Mister 880 (1950)

The Skipper is a charming old man loved by all his neighbors. What they don't know is that he is also Mr. 880, an amateurish counterfeiter who has amazingly managed to elude the Secret ... See full summary »

Director:

Edmund Goulding

Writers:

Robert Riskin (screenplay), St. Clair McKelway (article)

Stars:

Burt Lancaster, Dorothy McGuire, Edmund Gwenn

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview:
Burt Lancaster	...	Steve Buchanan
Dorothy McGuire	...	Ann Winslow
Edmund Gwenn	...	'Skipper' Miller
Millard Mitchell	...	'Mac' McIntire
Minor Watson	...	Judge O'Neil
Howard St. John	...	Chief
Hugh Sanders	...	Thad Mitchell
James Millican	...	Olie Johnson

Storyline

The Skipper is a charming old man loved by all his neighbors. What they don't know is that he is also Mr. 880, an amateurish counterfeiter who has amazingly managed to elude the Secret Service for 20 years.

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Plot Keywords:

counterfeiter | based on article | number in title

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

29 September 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Old 880

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on October 15, 1951 with Edmund Gwenn reprising his film role.

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Quotes

Ann Winslow: What did you think it was? A boodle of queer?

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Connections

Featured in The Making of 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' (2008)

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Soundtracks

"National Emblem"
(uncredited)
Music by Edwin Eugene Bagley
Played as parade music

User Reviews

Secret Service agent with a big heart!

Secret Service agent Steve Buchanan (Burt Lancaster) and the entire New York Field Office of the Secret Service have been trying for many years to track down an elusive counterfeiter who has been making poor imitations of $1 bills. The counterfeiter, called "Mister 880" by the Secret Service after the file number assigned to the case, has been passing the counterfeit $1's all over New York City for many years. Agent Buchanan notices a pattern of passing activity that follows a subway line from Manhattan to Brooklyn. He and his fellow agents "stake out" Coney Island (the next stop on the subway line) and soon develop "The Skipper" (Edmund Gwynn) as a suspect. He is a kindly old gentleman who prints only enough counterfeit money to survive. Agent Buchanan has a big heart and feels terrible about arresting The Skipper. He asks the U.S. Attorney and the Federal Judge to go easy on The Skipper. The movie is based on the true story written by St. Clair McKelway. Ironically, in real life, the Secret Service never identified the suspect, who was a "junk dealer", until a fire started in his apartment. The New York Fire Department responded and "threw out" of the apartment window all sorts of "junk" while putting out the fire. Among the items tossed out the window was a small hand operated printing press and plates for the counterfeit $1 bills. The press and the plates were found by the NYPD who called the Secret Service. But, as we know, the real story wouldn't have made such a good movie, and Lancaster and Gwynn (Oscar winner for this role) are terrific.