Dir: Mervyn LeRoy | Cast: Edward D Robinson, Marian Marsh, H B Warner | US Drama. 97’
Joseph, an editor of a tabloid, goes against his journalistic morals when he tries to stimulate public interest in a 20-year-old murder case in order to raise the circulation of the newspaper.
Mervyn LeRoy is one of those bizarre anomalies sadly common in film history that his career continued well past its peak with the result that his reputation suffered accordingly. Had he died or retired in 1935, or simply stuck to producing (‘The Wizard of Oz’ was one of his) posterity today would accord him much more respect.
Consider ‘Five-Star Final’ (the title refers to the final edition of a newspaper), sandwiched between authentic classics ‘Little Caesar’ and ‘I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang’, a morality tale which still resonates today on the question of journalistic responsibility, with its adroit use of split-screen and a supporting performance by a then unknown actor called Boris Karloff as a character so vile preview audiences actually protested that he was allowed to reach the end still alive. @RichardChatten