I Was a Communist for the F.B.I. (1951)

In Pittsburgh, PA, an F.B.I. agent works to undermine the Communist party, but his brothers and his teenage boy thinks he's a real Red.

Director:

Gordon Douglas

Writers:

Crane Wilbur (screenplay), Matt Cvetic (article)

Stars:

Frank Lovejoy, Dorothy Hart, Philip Carey

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Frank Lovejoy	...	Matt Cvetic
Dorothy Hart	...	Eve Merrick
Philip Carey	...	Mason
James Millican	...	Jim Blandon
Richard Webb	...	Ken Crowley
Konstantin Shayne	...	Gerhardt Eisler
Paul Picerni	...	Joe Cvetic
Edward Norris	...	Harmon (as Eddie Norris)
Ron Hagerthy	...	Dick Cvetic
Hugh Sanders	...	Clyde Garson
Hope Kramer	...	Ruth Cvetic

Storyline

The FBI infiltrates one of their agents in the US Communist Party. This causes big problems in the normal life of the agent. Nobody knows that he is with the FBI, neither his family.

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Plot Keywords:

work injury | fbi agent | factory | teacher | brother versus brother | 

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Taglines:

Sensation-Upon-Sensation! The whole undercover operation of the most danger-laden assignment in the entire history of the F.B.I.!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 May 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

I Was a Communist for the FBI

Filming Locations:

Pittsburgh ,Pennsylvania, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Frank Lovejoy and Paul Picerni, who play brothers, would work again for Gordon Douglas two years later in 'She's Back On Broadway.'

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Goofs

Early in the film there's a shot at an airport where we see planes moving outside a window. The outside shot is flipped: the "PAN AMERICAN" logo on the side of the plane is backwards.

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Quotes

Gerhardt Eisler: A very enjoyable evening. Close the door. Blandon, you did exceedingly well
Jim Blandon: [chuckles] Thanks. Those niggers ate it up, didn't they?
Matt Cvetic: You mean, Negroes, don't you, Jim?
Jim Blandon: [shrugs] Only when I'm trying to sell them the party line
Gerhardt Eisler: They're very useful comrades
Matt Cvetic: There's going to be trouble on the streets tonight
Jim Blandon: Well, if there isn't, I've been wasting the Party's time. Anyone want a drink? Do you mind?
Gerhardt Eisler: Go ahead
Jim Blandon: Comrades, comrades! You know, Matt calls them comrades too, only he believes it. You see, Matt...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in The Fifties: The Fear & the Dream (1997)

User Reviews

A man on a mission

Frank Lovejoy starred in two classics: he had a minor part in "House of Wax" and was one of the main characters in Ida Lupino's film noir "The Hitch-Hiker". In "I Was A Communist For The FBI" he plays Matt Cvetic, a Slovenian last name which makes it all the more likely that Cvetic would turn into a communist. Well, that's at least what the film tries to tell you.

It is 1951 and McCarthy has started the war on the new enemy, the communists. It was a 'war' that would mark lots of 50s movies. Some movies had subtle criticism (e.g. "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"), some were overtly against communism: in "Invaders from Mars" the communists were evil aliens, in "I Was A Communist For The FBI" they were just evil. The communists wanted to start riots which would lead to Americans fighting other Americans according to this movie by Gordon Douglas (who is also the director of the Frank Sinatra thriller "The Lady in Cement" and the giant ants movie "Them!"). Why? Well, if everyone would fight, one would applaud communism for being the new order that would have brought peace to the streets of America. Well, if they say so.

The movie is so anti-communism that at times you are feeling you are watching a parody. Well, it isn't, all is meant with a straight face. We follow the life of Matt Cvetic, an FBI agent who pretends to be a communist. We see how he is despised by his family (even his son) and how he can't tell anyone of the Great Mission he is on. He cannot tell them he is risking his neck to save the country.

As ridiculous as all this might seem, if you can ignore the propaganda of this movie, you are left with a fairly decent movie. It may be difficult to watch this film nowadays and think lots of people believed the message of this movie, but it's even more difficult that this movie was nominated for an Oscar in 1952. The category? Best Documentary. Really.