This is an odd movie, as it concerns a very successful counterfeiter but not in a way you'd expect. In other words, while the guy printed horrible quality money, he managed to get away with it for a decade. Why? Because instead of printing higher denominations or trying to get rich, he was just an old guy who passed phony $1 bills here and there. Oddly, he never really had much desire to hurt anyone or become a big-time crook--just do it on odd occasions to make ends meet. And, because of this odd m.o., he managed to evade detection so long. And, what makes this even more interesting is that it's all based on a true story.
The film is told mostly from the viewpoint of a Secret Service agent--played by Burt Lancaster. He was an incredibly determined agent and worked hard to capture the crook (Edmund Gwenn). But, because Gwenn plays such a nice and seemingly harmless old guy, the case drug on and on and on--as no one suspected the cute old man.
The film is very well-made and although it's not a film noir picture, it has similarities. Mostly, it's reminiscent because the story is very straight-forward--though the sentimental musical score and sympathetic telling of the story is about as far from noir as you can get! Well made and interesting.
Mister 880
1950
Action / Comedy / Crime / Romance
Mister 880
1950
Action / Comedy / Crime / Romance
Plot summary
The Secret Service of the US Treasury Department has been able to nab a number of high-powered and violent counterfeiters over the years, but case number 880, which has been open now for ten years, has so far confounded them. The reason this case bothers them so much is not only the duration of the file, but more importantly the fact that the bills themselves and their distribution are of an amateurish nature, including the obvious typographical error, "Wahsington", on them. They do realize that the perpetrator, who they have coined Mister 880, has been able to get away with it so far because the bills are almost exclusively $1, which merchants rarely check, and that the bills collected, which have been distributed solely in New York City, amount to less than $50 per month. The Secret Service decides to bring in Los Angeles based Steve Buchanan to work on the case as a pair of fresh eyes. As Steve goes about his initial investigation of merchants who have been duped over those ten years, Steve is unaware that he meets Mister 880, a kindly old gentleman named William 'Skipper' Miller, who most would not suspect, including his friends. Besides daily needs, Skipper uses the money primarily to buy second-hand knick-knacks, which he treats as his companions. When asked how he supports himself, Skipper says the money is from his Cousin Henry, which is how he refers to his printing press and self-made plates. The first active distribution of bills under Steve's watch is attributed to Ann Winslow, a French-English interpreter at the UN, she who is a friend and neighbor of Skipper's. Steve, who doesn't believe Ann is 880 but believes she can lead him to 880, decides to infiltrate Ann's life without telling her who he is. She, however, eventually does find out. Regardless, the two fall for each other. The questions become whether Ann will remember from where she got the counterfeit bills, whether she will tip Skipper off to Steve's identity inadvertently or purposely before Steve finds out who Mister 880 is, or if Steve is able to tie 880 to Skipper what that will do to Steve and Ann's burgeoning romance. Skipper may have some say in those answers.
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Interesting.
Money may make the world go 'round, but are you willing to pass the buck?
"Mister 880" is the code word for the secret service's search for a counterfeiter who has been passing along fake $1 bills, easy to find, that is if you really look. After all, in our United States of Confusion, who hasn't wanted to misspell Washington D.C.? Here, the only way these bills can be identified are through the obvious mistake, and it is up to secret service agent Burt Lancaster to find the person responsible, because all of his colleagues from before him (including veteran Millard Mitchell) have had no luck. "879" and "881" are all closed files, simply because they were passing the big bucks, but 880 has been getting away with it, passing $1 bills around the New York City area in a pattern. When the pretty United Nations translator Dorothy McGuire is discovered to have passed two of the fake bills, Lancaster is on her trail, and in one of the film's most amusing sequences, sets out to protect her from masher Mitchell. The scene is shown from inside an art gallery as the soundless activities from Mitchell is visualized from outside. Another sequence has McGuire looking down from her apartment where Lancaster is standing outside a police car just as she has realized who the culprit for the counterfeiting is.
The audience learns really early on that the culprit is none other than the sweet "Santa Claus", Edmund Gwenn, and in this "Miracle at Washington Square", Gwenn is observed bringing McGuire a precious antique and leaving her $2 in counterfeit change in her purse. He means no harm, and in a sense, she is like a daughter to him. McGuire learns quickly that Lancaster is on her trail for reasons other than saving her from a masher and sets out to trap him in the most hysterical of ways. She utilizes old counterfeiting slang dating back to the creation of America's first currency which instantly trips him into realizing that he's been had. Then, there's his encounters with Gwenn to where he's totally fooled by this old rascal, even spending a day with him at Coney Island.
Having assumed that this was a light comedy, I was surprised to find actually that it is a charming romantic drama where a sort of unlikely fairy godfather brings two people together who are then torn apart suddenly when the truth is revealed. This isn't a great film by any means, but the performances are all solid (especially the Oscar Nominated Gwenn) and the atmosphere of post World War II New York is brilliantly documented. Mitchell's hard-boiled secret service agent is a bit of a rascal of his own, willing to get his face slapped and being labeled a pervert in order to get his job done. Little details like that make this a nice little find which I have been searching for for many years.
Charming comedy about the counterfeiter next door.
Edmund Gwenn (best known as Santa Claus in "Miracle on 34th Street) portrays another charming old man who makes ends meet by a little counterfeiting on the side. Burt Lancaster is the treasury agent set to track down the mysterious "Mr. 880," as the Secret Service calls him, but who has time for a little romance. Gwenn, as usual, is delightful and Lancaster, at the beginning of his career, shows the softer side that became more apparent toward its end. The film is a forgotten gem.