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Classic Newspaper Movies?

January 13th, 2009 24 Comments

I’ve been in the mood for a classic “newspaper” movie – something from the ’40s-50s era (or older). Off the top of my head I’ve thought of:

* Citizen Kane
* Sweet Smell Of Success
* Philadelphia Story

Any others I seem to be missing?

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24 Responses to “Classic Newspaper Movies?”

  1. Damion says:
    January 13, 2009 at 1:27 am

    “His Girl Friday” is the ultimate one. (Is that the Cary Grant movie you were thinking of? “Philadelphia Story” has a Time magazine-a-like but not much newspapering.)

  2. Geoduck says:
    January 13, 2009 at 1:35 am

    There’s always The Front Page and/or His Girl Friday.

  3. John Kadel says:
    January 13, 2009 at 1:39 am

    His Girl Friday (1940) is my fave. Ripping pace, rapier no-holds-barred wit, and savage satire. No one is safe if caught in the line of fire from or between Rosalind Russel and Cary Grant. The feeling of Philadelphia Story (1940) is genteel, perhaps to a fault; well-crafted and entirely set in a pretty and idealized Connecticut estate setting, with a largely forgettable news reporting angle. ‘Friday’ is a remake of The Front Page (1931), now a rather creaky early talkie.

  4. fafaroo says:
    January 13, 2009 at 2:01 am

    In the line of Philadelphia Story, I just watched Libelled Lady (1936), a screwball comedy with Spencer Tracy as an editor who tries to save his paper from a libel suit brought by Myrna Loy, framing her in a love affair. There’s some great comic lines. With William Powell and Jean Harlow.

    Call Northside 777 is solid 50s noirsh docu-style crime drama w/ Jimmy Stewart as a reporter who opens up a closed case in New York.

    And Geoduck is right, you can never go worng with Hawk’s His Girl Friday, if you haven’t seen I think you’d love it, oliver.

  5. Bruce says:
    January 13, 2009 at 2:21 am

    “All the President’s Men” may well be too modern for what you want, but I think it’s pretty appropriate for the week when a disgraced Republican president is lingering to have the door clock him in the ass on the way out.

  6. Wilbur says:
    January 13, 2009 at 2:47 am

    “Foreign Correspondent” by Alfred Hitchcock

  7. alias says:
    January 13, 2009 at 3:40 am

    Ace in the Hole (1951)Directed by Billy Wilder. With Kirk Douglas
    It Happened One Night Directed by Frank Capra. With Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert.
    Meet John Doe Directed by Frank Capra. With Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck.
    Nothing Sacred (1937) Directed by William A. Wellman. With Carole Lombard, Fredric March

  8. Oliver Willis says:
    January 13, 2009 at 3:46 am

    Thanks for the suggestions, I’ll check them out. (and if anyone has anymore, please post)

    All The President’s Men is outside of the era I’m in the mood for but your mention of it makes me want to watch it again. The first and only time I saw it was in my journalism class in high school… SIXTEEN years ago. God I’m old.

  9. riffle says:
    January 13, 2009 at 3:57 am

    I came here to post His Girl Friday, which is basically a reworking of the 1931 The Front Page (not the later “Front Page”).

    But Geoduck already posted it, however I’ll emphasize: His Girl Friday http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032599/ is one of the greatest movies ever.

    I suppose I should note that 1) His Girl Friday is currently #224 out of the top #250– but in years to come some good and some not so good movies will knock it out of the top 250. The recency effect is a problem for IMDB.

    But watch His Girl Friday. Hilarious and a great newspaper movie.

  10. Randy Brown says:
    January 13, 2009 at 6:26 am

    Billy Wilder’s 1974 remake of “The Front Page” is very faithful to the original, except for some period references and Susan Sarandon’s pre-”Rocky Horror” singing. Plus you get Carol Burnett as a prostitute!

    Also, check out Joe Pesci in “The Public Eye” from the early 1990s (NOT the early 70s Carol Reed romantic comedy).

  11. Michael Fonda says:
    January 13, 2009 at 7:01 am

    Humphrey Bogart’s last picture “The Harder they Fall” about corruption in the fight game was, by my subjective lights, a worthy send-off. “Ace in the Hole” was a huge flop for Kirk Douglas and Billy Wilder but is admirably unflinching about showing the seamy side of journalism. Definitely worth a look.

  12. midderpidge says:
    January 13, 2009 at 8:13 am

    His Girl Friday is a favorite, how about “The Big Clock”?

  13. Jim Hudson says:
    January 13, 2009 at 8:35 am

    How about Jack Webb’s -30- ?

  14. Jim Hudson says:
    January 13, 2009 at 8:47 am

    1952 – Humphrey Bogart in Deadline, U.S.A.

  15. Neue Internetprasenz says:
    January 13, 2009 at 9:09 am

    Park Row, one of the most subdued films from Samuel Fuller, who began his long life as a runner for a newspaper in the 20s.

  16. Bill K says:
    January 13, 2009 at 9:10 am

    “Teacher’s Pet,”(1958) one of Clark Gable’s last movies.

  17. Emmett O'Connell says:
    January 13, 2009 at 11:08 am

    Call Northside 777 especially, since it has a high-techy ending for its day.

  18. fafaroo says:
    January 13, 2009 at 11:41 am

    Oh man How could I forget Ace in the Hole. Good call Alias. One of the most cynical movies ever made.

  19. MH says:
    January 13, 2009 at 2:07 pm

    Newsies!

  20. essrog says:
    January 13, 2009 at 4:54 pm

    An enthusiastic second to Sam Fuller’s Park Row! Now that there is fine flick about two-fisted journalism … literally! It kind of makes me laugh to read it described as “subdued”, but I guess it could be true in a relative sense when it comes to Fuller, who was not one to be known for subtlety (the scene of a guy getting beat down against a statue of Horace Greeley comes to mind).

    I don’t know what you plan on getting out of this, I really think Sweet Smell of Success should qualify as a classic newspaper movie. I recall reading somewhere that Burt Lancaster’s character was based on Walter Winchell. One of my favorite movies of all time

    Good list here, I’ll have to line some of these up to fill in gaps in my own viewing queue

  21. gmoke says:
    January 13, 2009 at 5:03 pm

    Here’s a mixture of science fiction and newspapers, English in this case:

    The Day the Earth Caught Fire

    Kurosawa’s Scandal is an interesting take on the damage of gossip and tabloids if you are interested in a Japanese take.

  22. Randy Brown says:
    January 13, 2009 at 6:08 pm

    Also, 1942’s “Woman of the Year,” another screwball comedy with Hepburn & Tracy. Rival reporters on the same paper fall in love; complications abound.

  23. Saffi says:
    January 13, 2009 at 10:13 pm

    Night Editor – 1946.

  24. DanG says:
    January 14, 2009 at 7:29 am

    Here’s the most complete list of journalism movies that I’ve found:

    http://psacot.typepad.com/ps_a_column_on_things/journalism-movies.html