It took Cvetic two years to gain the trust of the Party leadership, and on Lincoln's birthday, 1943, he was sworn in as a full member of the Communist Party of the United States. I Was A Communist for the FBI (1951) In 1945 John E. Rankin, the long serving, bombastic, and racist congressman from Mississippi stated “one of the most dangerous plots ever instigated for the overthrow of this government has its headquarters in Hollywood … the greatest hotbed of … Espionage thriller drama (1952 - 54). Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Cvetic talks about his nine-year undercover mission in the Communist party starting in 1941. Listen to Radio Show: I Was A Communist For The FBI online using any of the 3 radio players below. Cvetic’s testimony stressed that the Communist Party was not just a political party but also an agent of a foreign power that had unfriendly intentions. The FBI and the Communist Party. Before the guffaws get out of control, I Was a Communist for the FBI needs to be slammed back into some perspective. A Location Number of "111" indicates I have the show in my Collection, but they haven't yet been assigned a Location number. agent who is inserted into a communist cell in Pittsburg and who witnesses the under-the-belt tactics of these operators, vis a vis the unions and their efforts at demonstrations and strikes, in the steel industry. The man who loosely provided the inspiration for the B-Grade cult movie I Was a Communist for the FBI. Hoover Institution Library & Archives' Commonwealth Club of California collection guide can … In the midst of the Red Scare, the movie studios not only tried to rid themselves of anyone with Communist affiliations but also thought it wise to put out an anti-Communist film or two. Posted on May 1, 2011 October 14, 2017 in Communism with 4 Comments. I Was a Communist for the FBI is a 1951 American film noir crime film directed by Gordon Douglas starring Frank Lovejoy, Dorothy Hart, Philip Carey and James Millican It was also a radio show starring Dana Andrews with 78 episodes that ran from April 23, 1952 until October 14, 1953. Pittsburgh celebrated the film's April premiere with a "Matthew Cvetic Day," complete with parade. An undercover FBI operative working inside a communist labor organization with delusions of grandeur to conquer the United States. The man who loosely provided the inspiration for the B-Grade cult movie I Was a Communist for the FBI had a life that was marred by alcoholism, damaged expectations, and greed. Cvetic's memoirs were better dramatized by a 1951 radio series of the same title, starring Dana Andrews. Both were Cold War propaganda, focusing on the life of Matt Cvetic who infiltrates the Communist party. His family practically disowned him, his mother died still thinking he had gone communist, and there was a real danger he would be found out and murdered. During the "Red Scare" of the 1950s, FBI agent and Slovenian-American Matt Cvetic (Frank Lovejoy) poses as a Communist to infiltrate the U.S. Communist Party. Cvetic, at the request of the FBI, joined a Pittsburgh branch of the CPUSA in 1943. I Was a Communist for the FBI is a 1951 American film noir crime film directed by Gordon Douglas starring Frank Lovejoy, Dorothy Hart, Philip Carey and James Millican. at least one of the radio players will work for you: I Led 3 Lives (also known as I Led Three Lives) is an American drama series syndicated by Ziv Television Programs from October 1, 1953, to January 1, 1956. He would attend over 3000 secret "Red" meetings, and would supply the F.B.I. Watch trailers, read customer and critic reviews, and buy I Was a Communist for the FBI directed by Gordon Douglas for $5.99. This was crucial testimony at the time. Based on the book by the same name by Matt Cvetic, an undercover operative who joined the Communist Party to spy from within.. Listen to 39 episodes of I Was a Communist for the Fbi for free. I Was a Communist for the FBI is a 1951 American film noir crime film directed by Gordon Douglas starring Frank Lovejoy, Dorothy Hart, Philip Carey and James Millican. Harvey Matusow played a similar role as ex-communist. It was also a radio show starring Dana Andrews with 78 episodes that ran from Apr 23, 1952 until Oct 14, 1953. Aired 1952 - 1954 I Was a Communist for the FBI rode the coattails of the Red Scare, aired even though the FBI refused to cooperate with its production. Printer Friendly “Had observers known in the 1950s what they have learned since the 1970s, when the Freedom of Information Act opened the Bureau’s files, ‘McCarthyism’ would probably be called ‘Hooverism. The show was based on the book by Matt Cvetic and purportedly told of his adventures as an undercover operative who joined the Communist Party to spy from within for the FBI. I Was a Communist for the FBI (Motion Picture) I Was a Communist for the FBI (Motion Picture) Part 1 of 2 View. '” The film involves a few basic twists and turns as our main character gathers more information and statistical data. This is the story of an F.B.I. The series stars Richard Carlson.The show was a companion piece of sorts to the radio drama I Was a Communist for the FBI, which dealt with a similar subject and was also syndicated by Ziv from 1952 to 1954. The former CIA Chief John Brennan was a communist by his own admission. I Was A Communist For The FBI was a show that came from the anti-Communist hysteria at a peak in the 1950s, and by the end of 1952 I Was a Communist was scheduled on more than 600 stations. He was the brave undercover FBI agent who had to make his own luck for nine years. What we didn’t know is that James Comey, the former FBI Director, says he was a communist too. The FBI paid Cvetic the last seven years he was undercover, and Payne argues that this was only right considering the sacrifices and danger Cvetic endured for many years. The Federal Bureau of Investigation are the good guys, for a nice change. 0:30 I Was A Communist For The Fbi. Mason: Philip Carey. In the script for Sesame Street Episode 1117, one of the books that Big Bird is anxious to check out from the library is I Was a Bluebird for the FBI. A Communist For The FBI and Stars Over Hollywood – Relic Radio The show was a companion piece of sorts to the radio drama I Was a Communist for the FBI, which dealt with a similar subject and was also syndicated by Ziv from 1952 to 1954. Story of Matt Cvetic (Frank Lovejoy), who joined the Reds to gather information for the FBI. Eve: Dorothy Hart. I Led 3 Lives-Wikipedia. I Was a Communist for the FBI: | | | I Was a Communist for the FBI | | | | ... World Heritage Encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive collection ever assembled. First, the film was released only 5 or 6 years after World War Two had finished. I Was a Communist for the FBI is a 1951 film which also became a radio series (1952-1953). Moves fast. This was one that came from Warner Brothers and it is as square as the Pledge of Allegiance from a Boy Scout on a stack of bibles. This series capitalized on the new Red scare of the early 1950s: 78 episodes were recorded, without any … We can tell him what he is — a very far-left Democrat. Part of our over 12,000 show library of old time radio. Based on the book by real-life undercover agent, Matt Cvetic, I Was a Communist for the FBI was a dramatization of Cvetics life during the time he infiltrated the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA). I Was a Communist for the FBI (Motion Picture) Part 2 of 2 View Cvetic, at the request of the FBI, joined a Pittsburgh branch of the CPUSA in 1943. A tireless self-promoter, Cvetic retailed increasingly fictionalized versions of his story to the Saturday Evening Post, which ran a three-part, ghost-written series entitled “I Was a Communist for the FBI,” to Warner Brothers, which made a film by the same title, and to the Ziv Company, which produced a radio series starring Dana Andrews. with the names of hundreds of Soviet Agents and American Communists. Matt Cvetic really was a Pittsburgh native who really was asked by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to join the Communist Party of the USA as an informant in the 1940s. He doesn’t know what he is now. It was simply good politics. The film was produced by Bryan Foy who was head of Warners B picture unit until 1942. I Was A Communist For The FBI was a show that came from the anti-Communist hysteria at a peak in the 1950s, and by the end of 1952 I Was a Communist was scheduled on more than 600 stations. Please order These by Description Only. Since the script infers that among the Reds' "subversive" plans was the Civil Rights Movement, I Was a Communist for the FBI is an embarrassing experience when seen today. had a life that was marred by alcoholism, damaged expectations, and greed. Incredibly, I Was a Communist for the FBI was nominated for an Academy Award as the best documentary of the year. While there were many others who did the same, what is unique about Cvetic is the speed with which his story became public knowledge. 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