The Red Menace (1949)

A disillusioned, bitter ex-GI gets involved with the Communist party, and winds up falling in love with one of his "instructors." At first true believers, they realize their mistake when ... See full summary »

Director:

R.G. Springsteen

Writers:

Albert DeMond (screenplay), Albert DeMond (story),

Stars:

Robert Rockwell, Hannelore Axman, Betty Lou Gerson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Rockwell	...	Bill Jones
Hannelore Axman	...	Nina Petrovka (as Hanne Axman)
Betty Lou Gerson	...	Greta Bloch, alias Yvonne Kraus
Lester Luther	...	Earl Partridge
William Lally	...	Jack Tyler (as William J. Lally)
Barbra Fuller	...	Mollie O'Flaherty
Shepard Menken	...	Henry Solomon
Duke Williams	...	Sam Wright
James Harrington	...	Martin Vejac
Lloyd G. Davies	...	Immigration Chief (Narrator)
Royal Raymond	...	Benson (thug)
Gregg Martell	...	Schultz (thug)
Norman Budd	...	Anthony Reachi
Leo Cleary	...	Father O'Leary
Kay Riehl	...	Mrs. O'Flaherty

Storyline

A disillusioned, bitter ex-GI gets involved with the Communist party, and winds up falling in love with one of his "instructors." At first true believers, they realize their mistake when they witness Party leaders murder a member who questions the party's principles. They try to leave the party, but are marked for murder and hunted by the party's assassins.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | communist | propaganda | unintentionally funny | cold war

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Taglines:

The most talked about drama of our time!

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 August 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Underground Spy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min 60 min (1950 re-release)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America (1996)

User Reviews

A sobering account of Communist Party life, chillingly presented.

In view of what the Soviet archives revealed about the U. S. Communist Party(thank you, Gorby), this movie hits the nail right on the head. All the tactics Communists used to gain members, such as having female members sleep with prospective male members, as well as the means they used to create trouble, are shown in this movie. My father-in-law was once a Communist. He told me that the CPUSA would take up a collection for African-Americans on trial somewhere and keep the money for themselves. If a man quit the party, not only would he be shunned, but other members' kids would be expected to bully his kids! All this is shown in the movie, including even the beatings administered to wayward members. See this film and learned what we narrowly escaped from ending up as.