The Famous Ferguson Case

Joan Blondell, Grant Mitchell, and the very young Tom Brown star in this early talkie from First National/Warner Brothers. When the bank bigshot is found moidered, the small town newspaper sends the story out on the wires, and all the bigtime reporters converge. Of course, they just want a story, any story, so they have already made up their minds about what happened. We even hear them talking about what might happen if the facts don't match their news stories. The coppers try to race to find out what really did happen, while the newspaper hounds from the big cities try to manipulate the local prosecutor and anyone involved. Will the truth get out before the big trial is over? Pretty fast moving. Good Story, if a bit exaggerated. Didn't win any awards, but those first few years of Oscars were hit or miss anyway. Directed by Lloyd Bacon, who started as an actor in the EARLY days of the silent films, and made the switchover to director, and sound. Story by Courtney Terrett. Made me think of Citizen Kane, when the reporters and publishers were not held to such a high standard of fact checking.

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.

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.

Upon its release, this film was quickly dismissed as "trite" by "Variety". In its day, it must have seemed like a rehash of commonly-debated issues regarding the press. From our point of view, it comes across as preachy and overcooked, but it still is an interesting glimpse into the concerns of the last century.

A small newspaper in suburban Cornwall, north of New York City, is run by Bruce Foster (Tom Brown) and his girlfriend, Toni Martin (Adrienne Dore). They dream of making it big in the city and leaving the small town behind. When a local murder case falls into their laps, Bruce sends the story out, including intimations of marital impropriety. Before long, hordes of reporters descend on the town, because the victim was a notable New York financier.

There are two camps of reporters: those looking for the truth and those looking for the sensational. Bruce and Toni fall under the influence of the big-city newsmen, as does County Attorney Jeffries (played admirably by character actor Clarence Wilson).

By the time the case goes to trial, the film has painted a black or white picture of the two methods of reporting. One side is respectful of journalism and legal proceedings. The other is dishonest, cynical, manipulative, and corrupt. Another big-city journalist named Maisie (Joan Blondell) travels between the two camps and provides commentary on the transgressions of the sinful. The film ends in expansive speeches, tragedy, karmic retribution, and the departure of the outsiders from Cornwall. And a touch of hope.

There is plenty of moralizing in this film, but there are also some fine moments. They may not stir the heart, but they are food for thought.

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.