Call Northside 777 (1948)

This is one of a string of reality-type movies exploring actual crimes that were released in the late 40s and established a trend that still surfaces once in a while showing a crusading reporter trying to prove a suspect is not guilty.  Because we have likely seen this story played out several times, the impact is undoubtedly lessened because we can guess what is coming.

The movie does have interest though, because it did not feature the perfect Anglo-Saxon types of former films.  This one had a bunch of Eastern European types from Chicago with those unfamiliar names of theirs, at least to those of us who speak mostly American and maybe a bit of English but nothing else.  

Based on a book by newspaper reporter James McGuire the story is true and enacted by James Stewart, one of the familiar faces of the era under the direction of journeyman director Henry Hathaway.  Stewart is a reporter by the name of PJ McNeal - obviously channeling McGuire - who is assigned by his editor (Lee J Cobb) to check out a personal notice published in the Chicago Times. 

"$5,000 reward for killers of Officer Bundy on Dec. 9, 1932. Call Northside 777. Ask for Tillie Wiecek 12-7 p.m."

Assuming there is a story to be had, Stewart begins digging, beginning with the woman who placed the ad, Mrs Wiecek, who has been a charwoman lo these eleven years while her son rotted in prison for a crime he did not commit - so she believes.  This adds a bit of human interest, seeing this modest woman working her fingers to the bone to hire a clue as to the actual murderer or murderers so she can free her son (Richard Conte).  The fact that his appeals have been turned down all the way to the Supreme Court, do not deter her.

Forty year-old Jimmy Stewart was trying to shuck his "boy next door" image and Call Northside 777 was his first attempt.  He did a pretty fair job of playing serious for the biggest part of the movie until the aw, shucks, Mr Smith Goes to Washington persona finally came out towards the end as he became a crusading reporter, finally convinced that Wiecek (Richard Conte) wasn't guilty.

Call Northside 777 is one of the docudramas with voiceover narration that ultimately paved the way for television's Dragnet series with Jack Webb.  Unfortunately this movie takes itself a little too seriously and the obviousness of the narration - telling you what you can see perfectly clearly for yourself - delivered in the stentorian tones of Reed Hadley, generate a certain amount of unbelief.  Reed Hadley  also worked a couple of times with Anthony Mann in the much better noirs T-Men and Raw Deal both of which have a lot more impact than Call Northside 777.
 
Call Northside 777 contains a lot of show and tell showing a lie detector test, the inside of the prison, Stewart digging through archives, photographing documents, asking questions. The movie has quite a slow middle.  The payoff occurs due to a coincidence, underlining the venal fallibility of the legal system and making a white knight out of the newspaperman.  I'll leave the truth of that idea lying where the movie left it.

Call Northside 777 is part of the Fox Film Noir collection. The package contains a decent copy of the 111 minute 4x3 format B&W movie and a commentary by James Ursini and Alain Silver that is worth hearing.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV