Big News

BIG NEWS (Pathe, 1929), directed by Gregory LaCava, is vintage/early talkie newspaper melodrama taken from the stage play reportedly titled "For Two Cents" by George S. Brooks. Probably inspired by the more famous Ben Hecht / Charles MacArthur 1928 play of "The Front Page" that became the basis of the 1931 screen adaptation starring Adolphe Menjou and Pat O'Brien, BIG NEWS (its new yet more appropriate title) stars Robert Armstrong in a stage to screen adaptation set mostly inside an editorial room/office with reporter/editor/publisher types giving that actual newsroom feel with stories behind it.

Plot development introduces the workers of The Express newspaper as they start off their rainy morning in the editorial room: Hansel (Louis Payne), the publisher; J. W. Addison (Charles Sellon), the editor-in-chief who's hard of hearing; Vera (Cupid Ainsworth), a heavy-set manly-dressed columnist of advice to the lovelorn column; O'Neill (Wade Boteler) the city editor, and Steve Banks (Robert Armstrong), a reporter found sobering up on the sofa inside Addison's office. With his weakness for liquor, Steve's strength is getting the scoop, although his wife, Margaret (Carol Lombard), working for the Morning Herald, has out scooped him with her narcotics ring story he is assigned to do. Married two years, Margaret comes to the office to tell Steve she wants a divorce. Though she feels he's a great reporter, she finds him irresponsible and refuses to wait to see him reach the drunken path of fellow reporter Deke Thomas (James Donlan). Although there are others who want Steve Banks fired, it's Joe Reno (Sam Hardy), its leading advertiser and owner of a neighboring speakeasy, The Reno Cafe, who arranges that for suspecting Steve's hunches are getting too close to the truth about him. Told by Addison he's nothing but a bum newspaperman and insult to his profession, Steve angrily walks out of the office to prove his theories about him are false. Acquiring a written statement from a Rose Perotti that could put Reno and his gang to prison, Banks returns to find Addison's office with police, co-workers and all the evidence pointed towards Steve for his murder for which he is innocent.

Other members of the cast include Warner Richmond (District Attorney Phelps), Gertrude Sutton (Helen), Clarence Wilson (The Coroner) and Tom Kennedy (Thomas Ryan), a police officer whose name is purposely misspelled in articles written by Steve Banks. Look quickly for future film stars as George, later "Gabby" Hayes (sans beard) of movie westerns fame Hoffman, a reporter; and the youthful Lew Ayres briefed in two scenes as a copy boy.

Unlike most early talkies from 1929, the 66-minute edition of BIG NEWS is faster-paced than most, thanks to the fine direction by Gregory LaCava, best known for his comedy classic MY MAN GODFREY (Universal, 1936) that co-starred Carole Lombard (billed Carol in BIG NEWS) whose madcap performance earned her her only Academy Award nomination as Best Actress.

While Armstrong and Lombard were paired in total of four movies during the 1928-29 season, to date, BIG NEWS and THE RACKETEER (1929) are the only ones available for viewing either on limited video cassette or DVD format releases. (*** Bylines)