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SpyCast

“The Beverly Hills Spy” – with The Hollywood Reporter’s Seth Abramovitch

SpyCast

SpyCast

Education, News, History

4.41.7K Ratings

🗓️ 23 August 2022

⏱️ 52 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Summary   Seth Abramovitch (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the British war-hero who spied on behalf of the Japanese during Hollywood’s Golden Age. This is a story-and-a-half, by jingo!  What You’ll Learn Intelligence How a British war-hero became a spy for the other side Japanese espionage in Tinseltown  How the story involves Boris Karloff, Charlie Chaplin and Yoko Ono’s father  The spy ring’s activities before and after Pearl Harbor Reflections Playing the game for yourself vs. for a country or a cause Hubris & Nemesis  And much, much more… Episode Notes Sqn. Ldr. Frederick Rutland, AM, DSC and Bar, was the first person to fly a seaplane from a ship in history. He was also the first man to spot the German fleet from his seaplane, thereby precipitating the largest naval battle of the First World War, the Battle of Jutland.  After leaving the military because of indiscretions with a fellow officer’s wife, he tries to live an ordinary vanilla life, but still craves his action-packed days of old…ultimately, he is approached by the Japanese to spy on their behalf, which leads him to relocate to LA during the Golden Age of Hollywood. To discuss this doozy of a story, I am joined by Seth Abramovitch from The Hollywood Reporter – i.e., the definitive interpretive voice of the entertainment industry – where he has worked for ten years.  And… There are some incredible Hollywood movies from the interwar period, capturing some of the tension and suspicion of the era, as well as the faint drumbeat of approaching war. Hitchcock alone had, The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), The 39 Steps (1935), Sabotage (1936), and Foreign Correspondent (1940). Major stars of the era such as Marlene Dietrich, Great Garbo, and Madelaine Carroll helped solidify the spy genre with movies such as Dishonored (1931), Mata Hari (1931), and I Was a Spy (1933). Don’t forget Fritz Lang’s Spione (1928), which has been called a, “marvel of narrative economy in montage.”  Quote of the Week "At the very bottom of the list, it would be any kind of allegiance to any flag, because he's quick to offer to turn on Japan when push comes to shove at the very end of the whole story. I don't think he was doing it for any kind of nationalism or political, viewpoint. I think if anything he was apolitical." – Seth Abramovitch. Resources Headline Resources “Beverley Hills Spy” Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter (2022) Andrew’s Recommendation Reel vs. Real CIA – The Americans, Argo, Black Panther, and the Good Shepherd *SpyCasts* “Russia Upside Down” – with Creator of The Americans Joe Weisberg (2022) “The Courier” – the Director’s Take with Dominic Cooke (2021) “Hollywood Spies” – with Jonna Mendez (2020) “U.S. Naval Intelligence in WWII” – with Rear Admiral Donald Mac Showers  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Beginner Resources Spy for Japan, T. Bradbeer, Historynet (2022) [webpage] The Pacific War, WELT (2021) [video] FBI Raid Japanese Spy Network in LA, Smithsonian Channel (2019) [video] Books Intelligence & the War Against Japan, R. Aldrich (CUP, 2000) The Emperor’s Codes, M. Smith (Bantam, 2000) Articles “Agent Shinkawa Revisited,” R. Drabkin & B. Hart, IJIC, 35/1 (2022) The 1924 Law That Slammed the Door on Immigrants, Smithsonian Magazine (2020) Washington Naval Conference, 1921-22, Historian, State Dept. (n.d.)  Russo-Japanese War, 1904-5, Historian, State Dept. (n.d.) Primary Sources “Security Service Files, Frederick Rutland” – National Archives (U.K.): 1924-1933 1933-1935 1935-1936 1935-1937 1937-1941 1941 1941-1942 1942 1942-1943 1943-1944 *Wildcard Resource* Reel-vs-Reel How Hollywood compares to the real CIA The Americans Argo Black Panther The Good Shepherd

Transcript

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0:00.0

You're listening to The CyberWire Network, powered by N2K.

0:14.0

Hello dear listeners. Today I want to share and recommend a podcast that I recently became a fan of,

0:20.0

and I think it's worth your time, and you should check it out.

0:23.0

The show is called Compiler, and it's produced by the folks at Red Hat.

0:28.0

The subtitle for the show is simplifying tech for tomorrow's IT leaders, and the show certainly does that,

0:34.0

but it does a lot more. I'm getting ahead of myself.

0:37.0

The reason Compiler has earned a regular spot on my podcast playlist is the genuine authentic curiosity of the show's hosts,

0:46.0

Angela Andrews and Brent Simano. Angela and Brent are your guides for journeys into all sorts of tech topics that are relevant to folks in cybersecurity and IT,

0:56.0

and they do it in a way that's casual and conversational, but also smart and concise.

1:02.0

This is a show that respects your time while feeding your curiosity.

1:06.0

And Compiler has something for everyone, doesn't matter if you're just getting started in your tech career or if you're a seasoned pro,

1:13.0

I'm willing to bet that you'll find the Compiler podcast both entertaining and informative.

1:19.0

So check it out. It's the Compiler podcast from Red Hat. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts.

1:34.0

Hi, and welcome to Spycast.

1:39.0

I'm your host, Dr. Andrew Hammond, the storing curator here at the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC.

1:48.0

Spycast's sole purpose is to educate our listeners about the past, present and future of intelligence and espionage.

1:57.0

Every week through engaging conversations we explore some aspect of a vast ecosystem that looms beneath the surface of everyday life.

2:07.0

We talk to spies, operators, mole hunters, defectors, analysts and authors to explore the stories and secrets,

2:16.0

Shredcraft and technology of the secret world. We are Spycast.

2:24.0

Now sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

2:28.0

This speaks episode underlines why I love the material that we work with here at the International Spy Museum so much.

2:41.0

Only in the factual history of intelligence and espionage can you come across stories that would be disbelieved as a works of fiction.

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