Crime strip in the US press

Big gangster Thomas Renzi ( Martin Geybel ) testifies to the New York State Senate Committee, refusing to recognize his connection with the underworld. On the same day, news agencies broadcast information that the largest city newspaper, Day, known for its serious and responsible editorial policy, will be sold before the end of the week. At this time, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Ed Hutchison ( Humphrey Bogart ) is preparing to publish the next issue: he does not allow a sensational photograph of an unidentified naked beauty in a mink coat, the corpse of which was just caught by the police in the port, and is entrusting the young reporter George Burroughs Warren Stevens ) continue to investigate Renzi’s case, although the Senate Committee withdrew all charges for insufficient evidence from the gangster. Ed, who was a friend and associate of the recently deceased newspaper owner John Harrison, is invited to meet with his widow Margaret Harrison ( Ethel Barrymore ) and his two adult daughters Catherine (Joyce Mackenzie) and Alice (Fay Baker), who equally owned the newspaper . Contrary to Margaret’s desire, her daughter persuaded her to agree to sell the newspaper to the publisher of the rival Standard, Laurence White, who is known for his unprincipled and tabloid approach to editorial policy. Ed categorically protests against such a deal, pointing out that this will destroy the brainchild of John Harrison, who so stubbornly created and embodied the principles of honest journalism through the newspaper, and 1,500 employees will be on the street. He also claims that White is buying Day for the sole purpose of killing the newspaper. However, lawyers inform Ed that the final decision on the sale will be made in the court of succession and guardianship the day after tomorrow.

Returning to the editorial office, Ed informs the staff about the upcoming closure of the newspaper and the payment of a two-week severance pay to all employees. On the same evening, at the “wake” organized by the journalistic team of the newspaper, Ed sadly argues that if Day had used the same tactics of yellow journalism as Standard, which published on the first page a photograph of a dead half-naked beauty near his newspaper there would be a larger circulation and greater profit. After the wake, Ed, a pretty drunk man, goes home to his ex-wife Nora ( Kim Hunter ), who loves Ed, but divorced him because he was too absorbed in working in the newspaper and did not pay attention to her at all.

The next morning, after Renzi’s assistants brutally beaten in the port, Ed instructs his staff to start a comprehensive investigation of the life and work of the gangster, and also dictates a whipping editorial against Renzi. That evening, Ed meets with Nora in a restaurant, trying to convince her to restore their marriage, but she reports that she is marrying another person, the director of the advertising agency in which she works. Their meeting is interrupted by a reporter, Mrs. Willebrandt ( Audrey Christie ), who sought out the mother of the girl who was killed in the port, who, it turns out, was Bessie Schmidt. Ed and his team soon discover that Bessie, under the name Sally Gardiner, was Renzi's mistress and, shortly before her death, bought government bonds worth $ 40,000. Upon learning that Renzi had once made her brother Herman Schmidt ( Joe De Santis ) a member of the state boxing commission, Ed instructs his sports correspondent Harry Thompson ( Paul Stewart ) to find Herman, who is hiding for fear of reprisal.

Ed comes to a court hearing where Judge Mackay decides to allow the sale of the newspaper. Although after a passionate speech, Ed Margaret changed her mind and opposes the sale, Alice and Kitty insist on the sale, and in the end Margaret offers to buy their shares, paying more than White suggested. The judge decides to adjourn the case. When Ed leaves the courthouse, Renzi invites him to his car, where he is trying to bribe Ed, but he refuses to deal with the gangster. When they drive up to the newspaper building, Renzi notices Herman entering there. At a meeting in the editorial office, after Ed promised Herman protection and material reward, he tells that Renzi transferred Bessie to save 200 thousand dollars, but when he demanded money back, she did not return it, deciding that while she had the money, Rentsi is not going anywhere from her. Bessie spent 40 thousand of this money on the purchase of bonds, and hid the rest in a safe, after which, fearing for her life, she secretly moved to a hotel. Herman admits that under pressure from Renzi, he brought the gangster's assistants to Bessie's hotel, and when the bandits began to beat her, demanding money, he got scared and ran away. Their conversation is interrupted by Margaret, who tells Ed that since Renzi has filed a libel suit against the newspaper, Judge Mackay will make a final decision that very evening. Margaret's daughters, meanwhile, agreed to sell the Margaret newspaper, and in addition, she had already found bankers who were ready to finance the purchase. Although they conclude the purchase with a very risky venture, they are nevertheless ready to make a deal. While Ed is talking with Margaret, three Renzi's men in police uniform “arrest” and take Herman away, preventing him from signing his own testimony. Guessing that he was detained, Herman tries to escape, but the bandits kill him and he falls on the print press.

When the evening edition of Day announces Herman’s death, Renzi smashes his henchmen for the murder, which made too much noise, then orders Bessie’s mother to be found immediately. Meanwhile, Margaret consoles the frustrated Ed and convinces him to fight to the end. Then they go to court, where Ed gives a passionate speech, proving that selling “Day” will mean the liquidation of the newspaper, as a result of which 1,500 employees will lose their jobs, and for the city - the loss of the largest press organ, built on the principles of honest journalism and leading the fight against crime. In addition, the sale will lead to the destruction of the competitive environment in the newspaper business, and without competition, according to Ed, there can be no freedom of speech. Although Judge Mackay agrees with Ed, he nevertheless confirms the deal, as it was concluded with the voluntary consent of the parties, and decides that from tomorrow White will become the new owner of the newspaper.

Bessie's mother, Mrs. Schmidt, comes to the newspaper’s office, handing Ed the box Bessie left her. In the box are Renzi's money, as well as a diary in which Bessie described everything that she knew about the criminal activity of the gangster. Asked by Ed why she hadn’t contacted the police, she replied that she didn’t know any police, but had known the Day newspaper for more than 30 years. Based on Bessie’s diary, the newspaper is preparing to publish a revelation of Renzi’s criminal activity. When a gangster calls Ed directly to the print shop, threatening him with death if he publishes the results of his investigation, Ed instructs him to start printing. Nora comes to the printing house, who decided to part with her new husband and return to Ed. Ed reads the first copy of a freshly printed newspaper with a revealing article proving that Renzi is guilty of the murder of Bessie. At this moment, the sign “Day” on the editorial office goes out forever.

Screenwriter and director Richard Brooks became one of Hollywood's most recognized filmmakers in the 1950s and 60s. During this period, he Brooks was repeatedly nominated for an Oscar for such films as the school drama School Jungle (1955, best script), the psychological drama Cat on a Hot Roof (1958, best script and best production), Western Professionals ( 1966, best script and production) and the crime drama " Cold-blooded Murder " (1967, best script and production). Brooks received his only Oscar in 1961 for the script of the adventurous religious drama " Elmer Gantry " (1960) ^[2] . However, since the beginning of the 1950s, Brooks was at the beginning of his career, and, as the film historian Jeff Stafford noted, the film is an interesting example of the intersection of careers of a young, growing talent in the person of Brooks and the main Hollywood star in the person of Bogart ^[3] . By then, Brooks was already known as the author of the novel Brick Fox Hole (1945), which produced the Noir Crossfire film (1947), and also as a screenwriter for films such as Brute Force (1947) and Key Largo "(1948). In 1950, he began his directorial career with the suspense thriller Crisis (1950) with Cary Grant in the title role. The drama Criminal Stripe in the US Press was just Brooks' third directorial work, but it was already his second collaboration with Bogart, whom he made friends with during the filming of Key Largo. At that time, they talked a lot outside the working framework, after which Brooks began to consider a new joint project with Bogart for the studio “ Twentieth Century Fox ” ^[3] .

Since the late 1930s, Bogart has been the largest star in the film noir genre thanks to his participation in films such as Petrified Forest (1936), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), Roaring Twenties (1939), and Maltese Falcon (1941), “ To have and not to have ” (1944), “ Deep sleep ” (1946), “The Black Strip ” (1947), “ Key Largo ” (1948), “ Treasures of the Sierra Madre ” (1948), “ In a secluded place ”(1950) and many others ^[4] . For the first time, Bogart was nominated for an Oscar as the best leading actor in the film Casablanca (1942). In 1952, he won an Oscar for the lead role in the adventure queen “The African Queen ” (1951), after which in 1955 he was once again nominated for an Oscar for the lead role in the naval drama “ The Riot on Kane” (1954) ^{[ 5]} .

Actress Ethel Barrymore in 1945 won an Oscar for best supporting role in the drama “ Only a Lonely Heart ” (1945), after which she was nominated three more times for an Oscar for the supporting role in Robert Siodmak ’s horror film “ Spiral Staircase ” (1945), a crime melodrama Hitchcock 's The Paradine Affair (1947) and the social drama by Elia Kazan , Pinky (1949) ^[6] . In 1952, Kim Hunter was awarded an Oscar for her supporting role in the psychological drama " Tram" Desire " " (1951) ^[7] . Other most successful films with her participation were the horror drama "The Seventh Victim " (1943), the fantasy drama " Stairway to Heaven " (1946) and later - the fantastic adventure film " Planet of the Apes " (1968) ^[8] .

The film is based on Brooks’s original story, “The Night the World Curled Up,” was the original working title of the film, which then changed to “Newspaper Story,” until the studio opted for the title “Criminal Stripe in the US Press” ^{[9] [3]} . Although according to some reports, Brooks originally wrote a novel, which was then processed into a script, according to the official information of the Twentieth Century Fox studio, Brooks wrote this story specifically for the screen ^[9] . Many reviews noted that Brooks based his idea on the real circumstances of the closure of the New York World newspaper in 1931 ^[9] .

Part of the film was shot in kind in New York , including filming directly with the New York Daily News and in Washington Square ^{[3] [10] [9]} .

Initially, the candidatures of Gregory Peck or Richard Widmark were considered for the role of Ed Hutcheson. Fox studio boss Darryl F. Zanuk preferred both of these candidates over Bogart, who was chosen by Brooke. At that time, Bogart was still in a contractual relationship with Warner Brothers , but he had the right to work on lease on the side of his own choice, and after lengthy negotiations he took up this role ^{[3] [9]} .

Having just returned from Africa after physically exhausting shootings in John Houston ’s adventure queen “ African Queen ” (1951), Bogart was exhausted and not completely healthy. Brooks almost immediately noticed that his main actor was no longer the demanding professional he knew from his previous work. According to the director, perhaps due to illness Bogart began to show impatience in work that was completely unusual for him ^[3] . Bogart was sometimes rude and annoyed in relations not only with the creative group, but even entered into skirmishes with Brooks regarding the production of a particular scene. In the scene of the episode, where Hutcheson meets with the publisher’s widow, her family, and lawyers regarding the sale of the newspaper, Bogart hardly spoke his remarks in sync with the complicated movement of the camera, expressing dissatisfaction with the fact that he also had to move, and could not just stand in place. According to Brookes, after a private conversation, Bogart’s sarcastic bravado disappeared from the set, but he still seemed tired and drooping. ^[3] As Stafford notes, unfortunately, making the rest of the film for Brooks and his team was not easier, and after the last scene, Bogart left the set in a bad mood. Nevertheless, his game in the final version of the film looks very strong, and his tired and tired look perfectly fit the image of a newspaper business veteran who resisted the upcoming changes ^[3] .

Overall rating of the film

The film received favorable reviews from critics, although in the filmography of Bogart he remained largely unnoticed due to the success of the " African Queen " (1951), which appeared on the screens at about the same time ^[3] . The New York Times columnist Bosley Krauser, after the film was released, called it a "confused melodrama," in which Bogart, in the role of an old tough guy, "is full of fire and brimstone, which he often did before." However, in this picture he does it as a fighter for a free and indestructible press. “And, by God, the honesty and nobility of his efforts are worthy of applause.” ^[11] Crowther pays particular attention to the realistic display of the mood of the newspaper with their accurately and strongly conveyed sense of strange devotion to their work, summarizing his opinion with the words that “truly good pictures about newspapers are few and rare. And although there is a lot of melodrama in this film, nevertheless, it shows the journalistic profession well ” ^[11] .

The contemporary film expert Jeff Stafford described the film as “a harsh, impartial urbanistic melodrama about the newspaper business,” further noting that it is much closer to the film noir in its atmosphere than in content and characters. ”According to the critic,“ the semi-documentary nature of the film played him benefit by reinforcing the realism of what is happening, which was positively noted by most critics. ”Stafford also notes that“ history itself remains relevant today, when more and more major newspapers are fighting for living in the era of buying up big businesses and new technologies. ” ^[3] Cinema expert Craig Butler believes this is a“ moderately fascinating newspaper melodrama that contains an extremely fascinating play by the star Humphrey Bogart . Although his work in the film often went unnoticed compared to the highly acclaimed African queen “at about the same time, Bogart is simply magnificent here.” ^[12] At the same time, film critic Dave Ker considered the picture “an empty and complacent film about a newspaper ... which is a great demonstration of journalists think of themselves when they went over a bit ” ^[13] .

Evaluation of the work of the director and creative team

On the whole, positively appreciating the picture, Krauser, however, noted that "the difficulties that Mr. Brooks came up with are a bit too complicated and excessive to make it easy to follow and unconditionally believe in them." The need to keep in mind three separate storylines can cause the viewer to feel dizzy. However, according to Crowther, “despite the melodramatic turmoil ... Mr. Brooks created a fairly authentic picture of real newspaper work” ^[11] .

TimeOut Magazine also concluded that “the former Brooks newspaperman was lucky with this media drama,” praising the tense story and the production with a sense of authenticity that “Brooks’ liberal views and strict business style of writing strike the mark” ^[14] . Craig Butler, for his part, noted that "although the script of the film contains a lot of sharp dialogue, the story is not as interesting as you might wish, and sometimes it even becomes a little ridiculous." At the same time, Brooks’s production is good, which is greatly facilitated by Milton Krasner’s camera work ^[12] .

Actor rating

The acting work of Bogart was praised by critics. According to Crowther, “Bogart creates a wonderful portrait of an angry and unyielding man who fights on all fronts for his colleagues and for the preservation of the organization in which he believes” ^[11] . Variety noted that “Bogart gives a convincing game in everything”, whether it be “his existence under constant threat of closure, his personal romantic impasse or courage in revenge for beating his criminal reporter” ^[10] . Butler also believes that Bogart created a beautiful portrait of Hutcheson. His hero “looks like he has not slept for many days and is obviously tired of the fact that he must wage a constant struggle, but, nevertheless, does not want to give up.” “A sharp mind, and discouraging honesty, and amazing correctness” are also characteristic of him. Moreover, when Bogart begins to speak, his “manner of speech often does not correspond to what was expected, although he speaks precisely those words that are needed” ^[12] .

Most critics have come to the conclusion that other actors played a lot in this film. In particular, as Crowther wrote, “in the roles of editors and reporters - Ed Begley , Jim Backas , Paul Stewart , Warren Stevens and Audrey Christie - colorful and good, and Ethel Barrymore plays a quiet and strong game as the widow of the founder of the newspaper. Martin Gabel draws an ominous portrait of a criminal lord, and Joseph De Santis - a miserable informant who is eventually killed ” ^[11] . Jeff Stafford also believes that "supporting actors were as impressive as Bogart." In particular, Kim Hunter , Ed Begley, Ethel Barrymore and Martin Geybel in the role of the frightening racketeer Renzi created strong images ^[3] , Butler also believes that Bogart has “an excellent partner in the person of Kim Hunter”, adding that Ed also gives a good game Begley, Martin Geybel and especially Ethel Barrymore ^[12] .

• Crime strip in the US press on Allmovie website  
• Crime strip in the US press on the website of the American Film Institute
• Criminal strip in the US press on Turner Classic Movies website
• Crime strip in the US press trailer on YouTube