I Was a Communist for the FBI (1951)
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44% of users liked it
(142 ratings)
The real Matt Cvetic was a borderline alcoholic with a nasty disposition (he once allegedly beat his sister-in-law so badly she required hospitalization). But Cvetic was also a fervent anti-communist, and so, for a brief period in the early 1950s, he was a folk hero. I Was a Communist for the F.B.I.… More The real Matt Cvetic was a borderline alcoholic with a nasty disposition (he once allegedly beat his sister-in-law so badly she required hospitalization). But Cvetic was also a fervent anti-communist, and so, for a brief period in the early 1950s, he was a folk hero. I Was a Communist for the F.B.I. is the semi-true story of how Cvetic (played by Frank Lovejoy) renounced his friends and family and embraced the Red cause--on behalf of the F.B.I., for whom he was a volunteer undercover agent. The film recounts how Cvetic used his job as a Pittsburgh steelworker to contact various American Communist cell leaders, and how he exposed their insidious plans to overthrow the American government. Since the script infers that among the Reds' "subversive" plans was the Civil Rights Movement, I Was a Communist for the FBI is an embarrassing experience when seen today. Cvetic's memoirs were better dramatized by a 1951 radio series of the same title, starring Dana Andrews. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Gordon Douglas
- Genres
- Mystery & Suspense, Drama
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- May 5, 1951 Wide
- Studio
- Warner Bros.
Critic Reviews
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A propaganda film from Warner Brothers about the Communist influences in America.
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Cast
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Frank Lovejoy
as Matt Cvetic
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Dorothy Hart
as Eve Merrick
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Philip Carey
as Mason
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James Millican
as Jim Blandon
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Richard Webb
as Crowley
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Konstantin Shayne
as Gerhardt Eisler
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Paul Picerni
as Joe Cvetic
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Roy Roberts
as Father Novac
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Ron Hagerthy
as Dick Cvetic
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Hugh Sanders
as Garson
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Hope Kramer
as Ruth Cvetic
- Ernest Anderson
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Sugarfoot Anderson
as Black Man
- William Norton Bailey
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Mildred Boyd
as Woman
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Russ Conway
as Frank Cvetic
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Roy Engel
as Jackie's Father
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Douglas Evans
as Chief Agent
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William Forrest
as Senator Wood
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Frank Gerstle
as Tom Cvetic
- Mary Ellen Hokanson
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Charles Horvath
as Good Leader
- Anne Kimbell
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Lenita Lane
as Principal
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Lyle Latell
as Cahill
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George Magrill
as Man
- Frank Marlowe
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Paul McGuire
as McIntyre
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David McMahon
as Masonvitch
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Bert Moorhouse
as Senator Gray
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Ann Morrison
as Miss Nova
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Edward Norris
as Harmon
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Jimmy O'Gatty
as Goon
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Kasia Orzazewski
as Mrs. Cvetic
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Barry Reagan
as Officer
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Michael Ross
as Foreman
- Charles Sherlock
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Barry Sullivan
as Worker
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Phil Tully
as Irish Mick
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Howard Negley
as Union Chairman
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James Gonzales
as Brennan
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William Lester
as Brown
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James Adamson
as Picket
- Richard H. Gordon
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Grace Lenard
as Wife
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Robert "Buddy" Shaw
as Lawyer
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John Crawford
as McGowan
- Janet Barrett
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Charles Colean
as Brakeman
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Karen Hale
as Secretary
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Paula Sowl
as Student
- Paul Bradley
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Joseph Darr Smith
as Goon
