The House on 92nd Street (1945)

Bill Dietrich becomes a double agent for the F.B.I. in a Nazi spy ring.

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

Barré Lyndon (screenplay) (as Barre Lyndon), Charles G. Booth (screenplay)

Stars:

William Eythe, Lloyd Nolan, Signe Hasso

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Eythe	...	Bill Dietrich
Lloyd Nolan	...	Inspector George A. Briggs
Signe Hasso	...	Elsa Gebhardt
Gene Lockhart	...	Charles Ogden Roper
Leo G. Carroll	...	Col. Hammersohn
Lydia St. Clair	...	Johanna Schmidt
William Post Jr.	...	Walker (as William Post)
Harry Bellaver	...	Max Coburg
Bruno Wick	...	Adolf Lange
Harro Meller	...	Conrad Arnulf
Charles Wagenheim	...	Gustav Hausmann
Alfred Linder	...	Adolf Klein
Renee Carson	...	Luise Vajda

Storyline

Preface: a stentorian narrator tells us that the USA was flooded with Nazi spies in 1939-41. One such tries to recruit college grad Bill Dietrich, who becomes a double agent for the FBI. While Bill trains in Hamburg, a street-accident victim proves to have been spying on atom-bomb secrets; conveniently, Dietrich is assigned to the New York spy ring stealing these secrets. Can he track down the mysterious "Christopher" before his ruthless associates unmask and kill him?

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Plot Keywords:

nazi | fbi | double agent | spy | german american | 

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Taglines:

The house that hid a secret more terrifying than the mind can conceive!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

16 October 1945 (France)

Also Known As:

Now It Can Be Told

Filming Locations:

George Washington Bridge, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,500,000, 31 December 1945

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is loosely based on the F.B.I.'s 1941 case of the Duquesne spy ring headed by the German Agent Fritz Duquesne, the largest espionage case in the history of the United States, and the work of real-life double agent William G. Sebold. Duquense was the inspiration for the part of Colonel Hammershon played by Leo G. Carroll and Sebold the inspiration for Bill Dietrich played by William Eythe.

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Goofs

When the agents are preparing to do the first survey of the house they are wearing CD (Civil Defense) arm bands on their right arms. The next scene shows them approaching the house and the arm bands are now on their left arms.

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Quotes

Narrator: The Germans felt that Dietrich was an extremely valuable man... so did the FBI.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits are shown as someone flipping through the pages of a file.

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Connections

Referenced in 23 Paces to Baker Street (1956)

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Soundtracks

You Say the Sweetest Things (Baby)
(uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Played as background music at the talent agent's office

User Reviews

Outstanding suspense thriller of the war years

A film that must be viewed in the context of its time.

An outstanding suspense thriller that holds your interest to the end when the identity of "Christopher" is confirmed. Excellent location photography gives a stark view of wartime New York. Fine acting by a quality cast and good direction to keep the story moving.

All told, an absorbing film and a fine piece of history.