Mister 880

Mister 880

29/9/1950 1h 30m 6.9/10

Overview

The Skipper is a charming old man loved by all his neighbors. What they don't know is that he is also Mr. 880, an amateurish counterfeiter who has amazingly managed to elude the Secret Service for 20 years.

Director

Edmund Goulding

Top Billed Cast

Millard Mitchell

Millard Mitchell

"Mac" McIntire

Burt Lancaster

Burt Lancaster

Steve Buchanan

Dorothy McGuire

Dorothy McGuire

Ann Winslow

Edmund Gwenn

Edmund Gwenn

William "Skipper" Miller

Minor Watson

Minor Watson

Judge O'Neil

Howard St. John

Howard St. John

Chief

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

12/31/2024

7/10

We start with the usual rousing speech about just how the brave Secret Service is at the vanguard when it comes to thwarting American counterfeiters. One person has been successfully eluding them for years, though, and in a last ditch effort they draft in "Steve" (Burt Lancaster). Now we are fully aware of just whom the forger is, and are actively encouraged to engage with this gentle and kindly fellow (Edmund Gwenn) as his very lack of science - and shocking spelling - make him virtually impossible to trace. Almost immediately this intrepid agent gets onto the trail via a dodgy dollar note that introduces him to "Ann" (Dorothy Maguire) who just happens to live downstairs from our crook. From now on in, there's a confusing inevitability to the story. Confusing because the story can't decide whether it's a romance between Lancaster and Maguire or a gentle crime drama centred around the old man. It's in that muddle that the film rather loses it's way as it manoeuvres itself into an all too cheesy and sentimental cul-de-sac. Gwenn's "Skipper" is a charming old chap whom it would be nigh-on impossible not to like, and his portrayal is simple and effective. The rest of this is really just a soapy accompaniment to that effort and with coincidence taking just a little too prominent a role in the story it's maybe a bit weak. Still, it has a charm to it and it does raise the question of what to to do when faced with what is really a truly victimless crime.

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