Federal Man (1950)

Director:

Robert Emmett Tansey

Writers:

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

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Government Agent | Gunfire | 1950s | Husband Wife Relationship | Investigation

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)

Also Known As:

Narcotics Agent (USA) (working title)
Narcotics Squad (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

67 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Jack Schwarz Productions

Strictly Low-Budget

This cheap little indie touches the semi-documentary bases at a time when Hollywood was boosting the image of federal agencies in general. After all, the Cold War was heating up; at the same time organized crime was growing, so who better than the FBI, DEA, Treasury Men, et al. as heroes for a new kind of documentary style. Many classics emerged from this period: T-Men (1947), Naked City (1948), Border Incident (1949). The better ones blended elements of noir with documentary naturalism to produce unusual effects.

This 1950 production echoes many clichés of the period (murdered agent, cutting edge technology, a Mr. Big et al.). But it's clearly a shoestring affair despite good intentions. At the same time, the lighting looks more like unpaid utility bill than nourish light and shadow. Nonetheless, the parking lot location shots provide good glimpse of Detroit's assembly line product, circa 1950. The screenplay manages some tension, but that final shootout looks poorly staged, as if no one fears getting hit. Strictly a low-grade effort at cashing in on a popular trend.