The House on 92nd Street (1945)

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

Barré Lyndon (screenplay) and
Charles G. Booth (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

10 September 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The F.B.I.'s own tense, terrific story behind the protection of the ATOMIC BOMB!

Plot:

Bill Dietrich becomes a double agent for the FBI in a Nazi spy ring.

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | FBI | Double Agent | Spy | Spy Ring

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

William Eythe	...	Bill Dietrich
Lloyd Nolan	...	Agent George A. Briggs
Signe Hasso	...	Elsa Gebhardt
Gene Lockhart	...	Charles Ogden Roper
Leo G. Carroll	...	Col. Hammersohn
Lydia St. Clair	...	Johanna Schmidt
William Post Jr.	...	Walker (as William Post)
Harry Bellaver	...	Max Cobura
Bruno Wick	...	Adolf Lange
Harro Meller	...	Conrad Arnulf
Charles Wagenheim	...	Gustav Hausmann
Alfred Linder	...	Adolf Klein
Renee Carson	...	Luise Vadja
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Adams	...	Customs Officer (uncredited)
Frieda Altman	...	Saboteur (uncredited)
William Beach	...	Saboteur (uncredited)
Carl Benson	...	German Spy Trainee (uncredited)
Hamilton Benz	...	Saboteur (uncredited)
George Brandt	...	German Man (uncredited)
Sheila Bromley	...	Beauty Parlor Customer (uncredited)
Elmer Brown	...	Scientist (uncredited)
Tom Brown	...	Intern (uncredited)
Benjamin Burroughs	...	Brigg's Aide (uncredited)
Jack Cherry	...	Scientist (uncredited)
Henry Cordy	...	Saboteur (uncredited)
Mita Cordy	...	Saboteur (uncredited)
James J. Coyle	...	Saboteur (uncredited)
Robert Culler	...	German Spy Trainee (uncredited)
Salo Douday	...	Von Wirt (uncredited)
Harold Dyrenforth	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Lew Eckles	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Bruce Fernald	...	FBI Agent (uncredited)
Paul Ford	...	Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Vincent Gardenia	...	German Spy Trainee (uncredited)
Ellsworth Glath	...	German Spy Trainee (uncredited)
Reed Hadley	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Hans Hansen	...	Saboteur (uncredited)
Fred Hillebrand	...	Policeman (uncredited)
J. Edgar Hoover	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Anna Marie Hornemann	...	German Spy Trainee (uncredited)
Edwin Jerome	...	Major General (uncredited)
Kenneth Konopka	...	Saboteur (uncredited)
Frank Kreig	...	Travel Agent (uncredited)
Rusty Lane	...	Admiral (uncredited)
Bernard Lenrow	...	Saboteur (uncredited)
Danny Leone	...	Delivery Boy (uncredited)
E.G. Marshall	...	Attendant at Morgue (uncredited)
John McKee	...	Dr. Arthur C. Appleton (uncredited)
Edward Michaels	...	Germany Spy Trainee (uncredited)
Scott Moore	...	Saboteur (uncredited)
Elisabeth Neumann-Viertel	...	Freda Kassel (uncredited)
Delmar Nuetzman	...	Saboteur (uncredited)
Antonio J. Pires	...	Watchmaker (uncredited)
Frank Richards	...	German Spy Trainee (uncredited)
Douglas Rutherford	...	Colonel (uncredited)
Harrison Scott	...	German Spy Trainee (uncredited)
George Shelton	...	Frank Jackson (uncredited)
Sara Strengell	...	German Spy Trainee (uncredited)
Eugene Stuckmann	...	German Spy Trainee (uncredited)
Victor Sutherland	...	Toll Guard (uncredited)
Stanley Tackney	...	Instructor (uncredited)
Yoshita Tagawa	...	Japanese Man (uncredited)
Jay Wesley	...	FBI Agent (uncredited)
Marriott Wilson	...	German Spy Trainee (uncredited)
Gertrude Wottitz	...	Saboteur (uncredited)
John Zak	...	Saboteur (uncredited)
Alfred Zeisler	...	Col. Felix Strassen (uncredited)

Directed by
Henry Hathaway

Writing credits
Barré Lyndon		(screenplay) (as Barre Lyndon) and
Charles G. Booth		(screenplay) and
John Monks Jr.		(screenplay)
Charles G. Booth		(story)

Produced by
Louis De Rochemont	....	producer (as Louis de Rochemont)

Original Music by
David Buttolph

Cinematography by
Norbert Brodine

Film Editing by
Harmon Jones

Casting by
William Maybery		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Lewis H. Creber		(as Lewis Creber)
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little

Costume Design by
Bonnie Cashin

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Gene Bryant	....	unit manager (uncredited)
Raymond A. Klune	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Graham	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Joseph E. Rickards	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Henry Weinberger	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
William Sittel	....	associate set decorator (as William Sittel Jr.)

Sound Department
W.D. Flick	....	sound
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)
W. Kirkpatrick	....	sound maintenance (uncredited)
Chet Peck	....	recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Fred Sersen	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Edward O. Bagley	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Bud Brooks	....	camera assistant (uncredited)
Leo McCreary	....	grip (uncredited)
Jack McEvoy	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Johnny Phipps	....	location assistant camera (uncredited)
George Stoetzel	....	second camera (uncredited)
Larry Williams	....	location camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)
David Preston	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Lyman Hallowell	....	apprentice editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Emil Newman	....	musical director
Charles Althouse	....	music mixer (uncredited)
David Buttolph	....	music director (uncredited)
Paul Marquardt	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Alfred Newman	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Other crew
Gertrude Kingston	....	research assistant (uncredited)
Hugh Lester	....	publicist (uncredited)
Frances C. Richardson	....	research director (uncredited)
Stanley Scheuer	....	script clerk (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1945) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1945) (France) (theatrical) (as Fox-Europa)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Státní Pujcovna Filmu (????) (Czechoslovakia) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Panasonic Disc Manufacturing  DVD transfer

Also Known As:

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #10939) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

George Washington Bridge, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Film debut of Paul Ford.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the agents are preparing to do the first survey of the house they are wearing CD (Civil Defense) arm bands on their right arms. The next scene shows them approaching the house and the arm bands are now on their left arms.

Quotes:

Narrator:The Germans felt that Dietrich was an extremely valuable man... so did the FBI.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 23 Paces to Baker Street (1956)

Soundtrack:

Tra-La-La-La

Good Period Piece

The highly gifted natural and trained talent of Lloyd Nolan adorns this story of espionage and counterespionage in the US just prior to and after WWII was declared.

Playing a key FBI agent, Nolan displays the totally convincing work he rendered throughout his career. He heads a strong cast: Signe Hasso and Leo G. Carroll offer solid performances, and William Ethye is a good leading man.

Director Henry Hathaway mixes in authentic newsreel footage with care and balance. The result is a well done docudrama of the mid 40s.

It looks as though 20th Century Fox made a pact with the FBI for this project, with almost the complete Bureau being utilized for the shoot. The films emerges as a supreme tribute to the branch, with Chief Hoover's name frequently in evidence.

The work technically qualifies as propaganda, in which patriotic appreciation and support for the war effort is forthrightly projected.