David Harding, Counterspy (1950)

Director:

Ray Nazarro

Writers:

Clint Johnston (story)
Phillips Lord (radio program)
(more)

Release Date:

13 July 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

Based on the ABC radio program, "Counterspy", created by Phillips M. Lord

Plot:

Based on the long-running radio program created by Philips H. Lord, the film opens with a radio commentator blasting the U...

Plot Keywords:

Commentator | U.S. Navy | Counter Espionage | Radio Commentator | Flashback

Cast

Willard Parker	...	Lt. Comdr. Jerry A. Baldwin
Audrey Long	...	Betty Iverson
Howard St. John	...	David Harding
Raymond Greenleaf	...	Dr. George Vickers
Harlan Warde	...	Hopkins
Alex Gerry	...	Charles Kingston
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Murray Alper	...	Customer (uncredited)
Barry Brooks	...	Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
Grant Calhoun	...	Lt. Van Dyke (uncredited)
Steve Darrell	...	Frank Edwards (uncredited)
John Dehner	...	Frank Reynolds (uncredited)
Pat Flaherty	...	C.P.O. (uncredited)
William Henry	...	Sentry (uncredited)
Earle Hodgins	...	Newspaper Vendor (uncredited)
Anthony Jochim	...	Robert Barrington (uncredited)
Ted Jordan	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Jimmy Lloyd	...	Burton (uncredited)
Robert Lowell	...	Navy Lieutenant (uncredited)
Jock Mahoney	...	Brown (uncredited)
Charles Marsh	...	Employee (uncredited)
Allen Mathews	...	Baker (uncredited)
Fred Miller	...	Policeman (uncredited)
John Pickard	...	McCullough (uncredited)
Charles Quigley	...	Grady (uncredited)
Joey Ray	...	Man in Theater (uncredited)
Fred F. Sears	...	Peters (uncredited)
William Tannen	...	Radio Operator (uncredited)
Peter Virgo	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Jean Willes	...	Nurse (uncredited)

Directed by
Ray Nazarro

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Clint Johnston		story & screenplay
Phillips Lord		radio program (as Phillips H. Lord)
Tom Reed		story & screenplay

Produced by
Milton Feldman	....	producer

Cinematography by
George E. Diskant

Film Editing by
Henry Batista

Art Direction by
Harold H. MacArthur		(as Harold MacArthur)

Set Decoration by
Frank Tuttle

Makeup Department
Helen Hunt	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Newt Jones	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Jack Fier	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carter De Haven Jr.	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Russell Malmgren	....	sound (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Al Becker	....	grip (uncredited)
Kit Carson	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Don Christie	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Al Layter	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Music Department
Mischa Bakaleinikoff	....	musical director

Other crew
Donna M. Norridge	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1950) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures Corporation (1950) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia Film Aktiebolag (1950) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Columbia Film Aktieselskap (1950) (Denmark) (theatrical)
• Kamera Film Aktieselskap (1950) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures Near East (1950) (Egypt) (theatrical)
• Consorzio Cinematografico (1950) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures de Cuba (1950) (Cuba) (theatrical)
• Christiaan van der Ree (1950) (Venezuela) (theatrical)
• Medal Fim Exchange (1950) (Puerto Rico) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures Proprietary (1950) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Teakwood Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Kit Parker Films (2006) (worldwide) (all media) (copyright owner)
• VCI Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #14398) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

In the opening credits, Columbia Pictures chose to precede the name of Howard St. John with the verb "introducing," although the veteran stage actor had already played in four pictures. Oftentimes studios used this term with actors with small public exposure who were on the way up to pronounce their names. St. John was forty-five at the time of this picture's release; but his body of work was on stage with one TV credit.

Movie Connections:

Remake of Walk a Crooked Mile (1948)

Soundtrack:

Let's Fall In Love

Tries For Its Roots

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Columbia Pictures produced a number of films based on Old Time Radio programs. Several were serials, such as Captain Midnight and Jack Armstrong. But this one is a feature. Based on the radio program, "Counterspy," the radio show originated in 1942, and spent its war years having Harding and his counterspies contend against Gestapo and Black Dragon activities. The show was popular, and continued through 1957.

The film was set in the Cold War, but effectively was a flashback to 1943. In the beginning of the film, Harding causes a radio commentator to break a story with planted disinformation, so he brings the commentator in and, to compensate, gives him the story that comprises the film.

At the beginning of the story, a tough-as-nails Lieutenant Commander in the Navy, Jerry Baldwin, is drafted by the Counterspies to investigate espionage activities in a plant that manufactured torpedoes. Baldwin's predecessor, Phil Iverson, an Annapolis classmate, who was stationed at the torpedo plant, had been found dead, presumably from smoking in bed, but with some suspicion of murder. Baldwin was to take Iverson's job, but working with the Counterspies.

Iverson's widow, Betty Iverson, was a woman that Baldwin was in love with before she married. She is asked to take her old job back, as secretary to Baldwin. Baldwin dates her, and romance blooms. However, it turns out that she's in cahoots with the factory's doctor, George Vickers, who's the head of an Axis spy ring.

The story's scattered with a lot of clandestine activity, and refreshingly, most of the characters are fairly intelligent. A number of spy tricks are presented, and the story is worthy of the radio program it emulates.

David Harding, as a spymaster, usually directed activities rather than acting as a field agent. The film follows this pattern.

Especially good if the viewer is familiar with the radio series, but entertaining even if this is the first exposure to the title character.