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Mister 880

  • 19501950
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Burt Lancaster and Dorothy McGuire in Mister 880 (1950)
  • Comedy
  • Crime
  • Romance
Gentle romantic comedy about a Secret Service Agent trying to catch a cold case counterfeiter and a United Nations translator.Gentle romantic comedy about a Secret Service Agent trying to catch a cold case counterfeiter and a United Nations translator.Gentle romantic comedy about a Secret Service Agent trying to catch a cold case counterfeiter and a United Nations translator.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Edmund Goulding
  • Writers
    • Robert Riskin(screenplay)
    • St. Clair McKelway(article)
  • Stars
    • Burt Lancaster
    • Edmund Gwenn
    • Dorothy McGuire
Top credits
  • Director
    • Edmund Goulding
  • Writers
    • Robert Riskin(screenplay)
    • St. Clair McKelway(article)
  • Stars
    • Burt Lancaster
    • Edmund Gwenn
    • Dorothy McGuire
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 30User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination total

    Photos8

    Burt Lancaster, Edmund Gwenn, and Joe McTurk in Mister 880 (1950)
    Burt Lancaster and Dorothy McGuire in Mister 880 (1950)
    Burt Lancaster and Dorothy McGuire in Mister 880 (1950)
    Burt Lancaster and Dorothy McGuire in Mister 880 (1950)
    Burt Lancaster and Dorothy McGuire in Mister 880 (1950)
    Burt Lancaster and Dorothy McGuire in Mister 880 (1950)
    Burt Lancaster, Edmund Gwenn, and Dorothy McGuire in Mister 880 (1950)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Burt Lancaster
    Burt Lancaster
    • Steve Buchananas Steve Buchanan
    Edmund Gwenn
    Edmund Gwenn
    • William 'Skipper' Milleras William 'Skipper' Miller
    Dorothy McGuire
    Dorothy McGuire
    • Ann Winslowas Ann Winslow
    Millard Mitchell
    Millard Mitchell
    • 'Mac' McIntireas 'Mac' McIntire
    Minor Watson
    Minor Watson
    • Judge O'Neilas Judge O'Neil
    Howard St. John
    Howard St. John
    • Chiefas Chief
    Hugh Sanders
    Hugh Sanders
    • Thad Mitchellas Thad Mitchell
    James Millican
    James Millican
    • Olie Johnsonas Olie Johnson
    George Adrian
    • Carlosas Carlos
    • (uncredited)
    Rico Alaniz
    Rico Alaniz
    • Carlos - Spanish Interpreteras Carlos - Spanish Interpreter
    • (uncredited)
    Polly Bailey
    • Womanas Woman
    • (uncredited)
    Jean Bane
    • Cashieras Cashier
    • (uncredited)
    Gilbert Barnett
    • Boyas Boy
    • (uncredited)
    Edward Biby
    Edward Biby
    • Man in Hallwayas Man in Hallway
    • (uncredited)
    Robert Boon
    • Dutchmanas Dutchman
    • (uncredited)
    Paul Bradley
    • Manas Man
    • (uncredited)
    Howland Chamberlain
    Howland Chamberlain
    • Duffas Duff
    • (uncredited)
    Perdita Chandler
    • Cashieras Cashier
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Edmund Goulding
    • Writers
      • Robert Riskin(screenplay)
      • St. Clair McKelway(article)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    The Secret Service of the US Treasury Department has been able to nab a number of high-powered and violent counterfeiters over the years, but case number 880, which has been open now for ten years, has so far confounded them. The reason this case bothers them so much is not only the duration of the file, but more importantly the fact that the bills themselves and their distribution are of an amateurish nature, including the obvious typographical error, "Wahsington", on them. They do realize that the perpetrator, who they have coined Mister 880, has been able to get away with it so far because the bills are almost exclusively $1, which merchants rarely check, and that the bills collected, which have been distributed solely in New York City, amount to less than $50 per month. The Secret Service decides to bring in Los Angeles based Steve Buchanan to work on the case as a pair of fresh eyes. As Steve goes about his initial investigation of merchants who have been duped over those ten years, Steve is unaware that he meets Mister 880, a kindly old gentleman named William 'Skipper' Miller, who most would not suspect, including his friends. Besides daily needs, Skipper uses the money primarily to buy second-hand knick-knacks, which he treats as his companions. When asked how he supports himself, Skipper says the money is from his Cousin Henry, which is how he refers to his printing press and self-made plates. The first active distribution of bills under Steve's watch is attributed to Ann Winslow, a French-English interpreter at the UN, she who is a friend and neighbor of Skipper's. Steve, who doesn't believe Ann is 880 but believes she can lead him to 880, decides to infiltrate Ann's life without telling her who he is. She, however, eventually does find out. Regardless, the two fall for each other. The questions become whether Ann will remember from where she got the counterfeit bills, whether she will tip Skipper off to Steve's identity inadvertently or purposely before Steve finds out who Mister 880 is, or if Steve is able to tie 880 to Skipper what that will do to Steve and Ann's burgeoning romance. Skipper may have some say in those answers. —Huggo
    • counterfeit money
    • nickname in title
    • counterfeiting
    • investigation
    • counterfeiter
    • 41 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • It's the picture everybody is cheering !
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Romance
    • Certificate
      • Not Rated
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Based on the true story of Emerich Juettner, an elderly junk dealer who, like the character in the movie, only used to print counterfeit $1 bills to make ends meet. For 10 years, Juettner eluded the Secret Service's efforts to find him. He was finally caught in January, 1948, after a fire forced him to vacate his apartment on New York's Upper West Side, and move in with his daughter in Queens. The firemen who put out the fire left some of Juettner's belongings in a nearby alley. A few weeks later, a group of local boys found some of his $1 bills in the alley, realized they were fakes (the name "Washington" was misspelled as "Wahsington" on the bills), and turned them over to police. Juettner was arrested, but only sentenced to nine months in jail and a $1 fine. When 20th Century Fox bought the movie rights to his story, Juettner received more money than he had ever made as a counterfeiter.
    • Goofs
      Ann is an interpreter of French at the UN. Yet when she speaks to a French waiter, she has a clunky American accent a mile wide. She would never be accepted as a French interpreter.
    • Quotes

      Ann Winslow: Someone once said that a task left undone creates a void that no amount of achievement can fill.

      Steve Buchanan: Who's the imbecile who dreamed that one up?

      Ann Winslow: I am.

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits appear on dollar bills.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Making of 'the Day the Earth Stood Still' (2008)
    • Soundtracks
      National Emblem
      (uncredited)

      Music by Edwin Eugene Bagley

      Played as parade music

    User reviews30

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    The Whimsical Edmund Gwenn
    Burt Lancaster was always one who took firm control of his career. He got out of the studio system very early in Hollywood and was always the one who called his own shots. I'm guessing that he probably owed someone a favor which is why he did Mister 880.

    It's not that Mister 880 is a bad film, but it's most definitely not a Burt Lancaster project. Burt and leading lady Dorothy McGuire play a definite second fiddle to Edmund Gwenn as the whimsical old neighborhood character who does some counterfeiting on the side when he runs short of money.

    The title stems from the number on his file with the United States Secret Service. Mister 880 isn't even that good a counterfeiter, but his case has been put on the agency back burner for years while they assign top priority to organized gangs of counterfeiters. Gwenn does his work on cheap office supply paper with a hand press. He even spells Washington wrong on the one dollar bills he prints. And he's been getting away with it for years because of the small denominations.

    McGuire comes to Lancaster's attention as she gets stuck with one of Gwenn's phonies. He's the agent who the New York office finally decided to assign to the 880 case. Of course the usual romantic complications get in the way of the case, but not forever.

    Edmund Gwenn is one of those delightful character actors you cannot help but like. His charm is infectious, never more so than when he won that Oscar for Miracle on 34th Street. His character of the Skipper is in the same vein as Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street.

    Who could not like Edmund Gwenn and therefore who could not like Mister 880.
    helpful•34
    3
    • bkoganbing
    • May 3, 2006

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 29, 1950 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
      • German
      • Dutch
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • Old 880
    • Filming locations
      • 1208 Surf Ave, Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • Twentieth Century Fox
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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