Directed by Howard Bretherton and released by Crescent Pictures Corporation, Undercover Agent is a brisk, 65-minute crime drama that blends postal investigation with racketeering intrigue. It stars Russell Gleason as a suspended postal clerk who goes rogue to expose a phony sweepstakes ring, diving into the criminal underworld with a mix of charm and determination.
Plot Summary
Bill Trent (Gleason), a trainee postal inspector, is suspended after using his service revolver off-duty. While sidelined, he uncovers a racket selling fake lottery tickets, supposedly mailed from France. With help from his fiancée Betty Madison (Shirley Deane) and her eccentric father Tom “Pop” Madison (J.M. Kerrigan), Bill infiltrates the operation and works to bring down the gang—led by the shady Bartel (Ralf Harolde). The film builds toward a tense showdown that restores Bill’s reputation and exposes the fraud.
Cast Highlights
- Russell Gleason as Bill Trent
- Shirley Deane as Betty Madison
- J.M. Kerrigan as Pop Madison
- Ralf Harolde as Bartel
- Maude Eburne, Oscar O’Shea, and Selmer Jackson in supporting roles
Behind-the-Scenes Trivia
- The film’s earliest documented TV broadcasts were in 1949, airing in New York and Los Angeles
- A scene features a 1938 pinball machine called Snappy, made by Chicago Coin Machine Co.
- Like many Monogram-style B-movies, it was later truncated for television, with some versions running only 47 minutes
- The story touches on mail fraud, a rare theme for crime films of the era, giving it a unique angle
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