The gangster cycle didn't disappear overnight but thanks to J. Edgar Hoover, the movie gangster was soon relegated to supporting parts as other non-threatening characters took over - such as the gossip columnist!! The gossip columnist as portrayed by Lee Tracy in "Blessed Event" was made for racy pre-codes as he hob- nobbed with both the underworld and the elite ("Love is a Racket"). Pat O'Brien who scored successfully in "The Front Page" seemed a good bet as the reporter who is manipulated by his ruthless editor, (Charles Bickford) into endangering himself, all for the sake of a scoop!! Borrowing heavily from "Five Star Final", (both films based themselves on a genuine newspaper from the 1920s, the New York Evening Graphic), the film focuses on the many ways Strong tries to boost "The New York Comet" circulation to the million mark!! - if he does there is a nice $25,000 bonus for him.
Quite a few interesting players in this - Glenda Farrell, just on the cusp of pre-code stardom, Claudia Dell, a sure bet for stardom in 1930 but soon after finding a home at poverty row, the always reliable J. Farrell MacDonald and Ralph Graves who had been a leading man in silents. Rose Hobart, whose most famous role was as the sweet girl in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" played Bickford's wife for whom O'Brien carries a torch!!
The first scene is a doozy - a jealous wife commits murder with a hammer and it's not a pretty sight!! All reporters to the Belmont Hotel!! And while the rest of the movie doesn't quite live up to that blazing beginning Glenda Farrell creates an indelible impression as the "hammer murderess" who tells her story in the staccato rat-a-tat style that Farrell would become famous for. When chief editor (MacDonald) kills the story from the front page for being too sensational, Strong (Bickford) quits in disgust, calling the Gazette an almanac and not a paper people are eager to read. He and fellow reporter Waddy (O'Brien) head to the New York "Daily Comet" and Strong talks himself into a job vowing to give the public what it wants - blood and muck!! He turns the boring Comet on it's ear - even at the expense of his family life, forgetting his promise to get the kids a pet and then neglecting to look for a doctor for little Bobby (Buster Phelps) until it's too late.
Doesn't have the intensity of "Five Star Final" but is pretty fast paced with the low times soon coming - Strong tries to bribe a gangster's girl into going public, even with $5,000 inducement she has no intention of doing so but is eager to be a part in his downfall as Strong is set up in a compromising position with his face plastered all over the front page!! He's also battling to get his bonus money - now that the Comet is topping circulation Editor in Chief Bunnyweather (Berton Churchill) who made out that all the sensationalism was his idea has conveniently forgotten about the promised payment. Until he is the survivor of a faked assassination attack!!!
Things come to a head when Strong sends best buddy Waddy up, as a promotional gimmick, on a transatlantic air flight. Waddy has always loved Claire and Claire realizes she has made a huge mistake in marrying the egotistical Strong. Film finishes ambiguously, viewers will find it hard to believe that the forceful driving Strong will find contentment on a local country paper!!
Very Recommended.
Quite a few interesting players in this - Glenda Farrell, just on the cusp of pre-code stardom, Claudia Dell, a sure bet for stardom in 1930 but soon after finding a home at poverty row, the always reliable J. Farrell MacDonald and Ralph Graves who had been a leading man in silents. Rose Hobart, whose most famous role was as the sweet girl in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" played Bickford's wife for whom O'Brien carries a torch!!
The first scene is a doozy - a jealous wife commits murder with a hammer and it's not a pretty sight!! All reporters to the Belmont Hotel!! And while the rest of the movie doesn't quite live up to that blazing beginning Glenda Farrell creates an indelible impression as the "hammer murderess" who tells her story in the staccato rat-a-tat style that Farrell would become famous for. When chief editor (MacDonald) kills the story from the front page for being too sensational, Strong (Bickford) quits in disgust, calling the Gazette an almanac and not a paper people are eager to read. He and fellow reporter Waddy (O'Brien) head to the New York "Daily Comet" and Strong talks himself into a job vowing to give the public what it wants - blood and muck!! He turns the boring Comet on it's ear - even at the expense of his family life, forgetting his promise to get the kids a pet and then neglecting to look for a doctor for little Bobby (Buster Phelps) until it's too late.
Doesn't have the intensity of "Five Star Final" but is pretty fast paced with the low times soon coming - Strong tries to bribe a gangster's girl into going public, even with $5,000 inducement she has no intention of doing so but is eager to be a part in his downfall as Strong is set up in a compromising position with his face plastered all over the front page!! He's also battling to get his bonus money - now that the Comet is topping circulation Editor in Chief Bunnyweather (Berton Churchill) who made out that all the sensationalism was his idea has conveniently forgotten about the promised payment. Until he is the survivor of a faked assassination attack!!!
Things come to a head when Strong sends best buddy Waddy up, as a promotional gimmick, on a transatlantic air flight. Waddy has always loved Claire and Claire realizes she has made a huge mistake in marrying the egotistical Strong. Film finishes ambiguously, viewers will find it hard to believe that the forceful driving Strong will find contentment on a local country paper!!
Very Recommended.