Concealed Enemies, Part I: Suspicion (7 May 1984)

A dramatized account of the actual events that led to the 1950 conviction of former U.S. State Department official Alger Hiss of perjury before a federal grand jury and his resulting ... See full summary »

Director:

Jeff Bleckner

Writer:

Hugh Whitemore

Stars:

Gerry Bamman, John Harkins, Edward Herrmann

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Gerry Bamman	...	Father John Cronin
John Harkins	...	Whittaker Chambers
Edward Herrmann	...	Alger Hiss
Maria Tucci	...	Priscilla Hiss
Jamie E. Pierce	...	Tony Hiss
Alice Drummond	...	Hiss's Secretary
Kurt Knudson	...	Walter Sarnoff
Peter Riegert	...	Richard M. Nixon
Alan North	...	Karl Mundt
MacIntyre Dixon	...	John McDowell
Lee Wallace	...	Ben Mandel
Stuart Burney	...	Louis Russell
Jack Dodson	...	F. Edward Hebert
Kevin O'Morrison	...	John E. Rankin
Wayne Tippit	...	Robert Stripling

Storyline

A dramatized account of the actual events that led to the 1950 conviction of former U.S. State Department official Alger Hiss of perjury before a federal grand jury and his resulting imprisonment.

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Plot Keywords:

mccarthyism | courtroom | cold war | communism | u.s. president | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 May 1984 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Playhouse, Comworld Productions, Goldcrest Films International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

219 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

superb drama about alger hiss

Even though I disagreed with the central theme of this program--that is, the innocence of Alger Hiss--I found it to be a very enjoyable historical presentation.

The cast was superb. Edward Herrmann was excellent, as was the late John Harkins. Peter Riegert gave one of his best performances ever as Richard Nixon.

The main problem--in fact, the only problem--was the very shaky assumption that Hiss (played by Herrmann) was framed by Whittaker Chambers (Harkins).

This was one of very few efforts put this story on film, and even if it must be taken with a grain of salt, is still very much worth watching.