Exclusive Story

Franchot Tone is Barton, big shot lawyer. Tone had only been in the biz for a few years at this point, but got top billing. This was during the organized crime days of the 1930s..... numbers game, racetracks, lottery. Joseph Calleia is the mug who keeps track of the mob's shady rackets. when reporter Higgins' story (Stuart Erwin) makes the mob look bad, they sue, and force the paper to print a retraction. This only makes Higgins work harder to dig up dirt on the mob. With Madge Evans as the love interest. Erwin is the big star in this one, even though Tone is listed as the lead. Erwin never really got top billing, but was supporting in so many films for comedic effect. When a ship at sea is on fire, Higgins covers the story, and of course, an acquaintance is on board. Dick Burton (Tone) really shines in the second half of the film. and this all busts the mob wide open. it's very typical of the crimes going on in the 1930s. Directed by George Seitz, who directed most of the Andy Hardy films. sadly, he died young at age 56. Story by Martin Mooney.. his first script was "Special Agent", for Bette Davis!

I noticed that some folks have called this a B-movie. Well, a B is a film designed as a second film in a double-feature. They also had small budgets, lesser-known casts and ran from about 50-70 minutes. Now this one ran a bit longer, had a slightly bigger budget and a few slightly more well-known actors...more like a B+ movie than a true B. Regardless, it is entertaining.

The star of the first portion of the film is clearly Stu Erwin, who plays a crusading reporter who is out to destroy local mobs. Later, a special prosecutor is brought in to investigate the case and as a result, Franchot Tone is more the star of the movie.

The story is about a mob that runs a numbers racket and as you'd expect, they'd use muscle to make sure folks would both cooperate with them and keep their mouths shut. One local businessmen, however, is sick of this and wants to go to the newspapers...and that's how Erwin is introduced into the story. As for the special prosecutor, though, it's not this easy...he really doesn't want to take the case and his fiancee obviously couldn't care less about organized crime. What's next? See the film.

This one works because it's pretty exciting, has some nice acting and never was dull. Not a brilliant film but an enjoyable one.

Although the plot of Exclusive Story revolves around a gangster story, the climax of the film was the fire at sea of an ocean liner on a return trip from Havana to New York. Two years earlier the famous Morro Castle disaster occurred and I believe MGM used some of the footage from that infamous tragedy.

Weaving that into the plot, MGM fashioned a story about some gangsters now moving in on different rackets and in this case the numbers racket. Robert Barrat plays a Lucky Luciano type kingpin and Joseph Calleia his murderous chief enforcer. When they move in on grocer J. Farrell MacDonald thinking he's not selling enough chances his daughter goes to a crusading newspaper which has been trying to get evidence on Barrat and his gang. Later on J. Carrol Naish who is a Dutch Schultz type winds up murdered on MacDonald's doorstep.

To cut to the chase reporter Stu Erwin gets his story, but also the counsel for the newspaper, Franchot Tone, gets appointed a Tom Dewey like special prosecutor. And together they start to move on Barrat and the rest. And to top it all off Tone and MacDonald's daughter Virginia Bruce get a nice little romance going.

Even in a gangster film that would have been more a product of Warner Brothers than MGM, Louis B. Mayer just had to get Franchot Tone in white tie and tails. Tone is of course a society lawyer so a scene with formal wear was naturally worked into the plot for him.

The action scenes were well done however and I doubt Tom Dewey ever thought of himself parachuting on to a burning ocean liner to personally save a witness. And Tone of course just came from a big society shindig as well.

I doubt a lot of today's audience will get the significance of the people and events that the audience of 1936 did. Still the dating of the film does not in any way lessen the entertainment value.

During the 1930s, MGM gave even its "B" movies a touch of class and "Exclusive Story" is typical. Stu Erwin co-stars as a crusading newspaperman attempting to expose the racketeers behind a lottery scam, masterminded by Robert Barratt. He'd like society lawyer Franchot Tone to join him, serving as a special prosecutor. But Tone is having too much fun catering to his upscale clients. Then a mysterious fire aboard a ship bound out of Havana hits Tone personally -- and the mob has met its match. Over at RKO or Universal, this would have been a decent second feature. Here, while it's still a "B," it has style, sumptuous sets and first-rate performances.

MGM manages to pack good production values and fine acting into "Exclusive Story" from 1936, starring Stu Erwin, Madge Evans, Franchot Tone, and Virginia Bruce.

This is more a Warner Brothers gangster story, with Robert Barrat as Werther, a mob boss and Joseph Calleia as Ace, his enforcer. Werther is running a numbers racket, this time a lottery scam.

When her father is threatened for not selling enough, Ann Devlin (Evans) appeals to a reporter (Stu Erwin) to go after these guys. He wants to enlist a society attorney (Tone), who demurs but finally agrees to join the fight.

The climax takes place on an ocean liner coming from Havana to New York that is on fire.

To cut to the chase reporter Stu Erwin gets his story, but also the counsel for the newspaper, Franchot Tone, gets appointed a Tom Dewey like special prosecutor. And together they start to move on Barrat and the rest. To top it all off, Tone and MacDonald's daughter Virginia Bruce get a nice little romance going.

Erwin was always good with the wisecracks and fast talk, and Tone is smooth and elegant. The film moves quickly.

A solid film.