Behind The Headlines (1937)

An Exercise In Nonsense

The first must-see film of the year.

Blistering performances.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

For an hour-long B-movie, BEHIND THE HEADLINES (1937) has a lot going for it. Reporter Lee Tracy, wired for radio transmission, brings news right into people's living rooms, without the necessary delay of printed newspapers. He's always on the front lines, broadcasting live from the scene. His up-close reporting from inside a burning building not only thrills the public, but saves several lives as well. Diana Gibson, Tracy's ex-flame, and the other newspaper reporters are tired of being scooped by the man with the microphone.The radio reporting is an interesting angle for a reporter vs. reporter flick, and adds excitement to the plot, which involves a gold bullion heist. Tracy is in top form as the cocky newshound who knows all the angles. Gibson is feisty and very pretty as his competition, calling to mind perhaps Eleanor Parker by way of Binnie Barnes. Tom Kennedy, the lovable Gahagan in the "Torchy Blane" series, plays Tracy's lovable sidekick Tiny. The movie's got thrills and chills, crosses and double-crosses, a fire rescue, an armored car robbery, a blimp, a kidnapping, a fried chicken stand in Kentucky, and the rare opportunity to see amiable character actor Donald Meek play a villain. All this with the historical backdrop of the establishment of the U.S. Bullion Depository at Fort Knox.Not your usual second feature.

Last month, TCM showed about a dozen Lee Tracy films, largely forgotten today (I managed to tape most of them), and I'm now working my way through them. Tracy's patented persona at the time--wisecracking newspaper man who gets by on his wits more than his brawn--is put to good use in this bottom-of-the-bill 1937 programmer from RK0. Tracy is an ex-newspaperman who has gotten into radio newscasting--not Winchell-style commentating, but on-the-spot live coverage of news from the scene. His assistant is the wonderful comic Tom Kennedy (see my review of FREE RENT, a Columbia short done with Monte Collins). His old newspaper colleagues do not appreciate being scooped by him and don't care for the exciting nature of his reporting, which makes their dry written articles seem irrelevant, so they are actively sabotaging his work. Add to that an ex-girlfriend who is a top reporter at one of the major papers (played by the little-known Diana Gibson, who seems to have been in films for four years and then vanished) and who spars with him throughout. Tracy and Gibson both stumble across a huge gold robbery about mid-way through the film, which propels everything to an exciting climax. Don't ask any questions about character motivation (Gibson's character starts off completely unsympathetic, but eventually softens up) or plot consistency--this is a b-movie that was undoubtedly just a day's work to its writers, who basically manipulated stock character types and movie conventions. Fortunately, with a colorful star like Lee Tracy, there's snappy dialogue and his ability to capture audience sympathy. In some ways, this reminded me of a slicker, more studio-bound version of the Frankie Darro-Kane Richmond action films being made across town at the Ambassador-Conn studio around the same time. BEHIND THE HEADLINES is no classic or hidden gem, but with as much reality present as in a Republic serial, and with Tracy's spirit of fun, it's an entertaining way to kill an hour.

Before his indiscretion in Mexico where he when inebriated urinated from above on a passing military procession which gave a whole new meaning to the term raining on your parade, Tracy was one of the top actors in Hollywood. When trying to find an image of Tracy on the net recently, I could barely find reference to his name much less a picture. This almost forgotten screen star was a versatile player who was eventually nominated for an Oscar for his performance in "The Best Man." He was also for me the definitive "Martin Kane" in the early TV series "Martin Kane, Private Eye." "Behind the Headlines" was made after his fall from grace when he was trying to jump start his fading Hollywood career.There is much chemistry between Tracy and his leading lady Diana Gibson, who unfortunately had a fairly brief movie career. They play two rival reporters, Eddie Haines and Mary Bradley respectively, who were once apparently an item. Mary works for a New York newspaper, Eddie for a radio station where he tries to get the latest scoop before she can get it printed for the morning edition. She and her henchmen attempt time after time to sabotage his on-the-spot broadcasts by either stealing or scrambling the portable box with microphone that he carries with him or hides.A novel aspect of "Behind the Headlines," many a year before James Bond's "Goldfinger," has the bad guys planning a heist of gold bars in transit from Washington, D.C., to a new depository in Fort Knox, Kentucky. Mary, up to her old tricks to outmaneuver Eddie, finds herself kidnapped by the gold thieves headed by Potter played by character actor Donald Meek who surprisingly makes an effective heavy. She is held hostage in a cave hideout. It's up to Eddie to rescue her. In the end it's still Mary who has the last word.This programmer stays lighthearted and carefree to be a winner all the way. The inspired teaming of Lee Tracy and Diana Gibson somewhat foreshadows the later teaming of Spencer Tracy (no relation) and Katharine Hepburn.

This is a typical Lee Tracy second feature from the late '30s, no great shakes, but better than you'd expect. Lee plays his usual role, the fast-talking, slightly amoral reporter Eddie Haines, this time, however, for a radio station. He continually scoops the paper-bound journalists of the New York Star, much to the vexation of ex-girlfriend Mary Bradley, a lady reporter more than reminiscent of Lois Lane. Unlike Lois Lane, Mary Bradley, as played by Diana Gibson, does a pretty good job of looking after herself- in fact, she contributes more towards her rescue than Eddie. I was surprised how much I liked Diana Gibson- she's cool, classy and understated, without the eye-rolling dramatics of Lee Tracy's other co-stars. The scene where she's held captive in the armored car, broadcasting her location to the FBI, is quite nice. And the ending scene with Lee Tracy- where she finally gets the last word- is a real hoot. Tracy is cute and amusing, as always, but for some reason I remember Diana Gibson's performance more. It's worth checking out on TCM sometime, where they broadcast it occasionally.