Mister 880

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Movie
Original title Mister 880
Country of production United States
original language English
German
Publishing year 1950
length 90 minutes
Rod
Director Edmund Goulding
script Robert Riskin
production Julian Blaustein
music Sol Kaplan
camera Joseph LaShelle
cut Robert Fritch
occupation

Mister 880 is an American crime comedy directed by Edmund Goulding from 1950.

action

For ten years, the US Secret Service in New York City has been puzzling over the case of Mister 880, a counterfeiter who is previously only known by his case number. He only distributes one-dollar bills to the people, very few every year. The banknotes are also very amateurishly forged, contain the spelling error "Wahsington" and are only not recognized because sellers usually do not check one-dollar notes for authenticity due to their value. Steve Buchanan is brought to New York City from the Los Angeles office to perhaps give the case a new twist as an outsider.

Old scrap dealer William Miller, known as Skipper, is a friendly man who spends his old age in the same house as young Ann Winslow, who is a UN French interpreter. One day when he brought her a small model and she paid him too much for it, he secretly put the change in her pocket. He himself is the sought-after Mister 880 and forges one-dollar notes for small editions on his own hand press. Ann spends the two fake dollar bills on the go, bringing her into the focus of Steve Buchanan, who is searching the area for counterfeit money. With his colleague Mac he observes Ann and begins to flirt with her in order to get closer to her. He doesn't believe she is 880, but he hopes she can track him down. She quickly finds out who he is, but cannot tell him how the counterfeit money got into her hands. Ann and Steve become a couple and Steve soon gets to know and appreciate the old Skipper.

While at work, Steve researches the counterfeiter's last ten years and can see a pattern that shows that the forger spends counterfeit money in similar locations throughout the year. Although the places are being observed and Skipper has been there again and again in the current year and pays with flowers, he keeps falling through the investigators' grid as a very unsuspecting fraudster. Steve goes so far as to give warning labels to all retailers in the counterfeiter's nearest town. This is how Skipper finally realizes that you are looking for him. Because he still paid on the wrong note, the investigators now also know that the perpetrator is an old man who also occasionally speaks German. Skipper buries his money press in the shed next to his house. When he brings a model back to Ann a little later and is again paid too much for it, he wants to give her the right change, just like last time. Ann realizes that he is the wanted forger. She is desperate. Meanwhile, Steve can trace the way back to the buried money press through children who paid with counterfeit money. This was dug up again by Skippers dog. Steve and Ann go to Skipper, who frankly admits to having produced counterfeit money. He is finally brought to trial in which he is absolutely honest and innocent, does not allow any kind of defense and rejects any glossing over of his behavior in his favor. Steve finally states that Skipper is not a bad person or an enemy of society and has never attracted negative attention; in World War I he was awarded for bravery. The judge finally imposes the small sentence of nine months in prison, but increases it to one year and one day, since Skipper can be released early after four months. A dollar is set as a fine and Skipper can actually find a real one-dollar bill in his pockets after a bloom.

production

Mister 880 is based on a true case. Screenwriter Robert Riskin was inspired by St. Clair McKelway 's newspaper article series Old Eight-Eighty , which appeared in the New Yorker from August to September 1949 . The real 880 was arrested in 1948 after going undetected for ten years.

The working title of the film was Old 880 . The shooting took place from April to May 1950. The costumes were made by Travilla , the film construction was done by George W. Davis and Lyle R. Wheeler . Mister 880 premiered in New York City on September 29, 1950 and was released in US theaters in October 1950.

Awards

Edmund Gwenn received an Oscar nomination for Mister 880 in 1951 for Best Supporting Actor and won a Golden Globe Award in the same category that same year . St. Clair McKelway was awarded a special prize in the Edgar Allan Poe Awards in 1951 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mister 880 - Notes on tcm.com
  2. ↑ Original print info on tcm.com