I W A S A C O M M U N I S T F O R T H E F B I
- ----- - ----------------- ----- ----- -----

1952 - 1953

First Show: Apr 23, 1952 Last Show: Oct 14, 1953
Number Shows: 78 Audition Show: 1952


Series Description:

Throughout most of the 1940's, Matt Cvetic worked as a volunteer
undercover agent for the FBI, infiltrating the Communist Party in
Pittsburgh. In 1949, his testimony helped to convict several top Party
members of conspiracy to overthrow the U.S. government. Cvetic sold
his account to "The Saturday Evening Post" and it was serialized under
the title "I Posed as a Communist for the FBI". It later became a
best-selling book. In 1951, Warner Brothers released a film based on
these accounts entitled "I Was A Communist For The FBI", starring with
Frank Lovejoy as Cvetic.

In 1952, in the midst of the Red scare of the 1950's, the Frederick W.
Ziv Company produced the syndicated radio series with the same title
as the movie. It was produced without assistance from the FBI, which
refused to cooperate. Dana Andrews played the role of Matt Cvetic for
the full 78-episode run of the series. Each episode ended with Dana
Andrew's well-remembered words, ""I was a Communist for the FBI. I
walk alone".


Log Comments:

For the most part, the references seem to agree on titles, dates and
numbers, especially up to episode 50 or so. Those few title
variations are listed together by the episode number. Some references
say there were 86 shows, some 78. This log assumes 78. Ed Carr
listed dual numbers for some shows, which may account for the
difference in show counts. Oddly enough, a few of the shows I list
as "title not known" are alternate numbers in Ed's catalog. This
log lists all known titles.


Chronological Log:

Date Day Num Title Avail
------------ --- --- -------------------------------------- -----
aud "Little Red Schoolhouse" yes
Apr 23, 1952 Wed 1 "I Walk Alone" yes
Apr 30, 1952 Wed 2 "I Can't Sleep" yes
May 07, 1952 Wed 3 "Little Red Schoolhouse" yes
May 14, 1952 Wed 4 "Red, Red Herring" yes
May 21, 1952 Wed 5 "The Pit Viper" yes
May 28, 1952 Wed 6 "Traitors For Hire" yes
Jun 04, 1952 Wed 7 "Card Game In The Clouds" yes
Jun 11, 1952 Wed 8 "The American Kremlin" yes
Jun 18, 1952 Wed 9 "Tight Wire" yes
Jun 25, 1952 Wed 10 "A Riot Made To Order" yes
Jul 02, 1952 Wed 11 "Where The Red Men Roam" yes
Jul 09, 1952 Wed 12 "The Dangerous Dollars" yes
Jul 16, 1952 Wed 13 "Rich Man, Poor Man" yes
Jul 23, 1952 Wed 14 "Canadian Crossfire" yes
Jul 30, 1952 Wed 15 "Draw The Red Curtain" yes
Aug 06, 1952 Wed 16 "Red Clouds On The Good Earth" yes
Aug 13, 1952 Wed 17 "Exit On The Left" yes
Aug 20, 1952 Wed 18 "The Red Record" yes
Aug 27, 1952 Wed 19 "Burnt Offering" yes
Sep 03, 1952 Wed 20 "Squeeze Play" yes
Sep 10, 1952 Wed 21 "Violence Preferred" yes
Sep 17, 1952 Wed 22 "The Rat Race" yes
Sep 24, 1952 Wed 23 "Jump To The Whip" yes
Oct 01, 1952 Wed 24 "Pennies From The Dead" yes
Oct 08, 1952 Wed 25 "A Suit For The Party" yes
Oct 15, 1952 Wed 26 "The Party Got Rough" yes
Oct 22, 1952 Wed 27 "Little Boy Red" yes
Oct 29, 1952 Wed 28 "The Unwelcome Hosts" yes
Nov 05, 1952 Wed 29 "No Second Chance" yes
Nov 12, 1952 Wed 30 "The Red Gate" yes
Nov 19, 1952 Wed 31 "Red Rover, Red Rover" yes
Nov 26, 1952 Wed 32 "Home Improvements" yes
Dec 03, 1952 Wed 33 "Red Clay" yes
Dec 10, 1952 Wed 34 "The Kiss Of Death" yes
Dec 17, 1952 Wed 35 "Treason Comes In Cans" yes
Dec 24, 1952 Wed 36 "The Flames Burned Red" yes
Dec 31, 1952 Wed 37 "Hate Song" yes
Jan 07, 1953 Wed 38 "Little Boy Blue Turned Red" yes
Jan 14, 1953 Wed 39 "Red Gold" yes
Jan 21, 1953 Wed 40 "Capital City Square Dance" yes
Jan 28, 1953 Wed 41 "A Study In Oils" yes
Feb 04, 1953 Wed 42 "The Sleeper" yes
Feb 11, 1953 Wed 43 "Against The Middle" yes
Feb 18, 1953 Wed 44 "The Black Gospel" yes
Feb 25, 1953 Wed 45 "The Red Ladies" yes
Mar 04, 1953 Wed 46 "One Way Ticket" yes
Mar 11, 1953 Wed 47 "Word Game" yes
Mar 18, 1953 Wed 48 "The Red Waves" yes
Mar 25, 1953 Wed 49 "Trial By Fear" yes
Apr 01, 1953 Wed 50 "The Wrong Green" yes
Apr 08, 1953 Wed 51 "The Brass Monkey" yes
Apr 15, 1953 Wed 52 "Forged Faces" yes
Apr 22, 1953 Wed 53 ... title not known ...
Apr 29, 1953 Wed 54 ... title not known ...
May 06, 1953 Wed 55 "An Un-American Activity" yes
May 13, 1953 Wed 56 "My Friend, The Enemy" yes
May 20, 1953 Wed 57 "The Canadian Backbone" yes
May 27, 1953 Wed 58 "The Innocence Club" yes
Note: Wrongly known as "The Elspeth
Club" due to the announcer
mispronouncing the episode name.
Jun 03, 1953 Wed 59 "The Crossed Heart" yes
Jun 10, 1953 Wed 60 "The Red Octopus" yes
Jun 17, 1953 Wed 61 "Abby, As In Abigail" yes
Jun 24, 1953 Wed 62 "Tour Of Duty" yes
Jul 01, 1953 Wed 63 "Fifteen Minutes To Murder" yes
Jul 08, 1953 Wed 64 "Use Only As Directed" yes
Jul 15, 1953 Wed 65 "Double Exposure" yes
Jul 22, 1953 Wed 66 "Courier Of Disaster" yes
Jul 29, 1953 Wed 67 "The Line Is Busy" yes
Aug 05, 1953 Wed 68 "The Red Snow" yes
Aug 12, 1953 Wed 69 "Very Private Funeral" yes
Aug 19, 1953 Wed 70 "Rhapsody In Red" yes
Aug 26, 1953 Wed 71 "Kangaroo Court" yes
Sep 02, 1953 Wed 72 "The Inhuman Element" yes
Sep 09, 1953 Wed 73 ... title not known ...
Sep 16, 1953 Wed 74 ... title not known ...
Sep 23, 1953 Wed 75 ... title not known ...
Sep 30, 1953 Wed 76 ... title not known ...
Oct 07, 1953 Wed 77 "Panic Plan" yes
Oct 14, 1953 Wed 78 "No Visitors" yes


Alphabetical Listing:

Title Date Num
-------------------------------------- -------- ---
Abby, As In Abigail 53-06-17 61
Against The Middle 53-02-11 43
American Kremlin, The 52-06-11 8
Black Gospel, The 53-02-18 44
Brass Monkey, The 53-04-08 51
Burnt Offering 52-08-27 19
Canadian Backbone, The 53-05-20 57
Canadian Crossfire 52-07-23 14
Capital City Square Dance 53-01-21 40
Card Game In The Clouds 52-06-04 7
Courier Of Disaster 53-07-22 66
Crossed Heart, The 53-06-03 59
Dangerous Dollars, The 52-07-09 12
Double Exposure 53-07-15 65
Draw The Red Curtain 52-07-30 15
Exit On The Left 52-08-13 17
Fifteen Minutes To Murder 53-07-01 63
Flames Burned Red, The 52-12-24 36
Forged Faces 53-04-15 52
Hate Song 52-12-31 37
Home Improvements 52-11-26 32
I Can't Sleep 52-04-30 2
I Walk Alone 52-04-23 1
Inhuman Element, The 53-09-02 72
Innocence Club, The 53-05-27 58
Jump To The Whip 52-09-24 23
Kangaroo Court 53-08-26 71
Kiss Of Death, The 52-12-10 34
Line Is Busy, The 53-07-29 67
Little Boy Blue Turned Red 53-01-07 38
Little Boy Red 52-10-22 27
Little Red Schoolhouse 52-??-?? aud
Little Red Schoolhouse 52-05-07 3
My Friend, The Enemy 53-05-13 56
No Second Chance 52-11-05 29
No Visitors 53-10-14 78
One Way Ticket 53-03-04 46
Panic Plan 53-10-07 77
Party Got Rough, The 52-10-15 26
Pennies From The Dead 52-10-01 24
Pit Viper, The 52-05-21 5
Rat Race, The 52-09-17 22
Red Clay 52-12-03 33
Red Clouds On The Good Earth 52-08-06 16
Red Gate, The 52-11-12 30
Red Gold 53-01-14 39
Red Ladies, The 53-02-25 45
Red Octopus, The 53-06-10 60
Red Record, The 52-08-20 18
Red Rover, Red Rover 52-11-19 31
Red Snow, The 53-08-05 68
Red Waves, The 53-03-18 48
Red, Red Herring 52-05-14 4
Rhapsody In Red 53-08-19 70
Rich Man, Poor Man 52-07-16 13
Riot Made To Order, A 52-06-25 10
Sleeper, The 53-02-04 42
Squeeze Play 52-09-03 20
Study In Oils, A 53-01-28 41
Suit For The Party, A 52-10-08 25
Tight Wire 52-06-18 9
Tour Of Duty 53-06-24 62
Traitors For Hire 52-05-28 6
Treason Comes In Cans 52-12-17 35
Trial By Fear 53-03-25 49
Un-American Activity, An 53-05-06 55
Unwelcome Hosts, The 52-10-29 28
Use Only As Directed 53-07-08 64
Very Private Funeral 53-08-12 69
Violence Preferred 52-09-10 21
Where The Red Men Roam 52-07-02 11
Word Game 53-03-11 47
Wrong Green, The 53-04-01 50


References:

* GOLDINdex database, J. David Goldin, Box 542, Newtown, CT 06470
(http://www.radiogoldindex.com)

* OTR club and vendor catalogs or web sites:
* Audio Classics Archive, Terry Salomonson, P.O. Box 347, Howell, MI
48844-0347
* Edward J. Carr, 216 Shaner St., Boyertown, PA 19512.
* Jerry Haendiges Productions, Jerry Haendiges, 13808 Sunset Dr.,
Whittier, CA 90602
* Memories Of Radio, Dick Judge, PO Box 67800, Rochester NY 14617
* Radio Memories, Ted Davenport, 1600 Wewoka St., North Little Rock,
AR 72116
* Radio Showcase, Steve Kelez, PO Box 4357, Santa Rosa, CA 95402


Other Logs or Books:

* I WAS A COMMUNIST FOR THE FBI, Jerry Haendiges Productions, 13808
Sunset Dr., Whittier, CA 90602 (http://www.otrsite.com)


Reader Feedback:

* David Sorochty provided title corrections for 3 shows.


Last Update: Apr 19, 2005


This log is informational only. It does not imply that I or my
references have these shows for trade or sale. The shows are still
protected under copyright law and should be obtained only from
authorized dealers.

The log may be freely reproduced and published on a no-profit basis.
Please send error corrections or additional information to Frank M.
Passage, 109 Elmwood Road, Verona, NJ 07044 (email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ).