The Undercover Man (1949)

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Eliot Ness may have gotten lots of publicity (especially long after the fact) for breaking the Capone mob, but as Joseph H. Lewis' The Undercover Man reminds us, it was the accountants and the numbers-crunchers that brought down Capone and his mob. Frank Warren (Glenn Ford) started out as an… More Eliot Ness may have gotten lots of publicity (especially long after the fact) for breaking the Capone mob, but as Joseph H. Lewis' The Undercover Man reminds us, it was the accountants and the numbers-crunchers that brought down Capone and his mob. Frank Warren (Glenn Ford) started out as an accountant, but now serves as an investigator for the Treasury Department. His job has frequently required him to go undercover, masquerading as a criminal to get the goods on the top-level tax-law violators that his unit targets. But now his assignment is to gather evidence on the operations of the nation's number-one crime boss and get proof of the income that he and his lieutenants are not declaring, and this proves not only frustrating but dangerous. Potential stoolies are murdered and witnesses intimidated, and when one otherwise "respectable" lawyer (Barry Kelley) starts mentioning Warren's wife (Nina Foch) in casual conversation, he takes the hint. He's ready to quit until the mother (Esther Minciotti) of a witness-turned-victim tells him about what life was like in Italy under the Black Hand, and why she came to America to raise her sons. Warren and his men (James Whitmore, David Wolfe) make one last attempt to get the proof they need, tracing signatures and handwriting to get evidence implicating a small man in the operation, using it to turn him and going for bigger fish. Finally, even the shyster lawyer who has been dogging Warren every step of the way ends up in the sights of the feds, and the mob turns its attention to getting rid of this new "liability" and taking care of Warren as well. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 25 min.
Directed By: Joseph H. Lewis
Genres: Drama, Romance, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Apr 20, 1949 Wide

Critic Reviews

Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television
Highly creative crime film, with visually inventive direction.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A very solid crime thriller shot in semi-documentary style.

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Cast

            Glenn Ford as Frank Warren

            Nina Foch as Judith Warren

            James Whitmore as George Pappas

            Barry Kelley as Edward O'Rourke

            David Wolfe as Stanley Weinburg

            Frank Tweddell as Inspector Herzog

            Howard St. John as Joseph S. Horan

            John F. Hamilton as Sgt. Shannon

            Joan Lazer as Rosa Rocco

            Esther Minciotti as Maria Rocco

            Angela Clarke as Theresa Rocco

            Anthony Caruso as Salvatore Rocco

            Robert Osterloh as Manny Zanger

            Kay Medford as Gladys LaVerne

            Peter Brocco as Johnny

            John K. Butler as Grocer

            Wheaton Chambers as Secretary

            George Douglas as District Attorney

            Sidney Dubin as Harris

            Ben Erway as Court Clerk

            Franklin Farnum as Federal Judge

            Everett Glass as Judge Parker

            Sol (Saul) Gorss as Hoodlum

            Tom Hanlon as Newsreel Announcer

            Ken Harvey as Big Fellow

            Ted Jordan as Hoodlum

            Robert Malcolm Young as Policeman

            Joe Mantell as Newsboy

            Paul Marion as Hoodlum

            Edwin Max as Manager

            Frank Mayo as Jury Foreman

            Silvio Minciotti as Vendor

            Al Murphy as Man

            Billy Nelson as Bouncer

            Franklin Parker as Man

            Leonard Penn as Sidney Gordon

            Bernie Sell
            
            William Vedder as Druggist

            Peter Virgo as Cigar Store Owner

            Ralph Volkie as Big Fellow/Man in White

            Helen Wallace as Mrs. O'Rourke

            Harlan Warde as Hoodlum

            Patricia White as Muriel Gordon

            Esther Zeitlin as Woman

            John Ireland as Narrator

            Brian O'Hara as Policeman

            Marcella Cisney as Alice Ferguson

            Wally Rose as Hoodlum

            Glenn Thompson
            
            Richard Bartell as Court Attendant

            Roy Darmour as Hoodlum

            Jim Drum as Policeman

            Cy Malis as Hoodlum

            Irene Martin as Woman

            Allen Mathews as Policeman

            Joe Palma as Policeman

            Rose Plummer as Woman

            Ed Randolph as Men

            Michael Cisney as Fred Ferguson

            Jack Gordon
            
            Stella LeSaint as Woman

            William Rhinehart as Gunman
See full cast

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