Federal Bureau of Investigation portrayal in media

Federal Bureau of Investigation
Common name Federal Bureau of Investigation
Abbreviation FBI

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been a staple of American popular culture since its christening in 1935. That year also marked the beginning of the popular "G-Man" phenomenon that helped establish the Bureau's image, beginning with the aptly titled James Cagney movie, G Men. Although the detective novel and other police-related entertainment had long enthralled audiences, the FBI itself can take some of the credit for its media prominence. J. Edgar Hoover, the Bureau's "patriarch", took an active interest to ensure that it was not only well represented in the media, but also that the FBI was depicted in a heroic, positive light and that the message, "crime doesn't pay", was blatantly conveyed to audiences. The context, naturally, has changed profoundly since the 1930s "war on crime", and especially so since Hoover's death in 1972.[2]

The FBI's role

Any author, motion picture producer, or television script writer may consult with the FBI Office of Public Affairs about closed cases or their operations, services, or history. However, there is no requirement for the FBI to cooperate, and it does not edit or approve/disapprove fictional works. The Office of Public Affairs may, on a project by project basis, provide assistance to help ensure accuracy.[3] Some filmmakers offer reasonably accurate presentations of the FBI's responsibilities, investigations, and procedures in their story lines, while others present their own interpretations or introduce fictional events, persons, or places for dramatic effect.

There have been many fiction and non-fiction portrayals of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, from which the following is only a small sample.

Books

Movies

1935 newspaper ad for G Men proclaims: "Screaming headlines are a feeble whisper compared to the sensational revelations in this shot-by-shot dramatization of gangland's Waterloo."

Radio

Two other popular radio shows based on the activities of the Bureau were:

Television

Video games

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Frequently Asked Questions". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved 2016-09-02.
  2. Potter, Clair Bond (1998). War on Crime: Bandits, G-Men, and the Politics of Mass Culture. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0-8135-2487-3.; Powers, Richard Gid (1983). G-Men: Hoover’s FBI in American Popular Culture. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 0-8093-1096-1.
  3. "About Us: FAQS: Working the the FBI". FBI.gov.
  4. Whitehead, Don (1956). The FBI Story: A Report to the People. New York: Random House. p. 101.
  5. Hoover, J. Edgar (29 July 1935). "Modern Problems of Law Enforcement". Vital Speeches of the Day. City News Publishing. 1 (22): 682–686.
  6. Fuller, Samuel (2002). A Third Face. Alfred A Knopf. p. 308.
  7. Evans, Robert (2006). The Kid Stays in the Picture. Phoenix Books. p. 133.
  8. "FBI's muckraking files reveal dirt on celebrities from Sinatra to Liberace". Recorder.ca.
  9. Nugent, Phil, "Swimming with Sharkey", 'High Hat', 2007 http://thehighhat.com/Static/002/wiseguy.html
  10. Douglas Howard, "Tasting Brylcreem: Law, Disorder and the FBI in The Sopranos", Reading the Sopranos

External links

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