''Illegal Entry'' is a 1949 American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by

Frederick De Cordova Frederick Timmins de Cordova (October 27, 1910 – September 15, 2001) was an American stage, motion picture and television director and producer. He is best known for his work on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Early life De Cordova ...

and starring

Howard Duff Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...

Märta Torén Märta Torén (21 May 1925 – 19 February 1957) was a Swedish stage and film actress of the 1940s and 1950s. Torén's father was a Swedish military officer, and for three years, during World War II, she was a secretary in the Swedish war offic ...

and

George Brent George Brent (born George Brendan Nolan; 15 March 1904 – 26 May 1979) was an Irish-American stage, film, and television actor. He is best remembered for the eleven films he made with Bette Davis, which included ''Jezebel'' and ''Dark Victory ...

. The film and its treatment of illegal entry and unlawful residence in the United States is introduced by Watson B. Miller, the commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service under President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

Plot

An undercover agent (Howard Duff) attacks an illicit Mexican border immigrant smuggling operation.

Cast

as Bert Powers *

as Anna Duvak O'Neill *

as Chief Agent Dan Collins *

Gar Moore Joseph Garland Moore Jr. (September 4, 1920 - November 3, 1985), known as Gar Moore was an actor in Italian and American films. He was also in several theatrical productions. He was born in Chelsea, Oklahoma. He had a short marriage to Nancy Walke ...

as Lee Sloan *

Tom Tully Thomas Kane Tulley (August 21, 1908 – April 27, 1982) was an American actor. He began his career in radio and on the stage before making his film debut in ''Northern Pursuit'' (1943). Subsequently, he was nominated for an Academy Award for hi ...

as Nick Gruber * Paul Stewart as Zack Richards *

Richard Rober Richard Rober (born Richard Steven Rauber; May 14, 1906 – May 26, 1952) was an American stage and film actor. From the mid-1930s to the mid-1940s he featured in numerous theatre productions, including being part of the original cast of '' Bor ...

as Dutch Lempo * Joseph Vitale as Joe Bottsy * James Nolan as Agent Benson *

Clifton Young Robert Howard Young (September 15, 1917 – September 10, 1951) professionally known as Clifton Young, was an American film actor. Early years Young was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward A. Young. His father started him in vaudeville when ...

as Billy Rafferty * David Clarke as Carl *

Robert Osterloh Robert Osterloh (May 31, 1918 – April 16, 2001) was an American actor. His career spanned 20 years, appearing in films such as ''The Dark Past'' (1948), ''The Wild One'' (1953), '' I Bury the Living'' (1958) and ''Young Dillinger'' (1965). Bio ...

as Agent Crowthers * Anthony Caruso as Teague *

Donna Martell Donna Kay Martell (born December 24, 1927) is an American former actress who starred in film and television during the Golden Age Era in the 1950s and 1960s. Early years Born on December 24, 1927, in Los Angeles, California, to Louis and Marg ...

as Maria

Reception

Critical response

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' film critic,

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

, gave the film a mixed review, "A formidable introduction which features Attorney General Tom Clark and certain Immigration Bureau oficials who bespeak that service well does not camouflage ''Illegal Entry'' ... Howard Duff plays this hero in an acceptable rough-and-ready style and Marta Toren is attractive as the girl ... The backgrounds of southern California and Mexico are authentic enough. But the whole picture has the quality of a mechanical, oft-repeated show."Crowther, Bosley
''

'', film review, June 11, 1949. Accessed: July 31, 2013. The film was given a favorable review in other newspapers including one in the ''Rushville Republican'' (Indiana), published on September 27, 194

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Illegal Entry 1949 films 1940s crime thriller films American aviation films American black-and-white films American crime thriller films Film noir Films about illegal immigration to the United States Films directed by Frederick de Cordova Films set in California Films set in Mexico Universal Pictures films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films