Cloak and Dagger (1946)

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Albert Maltz (screenplay) and
Ring Lardner Jr. (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

28 September 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Adventure | Thriller | War

Tagline:

RELENTLESS SUSPENSE! (original ad - all caps)

Plot:

Toward the end of World War II, the allied secret service receives a partial message indicating that...

Plot Keywords:

Italy | Gestapo | Oss | Scientist | Switzerland

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)
Vernon Downing	...	British Sergeant (scenes deleted)
Ross Ford	...	Paratrooper (scenes deleted)
Holmes Herbert	...	British Officer (scenes deleted)
Clifton Young	...	American Commander (scenes deleted)
John Bagni	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Lex Barker	...	Man Rescued at End (uncredited)
Eugene Borden	...	Inspector (uncredited)
Paul Bradley	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Frederic Brunn	...	German (uncredited)
Hella Crossley	...	Rachel (uncredited)
Elvira Curci	...	Woman in Street (uncredited)
Albert D'Arno	...	Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Yola d'Avril	...	First Nurse (uncredited)
Carl Deloro	...	Ovra Man (uncredited)
Claire Du Brey	...	Second Nurse (uncredited)
Eddie Dunn	...	French Wireless Operator (uncredited)
Eric Feldary	...	German (uncredited)
Bruce Fernald	...	Walsh's Assistant (uncredited)
Art Foster	...	Canadian Commander (uncredited)
Richard Fraser	...	British Submarine Skipper (uncredited)
Arno Frey	...	German Soldier (uncredited)
Frederick Giermann	...	Bank Manager (uncredited)
Henry Guttman	...	German (uncredited)
Guy Kingsford	...	British Commander (uncredited)
Charles La Torre	...	Janitor (uncredited)
Marten Lamont	...	Canadian Runner (uncredited)
Bruce Lester	...	British Officer (uncredited)
Lynne Lyons	...	Woman in Bank / Double (uncredited)
Rory Mallinson	...	Paul (uncredited)
Anthony Marsh	...	Radio Operator (uncredited)
Frank Mayo	...	French Spy (uncredited)
Peter Michael	...	German Agent (uncredited)
Marie Monteil	...	Nun (uncredited)
Neyle Morrow	...	Pietro (uncredited)
John Mylong	...	German Captain (uncredited)
Lillian Nicholson	...	Nun (uncredited)
Paul Panzer	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Eddie Parker	...	Gestapo Agent (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	...	Gestapo Agent (uncredited)
Otto Reichow	...	German Soldier (uncredited)
Julian Rivero	...	Punaro (uncredited)
Ramon Ros	...	Driver (uncredited)
John Royce	...	Bellhop (uncredited)
Bobby Santon	...	Italian Boy (uncredited)
Hector Sarno	...	Proprietor (uncredited)
Leonardo Scavino	...	Italian Soldier (uncredited)
Hans Schumm	...	German Agent (uncredited)
Dan Sheridan	...	British Adjutant (uncredited)
George Sorel	...	Ovra Man (uncredited)
Ray Spiker	...	German (uncredited)
Lotte Stein	...	Loder's Nurse-Guard (uncredited)
Robert R. Stephenson	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Don Turner	...	Lingg (uncredited)
Hans von Morhart	...	German (uncredited)
Regina Wallace	...	Cashier (uncredited)
Richard Walsh	...	American Sergeant (uncredited)
Douglas Walton	...	British Pilot (uncredited)
Leo White	...	Room Service Waiter (uncredited)
Crane Whitley	...	Switchman (uncredited)
Frank Wilcox	...	American Officer (uncredited)
Victor Zimmerman	...	Bartender (uncredited)

Directed by
Fritz Lang

Writing credits
Albert Maltz		(screenplay) and
Ring Lardner Jr.		(screenplay)
Boris Ingster		(original story) and
John Larkin		(original story)
Corey Ford		(suggested by the book) and
Alastair MacBain		(suggested by the book)

Produced by
Milton Sperling	....	producer

Original Music by
Max Steiner

Cinematography by
Sol Polito		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Christian Nyby

Art Direction by
Max Parker

Set Decoration by
Walter F. Tilford		(set decorations) (as Walter Tilford)

Makeup Department
Perc Westmore	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Russell Saunders	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Walter Douglas	....	assistant props (uncredited)
John More	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Francis J. Scheid	....	sound

Special Effects by
Harry Barndollar	....	special effects director
Edwin B. DuPar	....	special effects

Stunts
Lynne Lyons	....	stunt double (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Larry Cairns	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Pat Clark	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Al Green	....	second camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Leah Rhodes	....	wardrobe
Henry Field	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Eugene Joseff	....	jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
Leo F. Forbstein	....	musical director
Hugo Friedhofer	....	orchestral arrangements

Other crew
Michael Burke	....	technical adviser

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. (presents) (as Warner Bros. Pictures Inc.)
• United States Pictures (as A United States Pictures Production)

Distributors

• Warner Bros. (1946) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1953) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2000) (Germany) (VHS)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. (1947) (France) (theatrical)
• Olive Films (2012) (Canada) (DVD) (DVD and Blu-ray)
• Olive Films (2012) (USA) (DVD) (DVD and Blu-ray)
• StudioCanal (2012) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Office of Strategic Services (OSS)  this picture has been inspired by the amazing achievements of, but no part of it is intended as a portrayal of actual events (as the OSS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #11630) | West Germany:12 (f) | UK:A (original rating) | Argentina:13 | UK:PG | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Warner Bros.

Trivia:

Dan Seymour became friends with director Fritz Langon the set of the movie after Lang discovered he spoke German. Seymour maintained a life-long friendship with Lang and became the executor of Lang's estate.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Top Secret! (1984)

Soundtrack:

Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald (Tales from the Vienna Woods), Op. 325

An Exciting World War II Spy Movie

Mike Burke eventually ran Ringling Brothers and then the New York Yankees. He eventually moved to his beloved Ireland where he died as I recall. Whether or not his character was in some way a model for Charlton Heston in "The Greatest Show on Earth" I know not, but he WAS the advisor for this film having been an OSS secret agent during World War Two, and this is supposedly based on his experiences. He is mentioned in the credits. Gary Cooper is his usual fine self as a professor recruited to infiltrate Europe and convince a nuclear physicist friend to defect. His adventures are a little hard to take for a mere professor but with Cooper it always works. NOTE: Marc Lawrence is fabulous as the Ovra (Italian Gestapo) agent Luigi. The hand to hand fight he has with Cooper is one of the best, most vicious, and most realistic ever filmed. It's too bad Lawrence got blacklisted during the Fifties. But catch this movie when you can.