I Was an American Spy

I Was An American Spy
Directed byLesley Selander
Written byMyron B. Goldsmith
Based onManilla Espionage by Claire Phillips
Produced byDavid Diamond, Ben Schwalb
StarringAnn Dvorak
Douglas Kennedy
CinematographyHarry Neumann
Edited byPhilip Cahn
Music byEdward J. Kay
Production
company
David Diamond Productions
Distributed byAllied Artists Pictures
Release date
  • April 14, 1951 (1951-04-14)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

I Was An American Spy is a 1951 American war drama film dramatizing the true story of Claire Phillips, an American expat[1] who spied on the Japanese during World War II and was captured, tortured, and sentenced to death before being rescued. The film, produced by Allied Artists and directed by Lesley Selander, starred Ann Dvorak in the title role.[2] In addition to obtaining the rights to her 1947 book Manila Espionage, the filmmakers brought Phillips on as a technical adviser and she made personal appearances to promote the film,[3] Phillips and Dvorak became good friends, with Phillips admiring Dvorak's professional dedication in this difficult role.[2] The film begins with General Mark W. Clark paying tribute to Claire Phillips and ends with General Clark awarding her the Medal of Freedom.

  1. ^ Eisner, Peter. 2017. MacArthur's Spies: The Soldier, the Singer and the Spymaster Who Defied the Japanese in World War II. Viking. ISBN 0525429654
  2. ^ a b Christina Rice, Ann Dvorak: Hollywood's Forgotten Rebel, page 256-57, 2013.
  3. ^ "American honey trap: How a U.S. Spy helped Washington win World War II". Newsweek. 22 July 2017.