The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977)

Director:

Larry Cohen

Writer:

Larry Cohen

Stars:

Broderick Crawford, James Wainwright, Michael Parks

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Broderick Crawford	...	J. Edgar Hoover
James Wainwright	...	Young Hoover
Michael Parks	...	Robert F. Kennedy
José Ferrer	...	Lionel McCoy
Celeste Holm	...	Florence Hollister
Rip Torn	...	Dwight Webb
Dan Dailey	...	Clyde Tolson
Ronee Blakley	...	Carrie DeWitt (as Roneé Blakley)
Howard Da Silva	...	Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt
John Marley	...	Dave Hindley
Michael Sacks	...	Melvin Purvis
Raymond St. Jacques	...	Martin Luther King
June Havoc	...	Hoover's Mother
Lloyd Nolan	...	Attorney General Harlan Stone
Andrew Duggan	...	Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

watergate | hijacking | funeral | u.s. president | reference to martin luther king | 

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Taglines:

The files that escaped the shredder have become an incredible motion picture. From the Kennedys to Martin Luther King. From cab drivers to Congressmen. From housewives to hostesses. He had something on 58 million people. It was all in his files. Now you can see how he used it.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

FBI:n salaisuudet

Filming Locations:

Renaissance Mayflower Hotel - 1127 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Larco Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was shot at authentic locations such as J. Edgar Hoover's office and home, the FBI's headquarters in Washington, DC, and training facility in Virginia, and the Mayflower Hotel (where Hoover ate lunch daily).

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Quotes

Lionel McCoy: [sarcastically] Give my regards to the Wizard of Oz!

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Connections

References Manhattan Melodrama (1934)

User Reviews

Well Done Story Of America's First Top Cop

Casting Broderick Crawford as Hoover was a stroke of genius on the part of the casting director of this film. He's perfect for the part. He brings out the gruffness and arrogance of the character, while simultaneously showing the insecure, low self-esteem inner man that Hoover is portrayed as being.

We see him first as a young idealist, working in the Justice Department, wanting to protect the legal rights of immigrants and fighting the internal corruption of the FBI in the 1920's. Then he becomes the "Top Cop" of the nation and a publicity seeker with the help of Walter Winchell. And finally as an old man jeolously guarding his power and firmly entrenched in the political system. But more importantly, we see the dual nature of his morality: on the one hand, his fastidious approach to sexuality and his ego crushing sensitivity to his own unattractiveness; and on the other hand, his sessions-------bottle in hand--------listening to the sexual encounters on FBI surveillance tapes.

The film is not without humor, however. Look for a scene about disposing of a fly in Hoover's office.

In some ways, a waxworks of a film with actors looking and sounding like famous political leaders, but more importantly a record------part fact, part fiction------of a very complex man, who's personality and inner demons helped to form the concept of justice in the American public's mind from the 1930's until his death.