The House on 92nd Street

OPIS

U razdoblju između 1939. i 1941. u SAD su ušli brojni špijuni Trećeg Reicha koji su iščekujući ponašanje američke strane nastojali proširiti petu kolonu u zemlji. Vrbujući svoje pristaše došli su do briljantnog studenta na sveučilištu u Ohiju Billa Dietricha (William Eythe) ponudivši mu kao budućem inženjeru rad u njemačkoj obavještajnoj zajednici. No, Bill je prijavio slučaj FBI-evom šefu George A. Briggsu (Lloyd Nolan) u dogovoru s kojim je odlučio postati dvostruki špijun i uhoditi naciste u New Yorku. Pritom mu je najvažniji zadatak otkriti jesu li nacisti došli do informacija o radu na atomskoj bombi i tko je zagonetni gospodin Christopher na čelu njemačkih špijuna u New Yorku... Preface: a stentorian narrator tells us that the USA was flooded with Nazi spies in 1939-41. One such tries to recruit college grad Bill Dietrich, who becomes a double agent for the FBI. While Bill trains in Hamburg, a street-accident victim proves to have been spying on atom-bomb secrets; conveniently, Dietrich is assigned to the New York spy ring stealing these secrets. Can he track down the mysterious "Christopher" before his ruthless associates unmask and kill him?

Summary written by Rod Crawford {puffinus@u.washington.edu}


Filmed in semi-documentary fashion, House on 92nd Street is a "now it can be told" drama about the smashing of a Nazi spy ring operating the U.S. Thanks to covert surveillance, the FBI learns of the presence of several suspicious persons in NYC. William Eythe is a German-American college student approached by the spies to become a secret Nazi operative. Eythe instead heads directly to FBI chief Lloyd Nolan and offers his services as a double agent. His mission is to locate the head of the spy ring, an unseen figure known only as Mr. Christopher, and to that end Eythe infiltrates the ring, headquarted in a town house on 92nd street. Among the conspirators are an erudite German colonel (Leo G. Carroll) and the beautiful female owner of the house (Signe Hasso). Part of the plot involves the smuggling to Germany of Americas atomic secrets by a weak-willed document clerk (played by Gene Lockhart, one of the best "cringers" in the business). Dwelling a bit too long on the meticulous resear