Federal Agent at Large
Cast & Crew
George Blair
Dorothy Patrick
Robert Rockwell
Kent Taylor
Estelita Rodriguez
Thurston Hall
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
At the U.S. Customs office, Angelo "Angel" Badillo gives Goodwin, a Customs official, a tape recording and says it is from a man named Nick Ravel, whose real name is Matt Reedy. After asking Angel to wait outside, Goodwin tells his colleague, Harry Monahan, that gold is being smuggled into the United States for shipment to the Orient, and that the body of smuggler Tony Randolph was found a few months before. They then play the tape, which describes Matt's experiences in Mexico: Upon arriving in the small border town of Tiacali, Matt goes to a cabaret called The Bronze Tiger, where he meets Angel and gets into a fight with a man named Nels Berger. Solitaire, the pretty young owner of the bar, orders Nels to leave, then tells Matt that Tony, whom she heard him asking about, is dead. Claiming to be mobster Nick Ravel, Matt explains to Solitaire that he was going to ask Tony to smuggle some diamonds across the border for him, and Solitaire suggests that Matt take the gems to "Big Bill" Dixon, a loan company operator down the block. Solitaire has one of her men follow Matt as he goes to Dixon and sells the diamonds for $2,500. Later, over the protests of gang members Nels and "Jumpy" Jordan, Solitaire recruits Matt to replace Tony in their gold smuggling operation, and, after she confers with the mysterious gang boss, "Mr. Upstairs," Matt is taken to the gang's hideout. Solitaire explains that the boss owns a trucking company that has been hired by a university to ship Aztec pottery from an archaeological site in Mexico. The expedition has an immediate entry permit, which means that their containers of artifacts are not inspected by Customs. The head of the expedition is Dr. Ross Carrington, a young professor who is being blackmailed by the gang. Later, while Matt is having a drink with Solitaire at her home, Ross arrives and declares that he is not going across the border. When Ross asks to speak to Solitaire alone, Matt goes around the back of the house and listens through the window, unaware that Jumpy is spying on him. Ross asks Solitaire to run away with him, but she says the boss would never let her leave the gang. Jumpy returns to the cabaret and tells Nels what he has seen. After Ross leaves, Matt tells him to stay away from Solitaire's house and promises to contact him later. Back at the hideout, Angel asks Matt to help him write a letter to his daughter Angelita, who is attending a convent school. Angel explains that his daughter thinks he is a banker, and he wants to stop her from coming to visit him because he is afraid she will learn about his criminal activities. Although Angel has been ordered not to let Matt go anywhere alone, he takes Matt up on his offer to go into Tiacali to mail the letter. Instead, Matt goes to Solitaire's house, followed by Jumpy, who listens through the window as Matt tells Solitaire and Ross to slip across the border and tell the Customs officials who the boss is. Just then, Nels, Jumpy and one of their henchmen come in with their guns drawn and inform them that the boss has learned that Matt is a Customs agent. Matt is taken to the gang's hideout, while Nels and Ross drive through the border, with Solitaire and Jumpy in the back of the truck. Meanwhile, at the hideout, Angel guards Matt as they wait for "Mr. Upstairs," who is due to arrive in a couple of hours. Since Angel is certain that Matt will be killed, he tells him that Ross and Solitaire will be sailing on a ship called The Vancouver , and also agrees to help Matt by delivering a tape that he has made to the Customs office. The boss turns out to be Dixon, and when he finally appears, he announces that he will sail on the ship to deliver the gold to the Orient. Back in the Customs office, as Goodwin and Monahan listen to the tape, they are horrified to hear two shots, followed by the sound of Matt's body hitting the floor. They rush to the port and board the ship, where they kill Nels and Jumpy in a gunfight. Dixon is arrested, and Solitaire and Angel get probation for turning state's evidence. Ross and Solitaire get married and leave on their honeymoon.
Director
George Blair
Cast
Dorothy Patrick
Robert Rockwell
Kent Taylor
Estelita Rodriguez
Thurston Hall
Frank Puglia
Roy Barcroft
Denver Pyle
Jonathan Hale
Robert Kent
Kenneth Macdonald
Sonia Darrin
Frank Mcfarland
John Mcguire
Tony Roux
George Magrill
Patricia Dunn
Crew
Frank Arrigo
Stephen Auer
Albert Demond
Jack Elliott
Ozzie Heric
Louise Landmeir
Whitey Lawrence
Lee Lukather
Howard Lydecker
Theodore Lydecker
John Macburnie
Mickey Marigold
Bob Mark
Enzo Martinelli
John Mccarthy Jr.
Adele Palmer
Arthur Roberts
Jerry Roberts
Gabriel Ruiz
Charles Thompson
Dick Tyler
Robert Walker
Ned Washington
Stanley Wilson
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Federal Agent. Hollywood Reporter production charts add Barbra Fuller to the cast, but she did not appear in the released picture.
