After Barry Corvall discovers that his new bride is a possible enemy agent, he resigns from the diplomatic service to go undercover to root out an espionage ring planning to destroy American... Read allAfter Barry Corvall discovers that his new bride is a possible enemy agent, he resigns from the diplomatic service to go undercover to root out an espionage ring planning to destroy American industrial capability.After Barry Corvall discovers that his new bride is a possible enemy agent, he resigns from the diplomatic service to go undercover to root out an espionage ring planning to destroy American industrial capability.
Rudolph Anders
- Paul Strawn
- (as Robert O. Davis)
Hans Heinrich von Twardowski
- Dr. Helm
- (as Hans Von Twardowski)
Emmett Vogan
- Instructor
- (as Emmet Vogan)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe working title of this picture was "Career Man". It was released little over four months after another socially conscious Warner anti-Nazi film, Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939). This was before America's involvement in WWII, when other studios were reluctant to antagonize the Germans. Reviews compared the film to Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939) because of its exposé about espionage. The theme of Nazi Germany trying to disable the industrial capabilities of the U.S. would be taken up again in Alfred Hitchcock's "Saboteur" (1942), after America's entry into the war.
- GoofsGeorge Bancroft is credited onscreen as Dudley Garrett, but radio announcer Wendell Niles introduces him as Donald Garrett.
- Quotes
State Department Official: Will we in this nation ever learn the difference between tolerance and stupidity?
- ConnectionsReferenced in Shining Through (1992)
- SoundtracksI'll Sing You a Thousand Love Songs
(1936) (uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Dance music played after the marriage announcement
Featured review
A lesson for our times
In these days, when many are more concerned about the rights of terrorists than the security of our country, a simple old movie like ESPIONAGE AGENT reminds us that no country can afford to relax its vigilance against terrorists within its borders.
Joel McCrea, on the verge of making one of the best WW2 spy pictures of all (Hitchcock's FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT, 1940), plays a likable US diplomat who makes the mistake of falling for a woman with a shady past. Orphaned in Europe, his wife Brenda was recruited by German spies, and now that she's married into the diplomatic corps, her handlers want her to use her connections for further infiltration. The two lovers decide to play their own double game to bring down the Germans.
There's nothing extraordinary about the film. It's simply done, with solid acting and a taut script with no wasted scenes (and no money wasted on actual location shoots). What makes it seem so special is its timing: being released just as WW2 openly broke out in Europe, and the danger of spies became more of a real threat to free countries everywhere. There's also a nice balance between the spy plot, the romance plot, and some humorous bits involving annoying American tourists.
Just like today's terrorists, the German saboteurs operate under a neutral-sounding front: the WORLD PEACE ORGANIZATION. Early in the picture, discussing the government's reluctance to do something about saboteurs, a high-ranking US official asks a question that rings true here in the post-9/11 world: "Will we as a nation ever learn the difference between tolerance and stupidity?"
Trivia bit: keep your eyes open for Clark Kent AND Perry White from the old SUPERMAN TV series.
And contrary to a previous poster, this film is not in the least confused about which war it's about. The opening scenes, with the father of McCrea's character, take place around WW1. Then there's a very clear narration bringing us up to the late 1930s, and there are several references later on to "20 years ago" (meaning the World War). Someone must have been dozing.
Joel McCrea, on the verge of making one of the best WW2 spy pictures of all (Hitchcock's FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT, 1940), plays a likable US diplomat who makes the mistake of falling for a woman with a shady past. Orphaned in Europe, his wife Brenda was recruited by German spies, and now that she's married into the diplomatic corps, her handlers want her to use her connections for further infiltration. The two lovers decide to play their own double game to bring down the Germans.
There's nothing extraordinary about the film. It's simply done, with solid acting and a taut script with no wasted scenes (and no money wasted on actual location shoots). What makes it seem so special is its timing: being released just as WW2 openly broke out in Europe, and the danger of spies became more of a real threat to free countries everywhere. There's also a nice balance between the spy plot, the romance plot, and some humorous bits involving annoying American tourists.
Just like today's terrorists, the German saboteurs operate under a neutral-sounding front: the WORLD PEACE ORGANIZATION. Early in the picture, discussing the government's reluctance to do something about saboteurs, a high-ranking US official asks a question that rings true here in the post-9/11 world: "Will we as a nation ever learn the difference between tolerance and stupidity?"
Trivia bit: keep your eyes open for Clark Kent AND Perry White from the old SUPERMAN TV series.
And contrary to a previous poster, this film is not in the least confused about which war it's about. The opening scenes, with the father of McCrea's character, take place around WW1. Then there's a very clear narration bringing us up to the late 1930s, and there are several references later on to "20 years ago" (meaning the World War). Someone must have been dozing.
helpful•187
- LCShackley
- Nov 12, 2008
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Career Man
- Filming locations
- Union Station - 50 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, District of Columbia, USA(establishing shot - exterior - archive footage)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 23 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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