Mister 880

"It's the picture everybody is cheering !"

1950 1h 30m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 38

ComedyCrimeRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“It's the picture everybody is cheering !”

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Cast

Burt Lancaster
Steve Buchanan
Dorothy McGuire
Ann Winslow
Edmund Gwenn
William "Skipper" Miller
Millard Mitchell
"Mac" McIntire
Minor Watson
Judge O'Neil
Howard St. John
Chief
Hugh Sanders
Thad Mitchell
James Millican
Olie Johnson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Edmund Goulding
Writers: Robert Riskin
Languages: Spanish, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

76 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Edmund Goulding, shot by Joseph LaShelle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Sol Kaplan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert Fritch shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Burt Lancaster and Dorothy McGuire and Edmund Gwenn carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "It's the picture everybody is cheering !".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Edmund Goulding directs. Joseph LaShelle behind the camera. Sol Kaplan scores. Robert Fritch cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Spanish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
276 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.
4Directed by Edmund Goulding, shot by Joseph LaShelle. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Sol Kaplan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Robert Fritch shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Burt Lancaster and Dorothy McGuire and Edmund Gwenn carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "It's the picture everybody is cheering !".
9IMDB entry: tt0042742 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 38 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph LaShelle
Original score: Sol Kaplan
Editing: Robert Fritch
Costume design: Travilla
Makeup / hair: Ben Nye
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Mister 880 (1950)

Also by

Edmund Goulding

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-12-31
★ 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.

Production companies