years teaching in Milwaukee, so of course, his son is George Sanders with that British Public School Accent. Oh well.

Still, the story is a good one, based on a true incident, and for an apparent B movie, the acting, direction and photography -- by the wonderful and sadly forgotten Lucien Andriot -- are well up to par. Notice, for example, whose picture is on the dartboard at SS headquarters. And besides Mr. Stossel, we see some wonderful supporting actors, including Anna Sten, Ward Bond and Sig Ruman. So, while this is not a great movie, it is certain worth your time