The story of the fight of a small-town newspaper to free an innocent girl of a murder charge, with the publisher of a metropolitan city newspaper heading, by forced circumstances, the opposi... Read allThe story of the fight of a small-town newspaper to free an innocent girl of a murder charge, with the publisher of a metropolitan city newspaper heading, by forced circumstances, the opposing forces.The story of the fight of a small-town newspaper to free an innocent girl of a murder charge, with the publisher of a metropolitan city newspaper heading, by forced circumstances, the opposing forces.
Jay Adler
- Munsey's Assistantas Munsey's Assistant
- (uncredited)
Mike Reese, yellow journalist and antihero, prints a story that leads to a gang killing, and is blacklisted from the city papers under suspicion of ties with racketeer Carl Durham. So, with a shrug, he makes the suspicion come true, then elbows his way into the editorship of the local paper in a small town where, opportunely, a sensational murder case threatens to destroy the family of newspaper magnate E.J. Stanton. When a black servant is made the patsy for this killing, Reese helps himself by helping her...but proves a dangerous ally. —Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Top review
Engaging B movie that needs better plotting
In the inexplicably-titled Underworld Story, amoral reporter Dany Duryea uses a small newspaper to gin up controversy over a murder.
After a somewhat slow start in which Duryea's greed and self- centeredness are hammered home, things get interesting with the murder and the arrest of an innocent "negro" played by a white actress. Duryea plays the angles, both for and against her depending on what he thinks will sell newspapers, while other news organizations attack the accused for their own cynical reasons.
This is solid noir stuff, beautifully shot by Stanley Cortez, with solid performances, most notably by Herbert Marshall as a morally conflicted publisher and Harold Da Silva as a jovial mobster.
The main problem is the script, which becomes increasingly unconvincing from the moment Duryea suddenly flips from sleazebag to noble. Being noble seems to also make him remarkably stupid, a stupidity that is then caught by other characters, like Da Silva, who do things for no other reason than to further the plot.
Between the slow beginning and the increasingly absurd end, there is a really enjoyable movie. I almost gave this a 7, but by the end I was feeling to annoyed by the poor plot choices. Still, if you like noir films you should check this out.
After a somewhat slow start in which Duryea's greed and self- centeredness are hammered home, things get interesting with the murder and the arrest of an innocent "negro" played by a white actress. Duryea plays the angles, both for and against her depending on what he thinks will sell newspapers, while other news organizations attack the accused for their own cynical reasons.
This is solid noir stuff, beautifully shot by Stanley Cortez, with solid performances, most notably by Herbert Marshall as a morally conflicted publisher and Harold Da Silva as a jovial mobster.
The main problem is the script, which becomes increasingly unconvincing from the moment Duryea suddenly flips from sleazebag to noble. Being noble seems to also make him remarkably stupid, a stupidity that is then caught by other characters, like Da Silva, who do things for no other reason than to further the plot.
Between the slow beginning and the increasingly absurd end, there is a really enjoyable movie. I almost gave this a 7, but by the end I was feeling to annoyed by the poor plot choices. Still, if you like noir films you should check this out.
helpful•62
- cherold
- Apr 7, 2017
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