I Was a Communist for the FBI

I Was a Communist for the FBI
I Was a Communist for the FBI
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Gordon Douglas
Screenplay by	Crane Wilbur
Based on	the SEP articles "I Posed as a Communist for the F.B.I."; by Matt Cvetic; Pete Martin;
Produced by	Bryan Foy
Starring	Frank Lovejoy
Narrated by	Frank Lovejoy
Cinematography	Edwin B. DuPar
Edited by	Folmar Blangsted
Music by	William Lava; Max Steiner (uncredited);
Color process	Black and white
Production; company	Warner Bros.
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release dates	May 2, 1951 (New York City); May 5, 1951 (United States);
Running time	83 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$684,000
Box office	$1,759,000 (total); $1.3 million (US rentals);

I Was a Communist for the FBI is a 1951 American crime film noir produced by Bryan Foy, directed by Gordon Douglas and starring Frank Lovejoy.^[3]

The film is based on a series of stories written by Matt Cvetic that appeared in The Saturday Evening Post.^[4] The stories were later adapted into a bestselling book and a radio show starring Dana Andrews that ran for 78 episodes in 1952 and 1953.^[5]

The story follows Cvetic, who infiltrated a local Communist Party cell for nine years and reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the group's activities.

Plot

Matt Cvetic, who works in a Pittsburgh steel mill, has been infiltrating the Communist Party for the FBI in Pittsburgh for nine years. During this time, he has been unable to tell his family about his dual role, so they assume that he is a genuine believer in communism and despise him for it.

Cyetic becomes emotionally involved with a communist schoolteacher who is becoming disenchanted with the party. She leaves the party when it foments a violent strike. Cvetic helps her escape the communists in violent episodes in which two communists and an FBI agent are killed.

Cvetic testifies against the communists before the House Un-American Activities Committee and reconciles with his brother and son.

Cast

Frank Lovejoy as Matt Cvetic
Dorothy Hart as Eve Merrick
Philip Carey as Mason
James Millican as Jim Blandon
Richard Webb as Ken Crowley
Konstantin Shayne as Gerhardt Eisler
Paul Picerni as Joe Cvetic
Roy Roberts as Father Novac
Edward Norris as Harmon (as Eddie Norris)
Ron Hagerthy as Dick Cvetic
Hugh Sanders as Clyde Garson
Hope Kramer as Ruth Cvetic
Lyle Latell as FBI Officer Cahill

Production

The film was preceded by a radio series also titled I Was a Communist for the FBI, starring Dana Andrews, that consisted of 78 episodes and aired on more than 600 stations in the United States from March 30, 1952 to September 20, 1953. The radio program was made without the cooperation of the FBI but it exposed the great danger that communism presented to the country.^[6]

Reception

In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Bosley Crowther wrote: "[T]he writing, the acting and the direction of this film are in a taut style of 'thriller' fiction that the perceptive will recognize. .... Frank Lovejoy, who muscularly plays the title role, is a model of tight and efficient resolution, ingenuity and spunk."^[7]

Variety wrote: "[S]cripter Crane Wilbur has fashioned an exciting film. Direction of Gordon Douglas plays up suspense and pace strongly, and the cast, headed by Frank Lovejoy in the title role, punches over the expose of the Communist menace."^[8]

According to Warner Bros. records, the film earned $1,319,000 in the U.S. and $440,000 elsewhere.^[1]

Awards

The film was nominated for an Academy Award as the Best Documentary Feature of the year.^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Warner Bros financial information in The William Shaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p. 31 doi:10.1080/01439689508604551
^ 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1951', Variety, January 2, 1952.
^ I Was a Communist for the FBI at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films.
^ Filreis, Al. Web site at University of Pennsylvania, based on Federal Bureau of Investigation - Freedom of Information Privacy Act. Accessed: July 17, 2013.
^ "RadioEchoes.com".
^ Wudarczyk, James Archived 2007-08-10 at the Wayback Machine. Lawrenceville Historical Society, book review, September 24, 2006. Accessed: July 17, 2013.
^ Crowther, Bosley (1951-05-03). "The Screen: Two Films Have Local Premieres". The New York Times. p. 34.
^ Staff, Variety (1951-01-01). "I Was a Communist for the F.B.I." Variety. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
^ IMDb, awards section.