| Mister 880 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Edmund Goulding |
| Produced by | Julian Blaustein |
| Screenplay by | Robert Riskin |
| Based on | True Tales from the Annals of Crime & Rascality by St. Clair McKelway |
| Narrated by | John Hiestand |
| Music by | Sol Kaplan |
| Cinematography | Joseph LaShelle |
| Edited by | Robert Fritch |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1,750,000[1][2] |
Mister 880 is a 1950 American comedy film about an amateurish counterfeiter who counterfeits only one dollar bills, and manages to elude the Secret Service for 10 years. It was directed by Edmund Goulding, and stars Burt Lancaster, Dorothy McGuire, Edmund Gwenn, and Millard Mitchell. The film is based on the true story of Emerich Juettner, known by the alias Edward Mueller, an elderly man who counterfeited just enough money to survive, was careful where and when he spent his fake dollar bills, and was therefore able to elude authorities for ten years, despite the poor quality of his fakes, and despite growing interest in his case.[3]
The film was based on an article by St. Clair McKelway that was first published in The New Yorker and later collected in McKelway's book True Tales from the Annals of Crime & Rascality.
Edmund Gwenn, who played "Skipper" Miller (only a supporting role in the film), won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance.
In real life, Juettner was caught and arrested in 1948, and served four months in prison.[3] Juettner made more money from the release of Mister 880 than he had made in his entire counterfeiting career.[3]
Cast
- Burt Lancaster: Steve Buchanan
- Dorothy McGuire: Ann Winslow
- Edmund Gwenn: "Skipper" Miller
- Millard Mitchell: "Mac" Mc Intire
- Minor Watson: Judge O'Neil
- Hugh Sanders: Thad Mitchell
- Howard St. John: Chief
- James Millican: Olie Johnson
- Billy Gray: Mickey (uncredited)
- Larry Keating: James F. Lee (uncredited)
- Fess Parker: Fighting criminal (uncredited)
Awards and nominations
- Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Edmund Gwenn)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture (Edmund Gwenn)
- Nominated – Edgar Award for Best Mystery Screenplay (Robert Riskin)
References
- ^ "Top Grosses of 1950". Variety. January 3, 1951. p. 58.
- ^ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History Rowman & Littlefield, 2002 p 223
- ^ a b c Bryk, William (February 16, 2005). "Little Old Moneymaker". New York Sun.
- McKelway, St. Clair (August 27, 1949). "Old Eight-Eighty I". The New Yorker. Annals of Crime: 30.
- McKelway, St. Clair (September 3, 1949). "Old Eight-Eighty II". The New Yorker. Annals of Crime: 30.
- McKelway, St. Clair (September 10, 1949). "Old Eight-Eighty III". The New Yorker. Annals of Crime: 82.
External links
- Mister 880 at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Mister 880 at IMDb
- Mister 880 at the TCM Movie Database