I Was a Communist for the FBI

I Was a Communist for the FBI
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGordon Douglas
Screenplay byCrane Wilbur
Based on
the SEP articles "I Posed as a Communist for the F.B.I."
by
Produced byBryan Foy
StarringFrank Lovejoy
Narrated byFrank Lovejoy
CinematographyEdwin B. DuPar
Edited byFolmar Blangsted
Music by
Color processBlack and white
Production
company
Warner Bros.
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release dates
  • May 2, 1951 (1951-05-02) (New York City)
  • May 5, 1951 (1951-05-05) (United States)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$684,000[1]
Box office
  • $1,759,000 (total)[1]
  • $1.3 million (US rentals)[2]

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.

  1. ^ a b Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p. 31 doi:10.1080/01439689508604551
  2. ^ 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1951', Variety, January 2, 1952.
  3. ^ I Was a Communist for the FBI at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films.
  4. ^ Filreis, Al. Web site at University of Pennsylvania, based on Federal Bureau of Investigation - Freedom of Information Privacy Act. Accessed: July 17, 2013.
  5. ^ "RadioEchoes.com".