I Was a Communist for the FBI was based on a book by the same name. Matt Cvetic was a spy/double-agent for the U.S. Government as he did his best to play both sides and throw monkey wrenches into the heart of the Communist Party in the 1940's.Dana Andrews plays Cvetic and though he's not perfect for the part, he does a good job.
The show follows the book's storyline. Although some of the things that happen in the radio show seem kind of far-fetched at times, I wouldn't doubt a lot of the show remains true to the book (which I have not read.)
Cvetic (in his late 20's) lives at home with his mother and brother, both who think he's a Communist. His brother despises him for that fact while his mother does not like the fact, but loves him anyway. His home life is tough because of the constant friction there, so he avoids his home unil he must sleep.
Cvetic is wrenched into tight situations often and the first time listening you will wonder how in the world is he going to get out this? The show is exciting and is never anti-climactic. In the show, Reds are not just Communists, they are vicious killers and very clever ones on top of that. Not only is he dealing with Reds, he's dealing with other double agents. One of them will show up about every three episodes and throw your deduction of what is actually happening for a loop.
Cvetic has occasional help from the FBI but for the most part, he's all alone. This makes every episode a real adventure because you never know what will happen next.
The sound quality of the series isn't always perfect but it's better than most series that aren't Westerns.
If you haven't already, you need to get on the bus and have a listen to this show.
Good post. During the time of RED scare in this country these types of shows were popular. Although I remember the movie where Dana Andrews starred in, I don't remember the radio series. Or, until recently listening to OTR. I do remember the tv series I Led Three Lives starring Richard Carlson. That was a story about Herbert Philbrick(sp). In the early 50s my buddy and I went to hear him speak in town. He was very interesting and he had many stories as well. Just thought I would pass this on.
ReplyDeleteOddly, I think Frank Lovejoy did the movie... One thing I forgot to say in the post is the the FBI would never garner their approval for the show and that's why it never mentions real FBI folk, like they do on This is Your FBI, etc. They did give their approval for the movie, however.
ReplyDeleteSeems impossible now but there really was a Red scare, as you seemed to have lived through it. Interesting times they were..