Cloak and Dagger (1946)

Toward the end of World War II, the allied secret service receives a partial message indicating that the Germans are researching nuclear energy to build atomic bombs. In Midwestern ... See full summary »

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Albert Maltz (screenplay), Ring Lardner Jr. (screenplay),

Stars:

Gary Cooper, Robert Alda, Lilli Palmer

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gary Cooper	...	Prof. Alvah Jesper
Robert Alda	...	Pinkie
Lilli Palmer	...	Gina
Vladimir Sokoloff	...	Polda
J. Edward Bromberg	...	Trenk
Marjorie Hoshelle	...	Ann Dawson
Ludwig Stössel	...	The German (as Ludwig Stossel)
Helene Thimig	...	Katerin Lodor (as Helen Thimig)
Dan Seymour	...	Marsoli
Marc Lawrence	...	Luigi
James Flavin	...	Col. Walsh
Patrick O'Moore	...	The Englishman (as Pat O'Moore)
Charles Marsh	...	Erich
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Burke	...	OSS Agent (scenes deleted)
Robert Coote	...	Cronin (scenes deleted)

Storyline

Toward the end of World War II, the allied secret service receives a partial message indicating that the Germans are researching nuclear energy to build atomic bombs. In Midwestern University, the scientist Alvah Jesper is called up by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) to meet his former colleague Dr. Katerin Lodor in Switzerland and bring her to North America. However, his mission fails and Dr. Lodor is killed by the Nazis but first she informs that Alvah's acquaintance Dr. Giovanni Polda is working for the Nazis in Italy. Dr. Jesper travels to Italy and with the support of the Italian partisans leaded by Pinkie and Gina, he has a meeting with Dr. Polda that is under the surveillance of the Gestapo. The scientist tells him that his daughter Maria had been abducted by the Gestapo and Alvah makes a deal with Dr. Polda, promising to release Maria first and bringing them to North America. While Pinkie travels to rescue Maria, Alvah stays with Gina and they fall in love for each ...

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Plot Keywords:

italy | gestapo | oss | scientist | switzerland | 

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Taglines:

RELENTLESS SUSPENSE! (original ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Romance | Adventure | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Italian

Release Date:

28 September 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

A capa y espada

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, United States Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Anti-atomic bomb dialogue was removed before release.

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Connections

Spoofed in Top Secret! (1984)

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Soundtracks

"Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald (Tales from the Vienna Woods), Op. 325"
(uncredited)
Music by Johann Strauß
Hummed and danced by Gina in the apartment

User Reviews

Better than I expected

"Cloak and Dagger" is certainly one of the better movies of its type for that era. It's exciting as well as entertaining and not as dated as one would imagine. Gary Cooper is excellent as a nuclear physicist who turns smoothly into a secret agent. There is a fair amount of action (mainly good old-fashioned shoot-outs), a rather conventional romance and one superbly executed fight sequence.