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IMDbPro

They Came to Blow Up America

  • 1943
  • Approved
  • 1h 13m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
262
YOUR RATING
George Sanders and Anna Sten in They Came to Blow Up America (1943)
DramaWar

An FBI agent infiltrates a Nazi sabotage school in Germany where men are trained for strategic destruction inside American borders.An FBI agent infiltrates a Nazi sabotage school in Germany where men are trained for strategic destruction inside American borders.An FBI agent infiltrates a Nazi sabotage school in Germany where men are trained for strategic destruction inside American borders.

  • Director
    • Edward Ludwig
  • Writers
    • Aubrey Wisberg
    • Michael Jacoby
  • Stars
    • George Sanders
    • Anna Sten
    • Ward Bond
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    262
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Edward Ludwig
    • Writers
      • Aubrey Wisberg
      • Michael Jacoby
    • Stars
      • George Sanders
      • Anna Sten
      • Ward Bond
    • 10User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos14

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    Top cast48

    Edit
    George Sanders
    George Sanders
    • Carl Steelman…
    Anna Sten
    Anna Sten
    • Frau Reiter
    Ward Bond
    Ward Bond
    • FBI Chief Craig
    Dennis Hoey
    Dennis Hoey
    • Col. Taeger
    Sig Ruman
    Sig Ruman
    • Dr. Herman Holger
    Ludwig Stössel
    Ludwig Stössel
    • Papa Julius Steelman
    Robert Barrat
    Robert Barrat
    • Capt. Kranz
    Liesl Handl
    Liesl Handl
    • Helga Lorenz
    • (as Poldy Dur)
    Ralph Byrd
    Ralph Byrd
    • Burkhardt
    Elsa Janssen
    Elsa Janssen
    • Mama Henrietta Steelman
    • (as Else Janssen)
    Rex Williams
    • Eichner
    Charles McGraw
    Charles McGraw
    • Zellerbach
    Sven Hugo Borg
    Sven Hugo Borg
    • Cmdr. Ullrich Hauser
    Kurt Katch
    Kurt Katch
    • Schonzeit
    Otto Reichow
    Otto Reichow
    • Adam - S.S. Trooper
    André Charlot
    • Zugholtz
    Arno Frey
    • Kranz' Aide
    Sam Wren
    • Jones
    • Director
      • Edward Ludwig
    • Writers
      • Aubrey Wisberg
      • Michael Jacoby
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Suggested by a true incident that occurred in 1942 when eight Nazi saboteurs were put ashore on the coast of Long Island, New York, by submarine, with orders to blow up various defense installations. They were caught, tried and several were executed.
    • Goofs
      Early in the film, a building in Berlin is shown with a sign that says "Abteilung Geheimdienst", which means "Secret Service". However, it was translated in the film as "Naval Intelligence". A more appropriate sign would have read "Marine Nachrichten Geheimdienst".
    • Connections
      Edited into All This and World War II (1976)

    User reviews10

    Featured review
    6/10

    George Sanders undercover

    "They Came to Blow up America" looks to be a B movie. It stars the suave, always reliable George Sanders as Steelman, an American of German heritage who is recruited by the FBI to infiltrate the Nazis as a spy. Even his parents believe that he has joined the Nazi movement. He is given the identity of someone else and sent to Germany, eventually ending up on a saboteur mission.

    The film is told in flashback, with the FBI man who recruited Steelman (Ward Bond) explaining to an underling what really went on.

    Sanders is good. He played villains well, so during the war, he was often cast as a Nazi! The supporting cast includes Anna Sten and Ludwig Stossel, who plays Steelman's father.

    Ward Bond was a best friend of Clark Gable, and I couldn't help but notice the similarity of their voices in this film. Even their speaking rhythm was similar. Close your eyes, and you'd swear it was Gable.
    • blanche-2
    • Dec 23, 2008
    • Permalink

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 7, 1943 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • German
      • English
    • Also known as
      • School for Sabotage
    • Filming locations
      • Calabasas, California, USA(the Sheriff's Camp for Boys)
    • Production company
      • Twentieth Century Fox
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 13 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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