Customs Agent (1950)

Bert Sullivan, an agent for the U. S. Customs Service, working in China, blames himself for the killing of his partner, and deliberately gets himself discharged from the service, so he can ... See full summary »

Director:

Seymour Friedman

Writers:

Harold Jacob Smith (story), Russell S. Hughes (screenplay),

Stars:

William Eythe, Marjorie Reynolds, Griff Barnett

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Eythe	...	Bert Stewart
Marjorie Reynolds	...	Lucille Gerrard
Griff Barnett	...	Charles McGraw
Howard St. John	...	Charles Johnson
Jim Backus	...	Shanghai Chief Agent Thomas Jacoby
Robert Shayne	...	West Coast Chief Agent J.G. Goff
Denver Pyle	...	Al

Storyline

Bert Sullivan, an agent for the U. S. Customs Service, working in China, blames himself for the killing of his partner, and deliberately gets himself discharged from the service, so he can go undercover and trap the killers. A smuggling ring contacts him and he joins them arranging various deals but always keeping contact with his customs colleagues.

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Plot Keywords:

killing | killer | smuggling ring | smuggling | china | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 May 1950 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

Middling Through

This is a moderate sub-B picture which has nothing wrong with it, but has little to offer. The one very interesting thing is that in 1950 the early anti-biotic drug strepto-mycin was so rare and so controlled (only tiny amounts could be exported from the USA. its only source, on special licence) that there was a big market for smugglers who could send it to China, where it was worth more than narcotics. The whole film is therefore based on a customs agent who tries to expose the criminal ring who are stealing strepto-mycin and smuggling it into Shanghai. The film begins in Shanghai, where we get a couple of shots of stock footage of the Bund, and one two-second glimpse of Nanjing Xi Lu, and the rest is cheap California sets with some extras grabbed from Chinatown. The lead is played by William Eythe, who I must say seems pretty unexciting to me. This is a walk-through-it-and-join-the-dots story. Anyone who is an undemanding viewer can sit through this without being offended, and be entertained in a middling manner.