Radio Days

Old-Time Radio Reimagined

All shows

I Was a Communist for the FBI

72 episodes · 1952–1953 · Syndicated · Adventure

Illustration: a transcription disc label made for Radio Days, not an original disc
Illustration: a transcription disc label made for Radio Days, not an original disc

Play I Was a Communist for the FBI on Radio Days

I Was a Communist for the FBI starred Dana Andrews as Matt Cvetic, who posed as a Communist Party member while reporting to the FBI, in a 78-episode syndicated series that ran on more than 600 stations from March 30, 1952 to September 20, 1953. It came from Cvetic's Saturday Evening Post stories, by way of the 1951 film, and was made without the FBI's cooperation. It's a piece of its Cold War moment, and its politics are the show's own.

Sources: I Was a Communist for the FBI, Wikipedia

Episodes

Tap a year to see its episodes, then a title to play it on Radio Days.

195240 episodes
  • I Walk Alone March 30, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    The Party tries to trap Matt Cvetic by going through his mother.
  • I Can't Sleep April 6, 1952 · Syndicated · 25 min
    After learning Cvetic talks in his sleep, the Party gives him a roommate equipped with a tape recorder.
  • The Little Red School House April 13, 1952 · Syndicated · 26 min
    Plans are made to take over a small American college.
  • Red Red Herring April 20, 1952 · Syndicated · 26 min
    Cvetic frames a loyal Party member in order to protect himself.
  • The Pit Viper April 27, 1952 · Syndicated · 28 min
    Cvetic tries to keep the Party from stirring up unrest among American miners.
  • Traitors For Hire May 4, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Working at a U.S. Employment Office, Cvetic is ordered to place infiltrators in key war plant jobs.
  • Card Game In The Clouds May 11, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    A gin rummy game on a flight to Buffalo leads to a microfilm scheme to pass secret documents along.
  • American Kremlin May 18, 1952 · Syndicated · 26 min
    After seeing a body at Party headquarters, Cvetic is sent to New York to take over a labor union, where a clever man accuses him of being an FBI spy.
  • Tight Wire May 25, 1952 · Syndicated · 26 min
    The FBI gives Cvetic the job of bugging a Communist Party meeting hall.
  • A Riot Made To Order June 1, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Cvetic uses a sprinkler system to spoil a Party plan to cause a riot and win sympathy.
  • Where The Red Men Roam June 8, 1952 · Syndicated · 28 min
    A Party event called the Battle of the Bowl goes wrong, thanks to Cvetic's brother and his new girlfriend Tanya.
  • The Dangerous Dollars June 15, 1952 · Syndicated · 28 min
    Cvetic visits a resort run by Party members and finds a plane ready to fly Party money out of the country.
  • Rich Man Poor Man June 22, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    The Party plans the downfall of a wealthy magazine publisher in order to take over his publications.
  • Canadian Crossfire June 29, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    In Canada, Cvetic works to stop a Party plot to sabotage a joint U.S.-Canadian missile project.
  • Draw The Red Curtain July 6, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Cvetic is assigned to help the Party take control of an actors' guild.
  • Red Clouds On The Good Earth July 13, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Cvetic poses as a farm implement salesman to influence a group of future farmers.
  • Exit on the Left July 20, 1952 · Syndicated · 29 min
    When a librarian tries to leave the Party, Cvetic is told to drive him back into line or out of his mind.
  • The Red Record July 27, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Cvetic travels to Chicago to find a black book that may be hidden inside a radio.
  • Burnt Offering August 3, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Cvetic is told to help smuggle a U.S. secret weapons report out of the country.
  • Squeeze Play August 10, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    The Party takes an interest in a trial, but an honest judge resists temptation.
  • Violence Preferred August 17, 1952 · Syndicated · 26 min
    When the Party orders incriminating papers destroyed, Cvetic tries to get them to the FBI first, helped unintentionally by a hat-check girl.
  • The Rat Race August 24, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Cvetic drives a hearse to smuggle a wanted Party member away from the FBI and onto a Polish freighter.
  • Jump To The Whip August 31, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Cvetic is sent to Chicago to bail out a sympathizer in trouble with the law, alongside an MVD agent.
  • Pennies from the Dead September 7, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    The Party tells Cvetic to pose as a Soviet agent to claim the estate of a dead Russian-American soldier.
  • A Suit For The Party September 14, 1952 · Syndicated · 26 min
    After a comrade dies holding a list of secret Party members, Cvetic tries to find it on a skid row man before the Party does.
  • The Party Got Rough September 21, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Cvetic is ordered to lead a mission to assassinate the leader of a small, oil-rich Middle Eastern country.
  • Little Boy Red September 28, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    A Russian is pressed to return home because his son has been taken to a camp in the country.
  • The Unwelcome Hosts October 5, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Cvetic uses a tailor and a writ of habeas corpus to free a captive held by his comrades.
  • No Second Chance October 12, 1952 · Syndicated · 28 min
    Cvetic is ordered to win over Helen Enright to get evidence against her brother. He falls for her but gives up the romance, saying it can't mix with undercover work.
  • The Red Gate October 19, 1952 · Syndicated · 29 min
    A group of saboteurs in Mexico plans to cross into the United States, and Cvetic must stop them.
  • Red Rover Red Rover October 26, 1952 · Syndicated · 25 min
    Cvetic is accepted into the MVD but fails the test, thanks to an old drugstore trick and an uncooperative hat-check girl.
  • Home Improvements November 2, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    The Party plans to back a politician by letting only sympathizers into a housing project.
  • Red Clay November 9, 1952 · Syndicated · 28 min
  • The Kiss of Death November 16, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
  • Treason Comes in Cans November 23, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Secret Party plans are hidden in a case of canned tuna and dumped into the harbor.
  • The Flames Burned Red November 30, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    The Party tries to stir up labor trouble in a lumber camp.
  • Hate Song December 7, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    The Party tries to take over Boys Inc., a youth organization.
  • Little Boy Blue Turned Red December 14, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Cvetic must recover an incriminating phonograph record from his own mother.
  • Red Gold December 21, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Cvetic comes under suspicion of double-crossing the Party over its funds.
  • Capitol City Square Dance December 28, 1952 · Syndicated · 27 min
    A sympathizer in Congress promotes a bill inspired by the Party.
195332 episodes
  • A Study in Oils January 4, 1953 · Syndicated · 27 min
    The Party tries to swindle a newly wealthy couple out of several million dollars.
  • The Sleeper January 11, 1953 · Syndicated · 26 min
    The Party blackmails the wife of a well-known congressman.
  • Against The Middle January 18, 1953 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Two Party members infiltrate an anti-Communist organization.
  • The Black Gospel January 25, 1953 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Cvetic battles a group of nihilists.
  • Red Ladies February 1, 1953 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Cvetic is told to assist a group called the Woman's Peace League.
  • One Way Ticket February 8, 1953 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Cvetic is ordered to leave the country so a top Party figure won't be deported.
  • Word Game February 15, 1953 · Syndicated · 25 min
    The Party plans to frame an anti-Communist judge by editing a tape recording of one of his speeches.
  • The Red Waves February 22, 1953 · Syndicated · 27 min
    The Party operates a secret vessel off the coast to undermine the army by radio.
  • Trial by Fear March 1, 1953 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Cvetic attends a Party trial of a comrade suspected of being an FBI plant.
  • The Wrong Green March 8, 1953 · Syndicated · 27 min
    The Party wants Cvetic to pass counterfeit money.
  • Brass Monkey March 15, 1953 · Syndicated · 27 min
    The Party wants to frame an ex-convict who wants to leave.
  • Forged Faces March 22, 1953 · Syndicated · 27 min
    The Party tries to blackmail a famous plastic surgeon.
  • The Un American Activity April 12, 1953 · Syndicated · 28 min
    The Party plans an attack on the House Un-American Activities Committee.
  • My Friend The Enemy April 19, 1953 · Syndicated · 28 min
    The Party wants to help Max Lucas return to the United States so he can do business with a crime syndicate, and the FBI seems fine with it.
  • Canadian Backbone April 26, 1953 · Syndicated · 28 min
    Cvetic is sent to Calgary to deliver $500,000 in cash to the Party, and meets a French-Canadian girl on the train.
  • The Innocent Club May 3, 1953 · Syndicated · 28 min
    The Party takes an interest in a government clerk being framed for stealing secrets and forms a committee to see that he gets justice.
  • The Crossed Heart May 10, 1953 · Syndicated · 27 min
    After a fellow Party member dies, Cvetic searches for a list of members left in a suit pocket and given to the Salvation Army.
  • The Red Octopus May 17, 1953 · Syndicated · 27 min
    The Control Committee sends Cvetic to check on Comrade Hillman and his waterfront businesses.
  • Abby As In Abbigail May 24, 1953 · Syndicated · 26 min
    Cvetic plans to use the Red Cross as a front for the Party, then must stop a blood hijacking.
  • Tour Of Duty May 31, 1953 · Syndicated · 28 min
    Cvetic is sent to the Caribbean to start a revolution, or push an existing one toward the Communists.
  • Fifteen Minutes To Murder June 7, 1953 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Cvetic is sent to a hospital for a rest cure and to murder a man from the FBI.
  • Use Only As Directed June 14, 1953 · Syndicated · 27 min
    The Party tries to sabotage an important medical experiment using a young, pretty agent; the victims are five white mice.
  • Double Exposure June 21, 1953 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Cvetic is told to recover film taken by an American journalist in a Soviet prison camp.
  • Courter of Disaster June 28, 1953 · Syndicated · 28 min
    The Party has Cvetic deliver a roll of microfilm to New York after a meeting in Washington.
  • TheLineIsBusy July 5, 1953 · Syndicated · 28 min
    Cvetic rents an apartment in the same building as an atomic scientist so the Party can tap his phone.
  • The Red Snow July 12, 1953 · Syndicated · 28 min
    The Party tells Cvetic to look into illegal drug traffic, but an innocent-seeming woman named Ellie may be a trap.
  • Very Private Funeral July 19, 1953 · Syndicated · 28 min
    Cvetic is ordered to help a computer expert sabotage a new electronic calculator, but the expert is diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor, or so it seems.
  • Rhapsody In Red July 26, 1953 · Syndicated · 28 min
    The Party is eager to get a former Party member, a violinist, into the United States, and Cvetic wonders why.
  • Kangaroo Court August 2, 1953 · Syndicated · 27 min
    One of three Party members is known to be a traitor, and Cvetic is forced to take a lie detector test.
  • An Inhuman Element August 9, 1953 · Syndicated · 28 min
    Comrade Cripps interviews an Asian guerrilla leader named Hai Sai.
  • Panic Plan September 13, 1953 · Syndicated · 27 min
    The Party tries to make the city doubt the safety of its water supply.
  • No Visitors September 20, 1953 · Syndicated · 27 min
    Cvetic is told to murder a fellow Party member who plans to turn traitor.