I Was a Communist for the FBI

"I Was a Communist for the FBI" was the name of a series of stories written by Matt Cvetic that appeared in the "Saturday Evening Post". [ [http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/iwasacommunistforthefbi.htm Federal Bureau of Investigation - Freedom of Information Privacy Act ] ] The stories were later turned into a best-selling book, an American espionage thriller radio series and motion picture in the early 1950s.

The story follows Cvetic, who infiltrated a local Communist Party cell for nine years and reported back to the Federal Bureau of Investigation on their activities.

The film and radio show are pure artifacts of the McCarthy era, as well as a time capsule of American society during the Second Red Scare. The purpose of both are partly to warn people about the threat of Communist subversion of American society. The tone of the show is ultra-patriotic, with Communists portrayed as evil and vindictive.

Film

Infobox Film
name = I Was a Communist for the FBI


image_size =
caption =
director = Gordon Douglas
producer =
writer = Crane Wilbur
narrator =
starring = Frank Lovejoy
Dorothy Hart
music =
cinematography =
editing =
distributor = Warner Brothers
released = 5 May 1951
runtime = 1:37
country = flagicon|USA USA
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0043665

"I Was a Communist for the FBI" was adapted as a motion picture in 1951. Frank Lovejoy portrayed Cvetic. The film was directed by Gordon Douglas and written by Crane Wilbur.

Ironically, this dramatic film was nominated for an Academy Award as the Best Documentary of the year. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043665/awards I Was a Communist for the FBI (1951) - Awards ] ] [ [http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/commie-for-fbi.html I Was a Communist for the FBI ] ]

Cast

* Frank Lovejoy as Matt Cvetic
* Dorothy Hart as Eve Merrick
* Philip Carey as Mason
* James Millican as Jim Blandon

Radio

Infobox Radio Show
show_name = I Was a Communist for the FBI


imagesize =
caption =
other_names =
format = Suspense
runtime = 30 minutes
country = flagicon|USA USA
language = English
home_station = KNX
syndicates = Frederick W. Ziv Company
television =
presenter =
starring = Dana Andrews
announcer =
creator =
writer =
director =
producer =
executive_producer =
narrated =
record_location =
first_aired = April 23, 1952
last_aired = October 14, 1953
num_series =
num_episodes = 78
audio_format =
opentheme =
endtheme =
website =
podcast =

The radio version of "I Was a Communist for the FBI" consisted of 78 episodes syndicated by the Frederick W. Ziv Company to more than 600 stations, including KNX in Los Angeles, California, with original episodes running from April 23, 1952 to October 14, 1953. The program was made without the cooperation of the FBI, which refused to do so. Real-life undercover agent Matt Cvetic was portrayed by Dana Andrews. The show had a budget of $12,000 a week, a very high cost to produce a radio show at the time. [ [http://www.lhs15201.org/review1.asp?rID=12 Lawrenceville Historical Society - Book Reviews ] ]

The program frequently dealt with the great stress that Cvetic was under, as he covertly infiltrated a local Communist Party cell. There were many personal and family problems caused by his being a Communist, as well as a certain amount of mental torment. He saw the party as being hypocritical and a great danger to society.

In 1953, Ziv created a separate television follow-up, "I Led Three Lives", based on the life of Herbert Philbrick, a Boston advertising executive who also infiltrated the U.S. Communist Party on behalf of the FBI in the 1940s. This time, the FBI approved all of the show's scripts.

"Tagline: "I am a Communist for the FBI, I walk alone."

References

External links

* [http://www.old-time.com/otrlogs2/iwc.log.txt Episode log]