Mister 880
Seldom are we aware of the personal histories and thought processes that motivate our neighbors and acquaintances.
Most of these people appear to be well-adjusted, law-abiding citizens. However, there may be one among them who harbors a scandalous secret, a modus operandi that seems, to him, to be a logical course of action given his circumstances.
Such is the case of Mister 880, the Skipper, as he is known to his neighbors. The Skipper is a kind and friendly, elderly man who ekes out a meager existence by buying and selling junktiques. Sometimes his earnings fall short of his expenses. That’s when he calls upon his 'cousin Henry' for a helping hand.
Mister 880, a 1950 crime comedy, tells the story of the Skipper, his neighbor Ann, who cares for his wellbeing, and Steve, the man who is out to uncover the Skipper’s secret.
Steve (Burt Lancaster) works for the Secret Service, a branch of the government responsible for protecting the president and bringing counterfeiters to justice. This troubleshooter has been sent to New York City to crack case number 880, a particularly difficult one that has eluded the local treasury agents for ten years.
No other counterfeiter has escaped detection for as long and because of that the agency has named him Mister 880. He’s an amateur who prints only one dollar bills and no more than fifty ($500 in today’s value)* a month.
His bills can be easily spotted because they contain an obvious spelling error. But because one dollar bills are rarely fabricated, these bills have not been detected in time to identify the lawbreaker.
Steve begins his investigation by visiting a tobacco shop where a phony bill turned up. While Steve looks on, the Skipper (Edmund Gwenn) enters the shop, greets the shopkeeper by name and makes a purchase. The Skipper is careful to pay for his purchase with an authentic dollar because he never leaves one of his phony bills at the same business twice.
Later that day he slips two fake bills into Ann’s (Dorothy McGuire) purse when she pays him $5.00 and a kiss on the cheek for a $3.00 miniature spinning wheel. Afterwards, he returns to his small room on the floor above her apartment.
The room is modestly furnished with a bed, a table and chair, a chest, a cupboard and a few small antiques. Waiting for him is his dog, Please. The dog just naturally answered to the word after the Skipper’s polite requests.
When the veterinarian who treated Please insists on payment, the old man reaches for cousin Henry, his printing press, and begins to print a few dollar bills. Then he consults the map he uses to determine where to spend his bogus money.
Meanwhile, Steve is compiling his map of the businesses where the bogus bills have been left. The last one was passed to a taxi driver who identifies Ann as the person who gave him the bill. Steve follows her to the United Nations building, where she works as a translator, and watches as she passes another bogus bill at the news stand.
Knowing Ann is too young to be Mister 880 Steve decides to meet her on the sly and ask her for a date. But Steve has left a trail, and when a coworker tells her that Steve was following her, she investigates him and learns that she is a suspect.
Ann likes Steve and doesn’t want him to learn of her innocence before they get to know each other. She researches counterfeiting and leaves a clue in her typewriter that causes him to draw the wrong conclusion when he goes snooping around her apartment.
That evening at their table by the dance floor, she speaks in the lingo of counterfeiters. She slips 'boodle of queer' into the conversation. Being an excellent detective he surmises that Ann is baiting him. They discuss the case while musicians serenade them with violins.
Steve is a dedicated agent and will stop at nothing to catch the swindler. Even though only a small amount of money is involved, he sees this man as a thief who steals from honest people and must be brought to justice. He stations a team of agents at businesses in the area where he suspects the crook will strike again.
Nevertheless, before Steve can catch Mister 880, the Skipper becomes aware of the manhunt, thinks it wise to go straight and buries cousin Henry. Over time he sells his beloved antiques in order to make ends meet. When Ann learns of his destitute existence she finds him a job as a handyman.
With no leads and no new counterfeit money showing up at the local businesses Steve eventually decides to accept an offer of a job in France, but changes his mind when he realizes that he cannot rest until he catches the elusive Mister 880.
Ann is the first to discover the truth about the Skipper. She asks Steve about the sentence if the counterfeiter is caught. The penalty for this crime is fifteen years in prison, and Steve says he will see to it that Mister 880 is sentenced to the maximum limit.
She is disturbed to think this could happen to this sweet, old man who plans trips to the zoo and the amusement park with the neighborhood children and whom everyone loves. While they’re discussing the punishment Steve receives a call. A phony bill has been passed at a grocery store.
The trail leads to the Skipper. With a heavy heart Steve and Ann climb the stairs to the Skipper’s room and find the map. When the Skipper arrives home he thinks they have come to celebrate his new job. However, when Steve confronts him, he readily admits the truth.
The Skipper has, what seems to him, a logical explanation for his actions. During the interrogation he explains his situation and his decision to print a few bills every now and them. He is arrested and taken to court.
By the time the Skipper’s case has reached the sentencing phase of the trial, Steve’s attitude toward Mister 880 has softened. He gives an impassioned speech in favor of the kind and gentle, seventy-three year old man.
The judge makes his decision, sentences the Skipper and closes the case. However, he immediately calls order and changes the sentence only to close the case and reopen it again.
Edmund Gwenn was nominated for an Oscar in the category of Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
The story of Mister 880 demonstrates the complexities of the human personality. In a society that values a strong work ethic and individual independence, the balance between personal responsibility and charity is tenuous.
Although a collective contribution funds the social safety net that is available to those in genuine need, a sense of self-respect may keep a person from availing himself of the help that is rightfully his. In order to save face, this unmet need can lead him to compromise his principles.
Likewise, that same self-respect and sense of immunity to hardship can cause an onlooker to judge harshly the person caught up in the web of poor choices. Without the knowledge of all the circumstances, personal as well as social, that lead up to the hardship, a person may overlook the whole personality of the unfortunate sufferer.
Having known the kind and sweet-tempered nature of the Skipper, Steve was able to reevaluate his judgment of the counterfeiter. In defense of the Skipper he found the meaning of a quote by a wise man, 'justice is too often administered by fixed rules, without regard for the feelings of the human mind or the charity in the human heart.'
*1 British Pound Sterling equals 1.61 US Dollar (October 2014)