The Fearmakers

The field of public relations ripened in the second half of the twentieth century, but so did its all-too-common conflation with the spread of propaganda, a misperception tackled head on in Jacques Tourneur’s The Fearmakers in which one character defines PR as “mass persuasion” to “cover a multitude of sins.” Dana Andrews stars as Korean War veteran Alan Eaton, who returns to Washington to rejoin his partner in their PR and polling firm despite suffering debilitating headaches, the result of being tortured in a prison camp. While his firm’s name still adorns the building, Eaton soon learns that his partner recently sold the firm to a man named Jim McGinnis (Dick Moran) using the power of attorney Eaton had left behind. McGinnis asks Eaton to stick around on a generous retainer, which he agrees to do in part as a favor to his old friend and client, Senator Walder (Roy Gordon), who’s leading a Congressional investigation into the spread of communist propaganda and believes Eaton’s firm is a hub of such information. Even more suspicious is the fact that Eaton’s former partner died in a “hit-and-run” accident days after handing over the firm. As Eaton proceeds with his search, he confides in office worker Lorraine Dennis (Marilee Earle) and recruits her to assist him. Legendary crooner Mel Tormé plays McGinnis’ dutiful co-conspirator Barney Bond, a perfect stereotype of the nerdy Beltway wonk who gets in over his head. While it contains plenty of engrossing scenes, including a peculiar detour into a boarding house owned by an abusive married couple, the film isn’t one of Tourneur’s great works and features minimal stylization. Given the Cold War themes, it’s not surprising that we get an all-American conclusion in which a fistfight under the gaze of Honest Abe at the Lincoln Memorial swells with patriotic music.