Three Brave Men (1956)

Bernie Goldsmith, a long-time civilian employee of the U.S. Navy is suspended as a security risk when investigators discover he had communist affiliations in his youth. Snubbed by former ... See full summary »

Director:

Philip Dunne

Writers:

Philip Dunne, Anthony Lewis (articles)

Stars:

Ray Milland, Ernest Borgnine, Frank Lovejoy

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ray Milland	...	Joe DiMarco
Ernest Borgnine	...	Bernard F. 'Bernie' Goldsmith
Frank Lovejoy	...	Capt. Amos Winfield U.S.N.
Nina Foch	...	Lt. Mary Jane McCoy
Dean Jagger	...	John W. Rogers - Secretary of the Navy
Virginia Christine	...	Helen Goldsmith
Edward Andrews	...	Mayor Henry L. Jensen
Frank Faylen	...	Enos Warren
Diane Jergens	...	Shirley Goldsmith
Warren Berlinger	...	Harry Goldsmith
Andrew Duggan	...	Pastor Stephen Browning
Joseph Wiseman	...	Jim Barron
James Westerfield	...	Chief of Police Timothy Aloysius O'Reilly
Richard Anderson	...	Naval Lt. Bill Horton
Olive Blakeney	...	Miss Victoria Scott

Storyline

Bernie Goldsmith, a long-time civilian employee of the U.S. Navy is suspended as a security risk when investigators discover he had communist affiliations in his youth. Snubbed by former friends and harassed by others in the community, Goldsmith hires a lawyer to fight the charges and clear his good name.

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Plot Keywords:

lawyer | false testimony | government vs citizen | patriotism | cold war paranoia | 

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Taglines:

It Actually Happened!

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die unsichtbare Front

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:

88 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (magnetic prints) Mono (optical prints) (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was based on the true story of Abraham Chasanow, who worked for the Department of the Navy and lived in the city of Greenbelt, Md.

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Connections

Referenced in Myra Breckinridge (1970)

User Reviews

suburbs of Washington D. C. during height of McCarthyism

A government employee (Ernest Borgnine) loses his job when his superiors receive notice that he had had ties with Communist organizations in the past. Set in offices in Washington D. C. and as well in a suburban development, the film goes between the two locales to track the action. Probably the more interesting locale is the suburb where he lives with his family and where the opinion seems to be divided between the neighbors as to whether or not he actually is a subversive. The Washington side of things is more or less focusing on his trial to prove his innocence and shines a favorable light on government fairness during his trial, which features Ray Milland as his legal representative and Nina Foch as the government heavy trying to prove the case against him. One wonders in real life if this opportunity was actually afforded to suspected Communists during the 50's. In any event, back at his suburban neighborhood things get pretty heated at his two kids' high school where they face rumors about their family, and other interesting situations as well arise that make the film at least mildly interesting compared to the whitewash it portrays at his trial.