Assignment: Paris (1952)

Director:

Robert Parrish
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Writers:

William Bowers (screenplay)
Walter Goetz (adaptation) ...
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Release Date:

4 September 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Intrigue | False Accusation | Newspaper Editor | Free Press | Hungary

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Dana Andrews	...	Jimmy Race
Märta Torén	...	Jeanne Moray
George Sanders	...	Nicholas Strang
Audrey Totter	...	Sandy Tate
Sandro Giglio	...	Gabor Czeki, alias Grisha
Donald Randolph	...	Anton Borvitch
Herbert Berghof	...	Prime Minister Andreas Ordy
Ben Astar	...	Minister of Justice Vajos
Willis Bouchey	...	Biddle, an editor
Earl Lee	...	Dad Pelham
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mari Blanchard	...	Wanda Marlowe (scenes deleted)
Jay Adler	...	Henry the Bartender (uncredited)
Frank Arnold	...	French Reporter (uncredited)
Leon Askin	...	Franz - Paris Thug (uncredited)
Geneviève Aumont	...	Airport Receptionist (uncredited)
Hannelore Axman	...	Miss Oster - Secretary (uncredited)
Paul Birch	...	Colonel Mannix, in Charge of Prisoner Exchange (uncredited)
Gail Bonney	...	Phone Operator (uncredited)
Monique Chantal	...	Phone Operator (uncredited)
Gino Corrado	...	Reporter at Hungarian Embassy (uncredited)
Marcel De la Brosse	...	Maitre d' (uncredited)
Victor Desny	...	Hungarian Army Officer (uncredited)
Maurice Doner	...	Victor (uncredited)
Joseph Forte	...	Barker - Budapest Bureau Chief (uncredited)
Paul Frees	...	Radio Budapest Announcer (uncredited)
Gene Gary	...	Receptionist (uncredited)
Don Gibson	...	Phone Operator (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Customer at Bar (uncredited)
Gene Hasler	...	Monitor (uncredited)
Paul Hoffman	...	Kedor - Paris Thug (uncredited)
Pál Jávor	...	Laslo Boros - Tailor (uncredited)
Werner Klingler	...	Interrogator (uncredited)
Don Kohler	...	Bert (uncredited)
Rolf Lindau	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Maurice Marsac	...	Gendarme (uncredited)
Mara Marshall	...	Phone Operator (uncredited)
David Morales	...	Spanish Reporter (uncredited)
György Nagyajtay	...	Aide to Borvitch (uncredited)
John Parlow	...	Guard (uncredited)
Malcolm Peters	...	Engish Reporter (uncredited)
Charles H. Radilak	...	Antique Dealer (uncredited)
Suzanne Ridgeway	...	Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
Fay Roope	...	American Ambassador (uncredited)
Vito Scotti	...	Italian Reporter (uncredited)
André Siméon	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Harold Stiller	...	American Sergeant (uncredited)
Victor Sutherland	...	Larry O'Connell (uncredited)
Albert Szabo	...	Recorder (uncredited)
Hal Taggart	...	Herald Tribune Staffer (uncredited)
Ken Terrell	...	Military Aide (uncredited)
Sigfrid Tor	...	Swedish Reporter (uncredited)
Teresa Tudor	...	Phone Operator (uncredited)
Peter J. Votrian	...	Jan Czeki - Boy (uncredited)
Murvyn Vye	...	Medical Officer at Prisoner Exchange (uncredited)
William Woodson	...	Story Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Georgiana Wulff	...	Gogo Czeki - Girl (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Parrish
Phil Karlson		(uncredited)

Writing credits
William Bowers		(screenplay)
Walter Goetz		(adaptation) &
Jack Palmer White		(adaptation)
Pauline Gallico		(story "Trial of Terror") and
Paul Gallico		(story "Trial of Terror")

Produced by
Jerry Bresler	....	producer
Samuel Marx	....	producer

Original Music by
George Duning

Cinematography by
Ray Cory
Burnett Guffey

Film Editing by
Charles Nelson
Donald W. Starling

Art Direction by
John Meehan

Set Decoration by
Frank Tuttle

Costume Design by
Jean Louis

Makeup Department
Clay Campbell	....	makeup artist
Helen Hunt	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carter DeHaven	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Jack A. Goodrich	....	sound engineer

Camera and Electrical Department
Emil Oster	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Music Department
Morris Stoloff	....	musical director
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1952) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Film-Verleih (1953) (West Germany) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

"European Edition" - USA (alternative title)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:(Banned) (1952) | USA:Unrated | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Leon Askin's first film.

Quotes:

Gabor Czeki, alias Grisha:There is no sanctuary on earth for a man like me. Stalin reached all the way from Moscow to Mexico City for Leon Trotsky.

Thrown together Cold War drama

Dana Andrews has "Assignment: Paris" in this 1952 Cold War drama that also stars George Sanders and Marta Toren. Andrews is Jimmy Race, an ambitious reporter in the Paris office of the New York Herald Tribune; his boss is George Sanders. Race is assigned the espionage trial of a captured American by the Hungarians. In Budapest, Race is captured, and it's up to Sanders to try to free him.

Sanders gets help from a woman, played by Marta Toren, whose background is not explained. Audrey Totter plays a fashion editor.

All the performances are good, but the revelation is Toren, whom I'd never seen before. She was remarkably beautiful and a fine actress. Unfortunately she died very young, which is a terrible tragedy. She never makes the list of most beautiful, and she should. I suppose not that many people are familiar with her.

Sanders carries the film in the workhorse role, and an unusual one for him as he's a good guy. The film is done in more of a documentary style with a dynamic conclusion, though some plot points are up in the air.

Definitely worth seeing for the stunning Toren.