Federal Man (1950)

Former juvenile star William Henry is the all-grown-up hero of "Federal Man". Henry is cast as a government agent, who dogs the trail of illegal narcotics peddlers. This requires several trips south of the US-Mexico border and back again.

Director:

Robert Emmett Tansey

Writers:

Sam Neuman (original screenplay), Nat Tanchuck (original screenplay)

Stars:

William Henry, Pamela Blake, Robert Shayne

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Henry	...	Agent Phil Sherrin
Pamela Blake	...	Mrs. Judith Palmer
Robert Shayne	...	Chief Agent Charles Stuart
Lyle Talbot	...	Agent Johnson
Movita	...	Lolita Martinez / Montez (as Movita Castaneda)
Lori Irving	...	Betty Herbert, elevator operator
John Laurenz	...	Mexican Agent Rodriguez
Ben Moselle	...	Mack
George Eldredge	...	Wade Brandon
Dennis Moore	...	Harry
Noel Cravat	...	Rocky
Paul Hoffman	...	George Hodge - garage 'front man'
Joe Turkel	...	Jack 'Sneeze' Norton (as Joseph Turkel)
Bill Edwards	...	Agent George Palmer (as William Edwards)
William F. Leicester	...	Frankie Lanessi (as William Lester)

Storyline

A government agent, who dogs the trail of illegal narcotics peddlers. This requires several trips south of the US-Mexico border and back again. During these trips, he meets people like the tough femme-fatale Judith Palmer and lead smuggler Harry.

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Plot Keywords:

government agent | mexico | gang member | u.s. treasury | television set | 

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Taglines:

MASTER MIND OF THE T-MEN VS. THE TWISTED BRAINS OF THE UNDERWORLD! (original lobby-card - all caps)

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Narcotics Agent

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jack Schwarz Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

67 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

Dry story as agents crack down on drug runners

Indie producer Jack Schwarz produced about thirty flicks in the 1940s and 1950s. This one, Federal Man, also known as "Narcotics Agent", was dry as a piece of toast, with no buttah. As of today, two people have rated this one a perfect "10", but jeez, it plods along like a bad episode of Dragnet, using an omniscient narrator that even SOUNDS like the same one from the Dragnet TV series. The original "Dragnet" film was made in 1947, and has been remade as films and TV series numerous times. I would recommend skipping Federal Man and do something else with that 67 minutes. The only real exciting thing here is the peppy music. Narcotics agents Sherrin & Stuart (William Henry and Robert Shayne) follow Brandon (George Eldridge) and his cronies Sneeze and Rocky for suspected drug trafficking. They even put surveillance equipment in places one doesn't normally expect.... They work on both sides of the U.S. Mexican border,and of course there is the required gun shootout as they move in. The only big name here is Lyle Talbot, as Agent Johnson. He had worked with many of the biggies from the early days of the talkies, but also appeared in the early Batman and Superman works. Directed by Robert Tansey, who would only direct a couple more after this one, dying the next year.