La double vengeance

Murder Man, The (1935)

*** (out of 4)

Very good "B" movie from MGM has Spencer Tracy playing newspaper reporter Steve Grey who has the nickname of "The Murder Man" due to him being able to crack any case. The latest big story deals with a murdered insurance man who appears to have been killed by his partner (Harvey Stephens) but he claims he's innocent and the majority of the evidence from the police captain (Lionel Atwill) really doesn't tie him to the events. THE MURDER MAN looks like it was a rushed job and there's no question not too much money went into it but the cast, story and direction make it a must see and it's really a gem that should be better known. The greatest aspect is certainly the cast as we get veterans like Tracy, Atwill and Virginia Bruce but we also get a small role played by James Stewart. I'm sure a number of lesser actors could have been handed this role but it's quite easy to see that they wouldn't have brought as much to it as Tracy. Tracy has that terrific ability to make acting look easy but the role here was a pretty difficult one because he's character is dealing with alcohol abuse as well as other issues. Tracy does a remarkable job at showing off all of these emotions and while this certainly isn't as great as many of his future roles, the actor really gives it his all and delivers a memorable performance. Bruce is also very good in her role as the girlfriend and the two have some nice chemistry together. I was also quite impressed with Stephens who manages to be quite cocky early in the film and the actor really gets to shine towards the end when he's cracking from about to hit the chair. Stewart doesn't have a very big role but he does what he can with it. I love watching legends before they were stars and here's the perfect example because it's not everyday you can see someone like Stewart playing such a role. Tracy and Stewart share a couple scenes together, which will certainly please film buffs. The story itself is a pretty strong one and when the final twist happens you can't help but feel good that the film would stick to its gun and go for the shock instead of dealing some weak, lame attempt to make everything happy.

This was one of the first features that Spencer Tracy did for his new studio MGM when they signed him in 1935. At his first studio, 20th Century Fox he was cast in a whole lot of routine action pictures as a two-fisted rugged type in whatever role he played. It's no different here, in fact until he played Father Mullin in San Francisco, Tracy's MGM career promised more roles of the same type.

Here he's a newspaper reporter in the best tradition of The Front Page which this film borrows a lot from. He's called The Murder Man because he's the one the editor, Robert Barrat, call for when he wants coverage on any homicide. He's covering one in this film concerning an investment broker (con artist) who's accused of killing his partner. In fact Tracy provides key evidence for a conviction.

The movie does have a surprise ending which I won't reveal, unusual for a film in the 1930s. That and the presence of Spencer Tracy and James Stewart make it worth viewing.

This was the film debut of James Stewart. He has a role of another reporter on the same paper as Tracy. He was signed by MGM after appearing on Broadway in the play Yellow Jacket and garnering rave reviews. He's the same Jimmy Stewart that soon became an icon, but he didn't get much attention for the few lines he had here. He would have to wait for his next film appearance in Rose Marie to get moviegoers attention.

This is one of those films that plays very well because it's so well acted and directed. It's very contrived, but that's the fun of it, really.

Steve Grey (Spencer Tracy) is a homicide reporter - the murder man - for a big city paper. He's always drinking too much and sullen, but his editor loves him because he always seems to have a good handle on murders. When a crooked stock broker is murdered - shot to death while riding in his car - his equally crooked business partner looks to be the culprit and is arrested and tried for the crime. Steve Grey covers this story with the same flair, aplomb, and ability that he's been known for, and he always seems to be one step ahead of all of the other reporters. There's good reason for that, and I'll let you watch and find out why, but it turns out to be a great character study of "the murder man" with Tracy getting a dynamite role for his first film at MGM. Just don't expect something along the lines of "The Thin Man", because it is not that kind of film.

I'd probably make this one an 8/10 if not for Virginia Bruce who plays the writer of the advice column on the paper and who loves Tracy's character for no good reason that I could find. He doesn't treat her well, he's a rather mean drunk, he doesn't let her in emotionally, and he seems morbidly stuck on his dead wife. Bruce's character goes around doe-eyed and over emoting like she's in a silent film.

This was not only James Stewart's first film at MGM, but it was also his first credited film role ever. He plays a reporter on the same paper as Grey but is considered one of the minor or "cub" reporters. He still shows some of those trademark James Stewart expressions. For example, the editor is going to send Stewart - or "Shorty" as he is called here - to do an interview in the death house at Sing Sing. But then the editor rethinks this and says Steve would be better for it. The editor doesn't mean to hurt Shorty's feelings when he says "this job needs more than just any reporter" but that's what it does. Stewart indicates with just a look that he has been disrespected, doesn't like it one bit, but doesn't know what to say or how to react.

A man is murdered and hard-drinking reporter Spencer Tracy is on the story. Tracy specializes in murder cases, not only scooping other papers but often figuring out the cases before the police do. Here his investigation leads the police to the murdered man's shady business partner. I won't reveal more as this one has a dandy twist. If you haven't watched yet, I strongly recommend you avoid reading too much about this movie so you don't accidentally read any big spoilers.

Tracy's terrific in a complex role in this smart, fast-paced crime drama from MGM. It's notable today for being Jimmy Stewart's film debut (as a reporter named Shorty). Stewart's just one of the many good actors in the supporting cast, which includes Lionel Atwill, William Demarest, Robert Barrat, Harvey Stephens, George Chandler, and beautiful Virginia Bruce as the girl in love with Tracy. This is one that deserves some wider recognition. It's somewhat surprising it was made after the Code was in effect and surprising it was made at MGM. But then again, they made Fury the following year, which also starred Tracy and was grittier than their normal fare. It's worth a look for anyone who's a fan of '30s crime dramas and a must-see for Spencer Tracy fans.

The thirties was an amazing time in film. Noir was to be refined, with one of its main elements being our on-screen detective. Before the conventions matured, we had a good 6- 7 years of experiments about embedded story and on screen surrogates. Some of those surrogates were detectives of different kinds, including newspaper reporters and insurance guys.

This is one of the most interesting experiments. The large shape has our detective being both outside and inside the story, what I can folding. He is a writer, and writes both the outside and inside stories. An inner observer of our folded man is an earnest woman. There are a lot of symmetries in this thing — very tight writing and lots of screen details.

One screen detail is a good example. We have a nervous street huckster who factors as an innocent in the murder. He is portrayed with a delicate balance of confidence and control when he is in his element and slightly hidden deference when with the law. He is court to testify as to what he saw. As he is called, he hands his hat to the surprised cop beside him. There is a 3 second — not even that — interplay concerning the hat, and its role in the social order. It is perfect.

I came to not like Spencer Tracey in his later career, his stock mannerisms and one-size- fits-all reflexes. But here he is fresh, spontaneous, right on.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.