***SPOILERS*** After spending two years in a Communist Chinese POW camp Korean War Vet Capt. Alan Eaton, Dana Andrews, is back home trying to pick up the pieces of his life that he left back in Korea. Not fully recovered from the brainwashing that he received at the hands of the Communist Chinese Eaton gets an even bigger shock when he finds out that his PR firm, Eaton & Baker ass. in now in the hands of Jim McGinnis, Dick Foran. Eaton also finds out, as if he needed any more surprises, that his partner Clark Baker was killed in a hit and run accident the day after he signed away the firm to McGInnis!
Trying to get a hold of himself Eaton soon realizes that what's happening at his former PR firm is a bit underhanded when he's not allowed to see how it's conducting surveys on what concerns the Amercan public. McGinnis uses those surveys to get politicians elected by pushing them on TV radio and the newspapers with reports that he purposely had slanted in their favor. Earlier Eaton got a glimpse of what's going on when he was approached on a flight to Washington D.C by a mysterious Doc. Jessup. Claiming to be a major peace activist Dr. Jessup invites Eaton to join his group and it's later that he finds that he's actually connected with Jim McGinnis and his peace group is a communist front!
It becomes very apparent that McGinnis is using the former Baker & Eaton PR firm to undermined the US government by pushing communist ideas and communist supported politicians on an unsuspecting American public. It also becomes very apparent to Eaton after talking to reporter Rodney Hillyer, Joel Marston, that his partner Clark Baker wasn't killed in a car accident but murdered by McGinnis when he refused to go along with him in making McGinnis a partner in his firm.
The film's very complicated plot has Eaton get together with Sen. Walden, Roy Gordon, to expose McGinnis and his fellow travelers Hal & Vivian Loder, Kelly Thordse & Veda Ann Borg, together with Barney Bond, Mel Torme, as working for the communists and have their whole racket put out of business and them behind bars. The evidence that Eaton would need to put McGinnis on ice is the secret set of master cards, that McGinnis keeps under lock and key, that would prove that his surveys aren't on the up and up. It here that Eaton recruits McGinnis' personal secretary Lorraine Dennis, Marille Earle, to help him break into his office and get the important master cards but what Eaton has to find out is if Lorraine won't turn him in to her boss and have Eaton suffer the same fate that his partner Baker did.
Somewhat better then your average "Red Scare" type of movies released by Hollywood during the hight of the Cold War "The Fearmakers" has for once those working for the communist cause doing it for nothing more then capitalistic reasons; the mighty buck. McGinnis and his gang are not at all interested in what communism is and what good it can do for the people but only in the money that the communists, obviously the Soviet Union, will pay them for their services.
Theirs also an added treat in "The Fearmakers" with singer Mel Torme, who doesn't sing a note in the film, as the nerdy Barney Bond who's secretly as well as insanely in love with Lorraine. Berney later in trying to save Lorrine, as well as Eaton, from McGinnis' hoods who plan to stage an accident for her gets himself shot and later, as he's dying, informs Sen.Walden by phone to what McGinnis is planing to do having the D.C police come to both Lorraine & Eaton's rescue. Totally unnecessary final scene with Eaton having it out with a fleeing McGinnis at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial knocking him unconscious and downs the stairs. All this happens with some dozen cops who could have easily apprehended and arrested McGinnis, who had no were to run anyway, standing around and doing nothing but watching the fight!
Trying to get a hold of himself Eaton soon realizes that what's happening at his former PR firm is a bit underhanded when he's not allowed to see how it's conducting surveys on what concerns the Amercan public. McGinnis uses those surveys to get politicians elected by pushing them on TV radio and the newspapers with reports that he purposely had slanted in their favor. Earlier Eaton got a glimpse of what's going on when he was approached on a flight to Washington D.C by a mysterious Doc. Jessup. Claiming to be a major peace activist Dr. Jessup invites Eaton to join his group and it's later that he finds that he's actually connected with Jim McGinnis and his peace group is a communist front!
It becomes very apparent that McGinnis is using the former Baker & Eaton PR firm to undermined the US government by pushing communist ideas and communist supported politicians on an unsuspecting American public. It also becomes very apparent to Eaton after talking to reporter Rodney Hillyer, Joel Marston, that his partner Clark Baker wasn't killed in a car accident but murdered by McGinnis when he refused to go along with him in making McGinnis a partner in his firm.
The film's very complicated plot has Eaton get together with Sen. Walden, Roy Gordon, to expose McGinnis and his fellow travelers Hal & Vivian Loder, Kelly Thordse & Veda Ann Borg, together with Barney Bond, Mel Torme, as working for the communists and have their whole racket put out of business and them behind bars. The evidence that Eaton would need to put McGinnis on ice is the secret set of master cards, that McGinnis keeps under lock and key, that would prove that his surveys aren't on the up and up. It here that Eaton recruits McGinnis' personal secretary Lorraine Dennis, Marille Earle, to help him break into his office and get the important master cards but what Eaton has to find out is if Lorraine won't turn him in to her boss and have Eaton suffer the same fate that his partner Baker did.
Somewhat better then your average "Red Scare" type of movies released by Hollywood during the hight of the Cold War "The Fearmakers" has for once those working for the communist cause doing it for nothing more then capitalistic reasons; the mighty buck. McGinnis and his gang are not at all interested in what communism is and what good it can do for the people but only in the money that the communists, obviously the Soviet Union, will pay them for their services.
Theirs also an added treat in "The Fearmakers" with singer Mel Torme, who doesn't sing a note in the film, as the nerdy Barney Bond who's secretly as well as insanely in love with Lorraine. Berney later in trying to save Lorrine, as well as Eaton, from McGinnis' hoods who plan to stage an accident for her gets himself shot and later, as he's dying, informs Sen.Walden by phone to what McGinnis is planing to do having the D.C police come to both Lorraine & Eaton's rescue. Totally unnecessary final scene with Eaton having it out with a fleeing McGinnis at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial knocking him unconscious and downs the stairs. All this happens with some dozen cops who could have easily apprehended and arrested McGinnis, who had no were to run anyway, standing around and doing nothing but watching the fight!