Gentle romantic comedy about a Secret Service Agent trying to catch a cold case counterfeiter and a United Nations translator.Gentle romantic comedy about a Secret Service Agent trying to catch a cold case counterfeiter and a United Nations translator.Gentle romantic comedy about a Secret Service Agent trying to catch a cold case counterfeiter and a United Nations translator.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 2 wins & 1 nomination total
George Adrian
- Carlos
- (uncredited)
Rico Alaniz
- Carlos - Spanish Interpreter
- (uncredited)
Polly Bailey
- Woman
- (uncredited)
Gilbert Barnett
- Boy
- (uncredited)
Edward Biby
- Man in Hallway
- (uncredited)
Robert Boon
- Dutchman
- (uncredited)
Paul Bradley
- Man
- (uncredited)
Howland Chamberlain
- Duff
- (uncredited)
Perdita Chandler
- Cashier
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBased on the true story of Emerich Juettner, an elderly junk dealer who, like the character in the movie, only used to print counterfeit $1 bills to make ends meet. For 10 years, Juettner eluded the Secret Service's efforts to find him. He was finally caught in January, 1948, after a fire forced him to vacate his apartment on New York's Upper West Side, and move in with his daughter in Queens. The firemen who put out the fire left some of Juettner's belongings in a nearby alley. A few weeks later, a group of local boys found some of his $1 bills in the alley, realized they were fakes (the name "Washington" was misspelled as "Wahsington" on the bills), and turned them over to police. Juettner was arrested, but only sentenced to nine months in jail and a $1 fine. When 20th Century Fox bought the movie rights to his story, Juettner received more money than he had ever made as a counterfeiter.
- GoofsAnn is an interpreter of French at the UN. Yet when she speaks to a French waiter, she has a clunky American accent a mile wide. She would never be accepted as a French interpreter.
- Quotes
Ann Winslow: Someone once said that a task left undone creates a void that no amount of achievement can fill.
Steve Buchanan: Who's the imbecile who dreamed that one up?
Ann Winslow: I am.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits appear on dollar bills.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Making of 'the Day the Earth Stood Still' (2008)
Featured review
Secret Service agent with a big heart!
Secret Service agent Steve Buchanan (Burt Lancaster) and the entire New York Field Office of the Secret Service have been trying for many years to track down an elusive counterfeiter who has been making poor imitations of $1 bills. The counterfeiter, called "Mister 880" by the Secret Service after the file number assigned to the case, has been passing the counterfeit $1's all over New York City for many years. Agent Buchanan notices a pattern of passing activity that follows a subway line from Manhattan to Brooklyn. He and his fellow agents "stake out" Coney Island (the next stop on the subway line) and soon develop "The Skipper" (Edmund Gwynn) as a suspect. He is a kindly old gentleman who prints only enough counterfeit money to survive. Agent Buchanan has a big heart and feels terrible about arresting The Skipper. He asks the U.S. Attorney and the Federal Judge to go easy on The Skipper. The movie is based on the true story written by St. Clair McKelway. Ironically, in real life, the Secret Service never identified the suspect, who was a "junk dealer", until a fire started in his apartment. The New York Fire Department responded and "threw out" of the apartment window all sorts of "junk" while putting out the fire. Among the items tossed out the window was a small hand operated printing press and plates for the counterfeit $1 bills. The press and the plates were found by the NYPD who called the Secret Service. But, as we know, the real story wouldn't have made such a good movie, and Lancaster and Gwynn (Oscar winner for this role) are terrific.
helpful•252
- irish44
- Nov 26, 1998
- How long is Mister 880?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 30 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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