The crucial role of Hollywood spies - from Cary Grant to Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo

When America was establishing its intelligence services at the beginning of World War II and needed spies to gain information, they turned to Hollywood stars. They were used to travelling in secret, had access to power and could get infiltrate areas that were closed for other members of the public. They could act and be discreet. They had powerful admirers in various industries, many with easy access to politicians and high ranking government officials. Nobody in the world would miss the chance to welcome and talk to icons like Cary Grant, Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo.

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Cary Grant spied on Errol Flynn, who apparently had Nazi leanings, Greta Garbo, almost single-handedly, saved most of the Jewish population of Denmark, while Marlene Dietrich entertained troupes at the front line and Hedy Lamarr brought technical knowledge to the US she had gleaned from dinner conversations with German generals. The OSS, precursor of the CIA, even engaged gangster "Lucky" Luciano in counter-espionage and later in protecting General Patton´s troops during the Sicilian operations.

In the National Archives we discover how stars as Cary Grant, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Leslie Howard, Josephine Baker, John Ford and many more, were spies for the Allies, and changed the curse of the war. They did amazing things, dangerous things, and their fame was their asset. This untold story is very accurate and relevant still today. Film clips from "Confessions of a Nazi Spy" to "Notorious" and "Mata Hari" to "Ninotchka" give us an idea how intelligence services operated.

Original title: Hollywood spies
Directed by Clara & Julia Kuperberg
Produced by Wichita Films
Licensed by Poorhouse International, 2017