Long before he became producer/director of The Tonight Show, Fred DeCordova helmed the Universal meller Illegal Entry. Howard Duff, who later worked with DeCordova on the TV series Mr. Adams and Eve, stars as Bert Powers, an undercover agent for the U.S. Department of Immigration. While attempting to bring a vicious gang of alien smugglers to justice, Powers falls in love with Anna Duvak (Marta Toren), a gang member who is Not What She Seems.
Acting
Märta Torén smolders as the ambiguous Anna—Swedish ice with hidden heat.
Direction
DeCordova's efficient staging hints at his future Tonight Show control room mastery.
Director
Frederick de Cordova
Howard Duff
Bert Powers
Märta Torén
Anna Duvak O'Neill
George Brent
Chief Agent Dan Collins
Tom Tully
Nick Gruber
Paul Stewart
Zack Richards
Richard Rober
Dutch Lempo
Joseph Vitale
Joe Bottsy
James Nolan
Agent Benson
Clifton Young
Billy Rafferty
David Clarke
Carl
Robert Osterloh
Agent Crowthers
Anthony Caruso
Teague
Donna Martell
Maria
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Fred DeCordova directed this between B-pictures and his 23-year reign producing The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson—his visual efficiency here is basically rehearsal.
Released during Operation Wetback, the film's sympathetic portrayal of Anna complicates its otherwise procedural immigration enforcement narrative—accidental nuance or studio cowardice?
US
