The Famous Ferguson Case

There were quite a few reasons for wanting to see 'The Famous Ferguson Case'. Really liked the concept, and will always admire it when any film offers a true to life and relevant today portrayal of the media. Have liked but not loved what has been seen of Lloyd Bacon's other work, which admittedly is not enough, and really liked how he handled atmosphere. A talented cast was involved here, including Joan Blondell in a different role from her famous wisecracking roles, though she did prove more than once that she could step away from that type of role.

Like she does here in 'The Famous Ferguson Case'. Other films of hers did a lot better though at utilising her, which was one of the film's bigger disappointments. 'The Famous Ferguson Case' is an interesting film with enough to recommend it. At the same time, it didn't strike as great and more uneven with a lot of good but a near-equal amount of not so good. It is worth a look but is a long way from an essential. Was not expecting masterpiece level just to say, it's not that type of film, but it should have been more than just decent.

Am going to start with the good things. It is slickly shot and even better is the appropriately moody lighting in spots and use of shadow. Bacon directs with ease, has an eye for atmosphere and succeeds in building up the momentum at the end. He agreed really shines in a powerful scene when the reporters see the consequences of their work. Some of the script is thought provoking, what is said about the media having both bite and relevance, and 'The Famous Ferguson Case' really does pick up towards the end in energy and in intrigue with more going on, ending strongly.

Blondell does a very good job with what is given to her, though for top billing her role is surprisingly not a large or meaty one. Grant Mitchell brings authority and fun to his part and it was hard to not cheer when his character expressed his view on the media, which is so true now. Two of the best performance come from Tom Brown, as one of the film's more likeable characters, and Leon Ames.

However, 'The Famous Ferguson Case' to me didn't start off that well. The early portions of the film are too talk-heavy and tediously paced, some of it also rather heavy-handed (the portrayal of the media at times is a little exaggerated). The opening is as long winded as one can get.

Kenneth Thomson overdoes it in his role and his character could have done with a toning down. Do agree too that everything about the prosecutor is stupid and downright incompetent.

Summing up, decent but not great. 6/10

Fergusen is a top Warners programmer with a great ensemble cast. Blondell and Mitchell are the nominal stars but certainly don't have the flashiest parts. Virtually all of the actors do even the smallest parts with great believability, a credit to the director. Some aspects of the newspaper game are shown as sordid as they really were but frankly, a bit overplayed for dramatic value. As with some other Warners films of the period, notably I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang made the same year, this is a hard hitting message film meant to right a social wrong. It's obviousness detracts from the overall effect but it still hits you in the gut. The final scenes are as impressive as anything the studio has ever done. Deserves to be much better known and appreciated.

In a small upstate New York town, Marcia Ferguson (Vivienne Osborne) and local bank teller Jed Brooks (Leon Ames) are seen about town being maybe just a little too friendly to one another given that both are married to other people. Then Mr. Ferguson comes back from New York City unexpectedly - he's a big banker there and this is the Fergusons' summer home. That night shots are heard fired from the Ferguson home, a man is seen fleeing the scene, and the authorities find Mr. Ferguson dead on his bedroom floor with Mrs. Ferguson bound and gagged in her bed. She says two very distinctive looking burglars are the culprits, and that they have taken her six carat diamond ring. These are the facts of the situation, which a young local newspaperman, Bruce Foster, lays out in a story he does.

With Mr. Ferguson being such an important person, the press from New York City descend on the town. They aren't happy with the story being just about a burglary gone wrong with the burglars being unknown and at large. They want this to be about two lovers - allegedly Mrs. Ferguson and Jed Brooks - killing Mr. Ferguson and making it look like a burglary and then set about to make that be the story. They flatter and cajole the county attorney into action, and at first they similarly flatter and dazzle the local newspaper reporter Bruce Foster. But then he realizes that one of these big city reporters is romancing his sweetheart away from him with talk of the big city and plenty of booze. As a result, Foster has both a professional and a personal change of heart and sets out alone to determine the actual facts of the case. Complications ensue.

Nothing was sacred with Warners' precodes, because no institution is without corruption and the cynicism in Depression weary audiences was quite high, and this time WB takes aim at the press. It's not quite as good as Five Star Final from the previous year, but still it's a fine ensemble effort with some gut-wrenching moments, especially at the end.

There was some really interesting camera work in this one to the point that I was sure the director must be Michael Curtiz, but it was in fact Lloyd Bacon. If I have any complaint it's that Tom Brown is just too baby faced to be playing the part of the small town reporter, plus he is actually only 20 at this point.

This film was a pleasant surprise. Unlike some films of that era it had plenty of substance to keep my mind engaged past "The End" and just enough style to keep my taste buds involved.

It did have it couple of speed bumps. In the beginning ; it had me running for my reading glasses and at one point; I was waiting for someone to ask me if they can hear an "Amen". However for the most part it was front page stuff.

Although made it 1932, it served as a premonition of the corporate sponsored goofiness to come not only with the tabloids like the National Enquirer but also with the established mainstream media outlets like the Washington Post, NY Times, CNN, MSNBC and of course Fox News. Sometimes it feels that these days when it comes to journalism; Yellow is now the color of choice.

Any movie that starts off with an apology is in trouble. But "The Famous Ferguson Case" opens with a long-winded credit crawl warning against newspapers that takes sides in a sensational murder case and run scare headlines. Only Tom Brown as a local reporter seems content to deal with the facts. As for the visiting journalists, they spend most of their time boozing, ribbing each other and occasionally filing stories back to New York. Joan Blondell is along for the ride as a sassy member of the band who is less than impressed with her male colleagues. Not a bad little thriller -- but not a very good one, either.