House on 92nd Street (The)
- Director: Henry Hathaway
- Writer: Barré Lyndon; Charles G. Booth
- Producer: Louis De Rochemont
CGiii Comment
Possibly, the first docu-drama and a damn fine piece of American Propaganda for the FBI...and, a little embarrassing.
Swastikas flying over American streets, Hitler salutes, Nazi mass gatherings - all on American soil. Not to mention all the smoking...in ambulances, in hospitals...everywhere by everyone. Signs of those times...
Very loosely based on the case of Duquesne Spy Ring...good source material...that has be annihilated beyond recognition.
The 'acting' by the non-actors (i.e. actual FBI agents) is laughably bad...but, the acting by the professionals is worse...much worse.
The writing won the Oscar - the writing is sensationalist condescension...written by idiots for idiots...possibly, the worst and most undeserving Oscar ever awarded.
Child-like, perfunctory, simplistic codswallop...let's play spies!
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
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?
Cast & Characters
William Eythe as Bill Dietrich;
Lloyd Nolan as Agent George A. Briggs;
Signe Hasso as Elsa Gebhardt;
Gene Lockhart as Charles Ogden Roper;
Leo G. Carroll as Col. Hammersohn;
Lydia St. Clair as Johanna Schmidt;
William Post Jr. as Walker;
Harry Bellaver as Max Cobura;
Bruno Wick as Adolf Lange;
Harro Meller as Conrad Arnulf;
Charles Wagenheim as Gustav Hausmann;
Alfred Linder as Adolf Klein;
Renee Carson as Luise Vadja;
William Adams as Customs Officer;
Frieda Altman as Saboteur