They Came to Blow Up America
Encyclopedia
They Came to Blow Up America is a 1943
American
war film
drama based on Operation Pastorius
, directed by Edward Ludwig
. It stars George Sanders
, Anna Sten
and Ward Bond
.
, to avoid exposing himself. He does, however, later manage to rescue her and see that she arrives in England safely. Steelman is sent on a mission about a U-boat
and sent to the United States to attack it. His cover is eventually blown but he successfully escapes off the coast of Long Island
and later gives testimony in a court trial, bringing the spies to justice.
1943 in film
The year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 3 - 1st missing persons telecast * February 20 - American film studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor films....
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
war film
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
drama based on Operation Pastorius
Operation Pastorius
Operation Pastorius was a failed plan for sabotage via a series of attacks by Nazi German agents inside the United States. The operation was staged in June 1942 and was to be directed against strategic U.S. economic targets...
, directed by Edward Ludwig
Edward Ludwig
Edward Irving Ludwig was a Russian-born American film director and writer. He directed nearly 100 films between 1921 and 1963....
. It stars George Sanders
George Sanders
George Sanders was a British actor.George Sanders may also refer to:*George Sanders , Victoria Cross recipient in World War I...
, Anna Sten
Anna Sten
Anna Sten was a Ukrainian-born Russian silent film actress and later a Hollywood film star. She began her career in stage plays and films in Russia before travelling to Germany, where she starred in several films...
and Ward Bond
Ward Bond
Wardell Edwin "Ward" Bond was an American film actor whose rugged appearance and easygoing charm were featured in over 200 movies and the television series Wagon Train.-Early life:...
.
Plot
An American agent, Carl Steelman (Sanders) joins a Nazi spy ring to expose the identities of double agents. He works for the FBI but was born in Germany and speaks fluent German. In Berlin, Steelman meets and falls in love with Helga Lorenz (Poldy Dur), a member of the German underground. He later has to betray the girl to the GestapoGestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
, to avoid exposing himself. He does, however, later manage to rescue her and see that she arrives in England safely. Steelman is sent on a mission about a U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
and sent to the United States to attack it. His cover is eventually blown but he successfully escapes off the coast of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
and later gives testimony in a court trial, bringing the spies to justice.
Cast
- George SandersGeorge SandersGeorge Sanders was a British actor.George Sanders may also refer to:*George Sanders , Victoria Cross recipient in World War I...
... Carl Steelman / Ernst Reiter - Anna StenAnna StenAnna Sten was a Ukrainian-born Russian silent film actress and later a Hollywood film star. She began her career in stage plays and films in Russia before travelling to Germany, where she starred in several films...
... Frau Reiter - Ward BondWard BondWardell Edwin "Ward" Bond was an American film actor whose rugged appearance and easygoing charm were featured in over 200 movies and the television series Wagon Train.-Early life:...
... FBI Chief Craig - Dennis HoeyDennis HoeyDennis Hoey was a British film and stage actor, best known for playing Inspector Lestrade in Universal's Sherlock Holmes series. He played the Master of Harrow in The Foxes of Harrow and appeared in Tarzan and the Leopard Woman. After a career as a singer, Hoey moved to acting on the stage in...
... Col. Taeger of Nazi police - Sig RumanSig RumanSig Ruman was a German-American actor known for his comic portrayals of pompous villains.-Life and career:...
... Dr. Herman Holger - Ludwig StösselLudwig StösselLudwig Stössel was an actor born in Lockenhaus, Austria. He was one of many Jewish actors and actresses that were forced to flee Europe when the Nazis came to power in 1933....
... Papa Julius Steelman - Robert BarratRobert BarratRobert Harriot Barrat was an American stage, motion picture, and television character actor.-Career:Born in New York, Barrat's theatrical debut was in a stock company in Springfield, Massachusetts...
... Capt. Kranz - sabotage school chief - Poldi Dur ... Helga Lorenz (as Poldy Dur)
- Ralph ByrdRalph ByrdRalph Byrd was an American actor. He was most famous for playing the comic strip character Dick Tracy on screen, in serials, movies and television.-Early life and career:...
... Burkhardt - 2d saboteur with Steelman - Elsa Janssen ... Mama Henrietta Steelman (as Else Janssen)