Is My Face Red?

Ricardo Cortez publishes a gossip/Broadway column in the newspaper, maintains a professional feud with fellow columnist Robert Armstrong, and does his own legwork. He has a reliable girl Friday in Arline Judge, a girlfriend in chorine Helen Twelvetrees, and gets engaged to society deb Jill Esmond. It's when he's in a speakeasy and sees bar man Sidney Toler kill gangster Fletcher Norton, that he gets into trouble. He prints the story. Toler drops from sight, except for sending Cortez threatening messages.

William Seiter directs at a snappy pace. While it never veers far into comedy, the movie has a light touch, even as Cortez extricates himself from the bar after seeing a murder. Miss Twelvetrees looks like she's enjoying herself away from the weepers, and Zasu Pitts and Clarence Muse are on view for small and amusing bits.

Mostly, though, it's good to see that a silent film star could re-establish himself with a different screen persona. Cortez did so, switching from the Latin lover to the modern urban on the make, and kept going.

Not-so-interesting account of a gossip columnist who is more or less a rat - which probably explains why Ricardo Cortez was cast in the part. Cortez is surrounded by his girlfriend (Helen Twelvetrees), a rich society dame he is after (Jill Esmond), his secretary (Arline Judge), and phone operator (Zasu Pitts). Robert Armstrong plays a rival reporter.

There is some snappy dialogue. Cortez gets to slap a chorus girl on her posterior, which quickly disqualifies him from becoming President.

The story picks up a bit when Cortez witnesses Sidney Toler (playing a character named Tony Mugatti) stick a shiv in a mug. Don't bother calling the police, Ricardo. Let's see if we can get a column out of this. Cortez faces some trials and tribulations the rest of the way, and even takes a shot to the tabloids. The ending is phony.

Toler's attempt at an Italian accent immediately made me sympathetic to the Asians who didn't like him playing Charlie Chan. But hey, at least they didn't call this thing "Is My Face Yellow?"

What happened in around 1930 or '31 that had Hollywood studios clambering to pillory newspapers and reporters? There was "Scandal Sheet" (1931), "Five Star Final" (1931), "The Famous Ferguson Case" (1932), and "Is My Face Red?," all about unscrupulous journalists or newspapers.

"Is My Face Red?" is about William Poster (Ricardo Cortez), a gossip columnist for the New York Globe. He doesn't care how he gets his gossip nor does he care who the gossip is about; he's going to print it. One of his main sources is his girlfriend Peggy Bannon (Helen Twelvetrees). She's a dancing girl and always has her ears to the streets. She puts in a call to her beau whenever there's something that can be counted as news.

William goes out over his skis when he reports about a murder he witnessed. He further shot himself in the foot when he started two-timing on Peggy with a society woman named Mildred Huntington (Jill Esmond). William was a hot conceited mess.

So, that brings me back to my original question: what happened in the early '30's to spark the production of these movies? It was as if society at that time had an unflattering opinion of news media altogether so Hollywood put it on celluloid. Some things never change.

This was the type of film William Haines was so famous for at the time, only the role went to Ricardo Cortez. It's all about a guy with one heck of an ego, living on the edge of his seat and in BIG trouble with the ladies. Translation: lots of fun.

Cortez plays Bill Poster, a daring tabloid reporter, looking for the scoop of the day. He uses his chorus dancer gal pal Peggy (played by beautiful Helen Twelvetrees) to get him the latest gossip. These two are supposed to eventually get married, that is until he meets up with socialite Mildred Huntington (Jill Esmond), giving her the engagement ring that was meant for Peggy. What a guy!

Of course, being the tricky fool he is... Bill may also be playing a game with Mildred to get her to spill the beans about her rich friends. Hmmm? In the meanwhile, his exploits get him mixed up with notorious bootlegger Tony (played by future Charlie Chan Sidney Toler), who he witnesses kill a guy -- and now he's in even bigger trouble. What a mess, and don't y'all love it.

Ricardo Cortez is terrific in this role, best at playing both good guys and cads. Also a fine role for Helen Twelvetrees and British actress Jill Esmond, who at the time was married to Laurence Olivier. Robert Armstrong (prior to KING KONG) appears as Ed, comedienne Zasu Pitts plays a phone operator and sparky Arline Judge has a good part as Bill's secretary. Can't beat this cast.

Hits the bullseye thanks to director William A. Seiter, no stranger to comedy, associated with Laurel and Hardy, WC Fields, the Marx Brothers and Abbott and Costello. In fact, it was said Seiter looked a bit like Oliver Hardy!

Not to be missed. Always on remastered dvd and thanks to TCM for running this oldie but goodie.

William Poster (Ricardo Cortez) is a tabloid news reporter. He's willing to go to practically any length to dig up the dirt on people and that would include dressing up in costumes or using his girlfriend, Peggy (Helen Twelvetrees). She's a chorus dancer and hears a lot of gossip on her job...and he uses this to help make a name for himself. While he's a real egotistical cad, just how much of one is evident when he meets a rich heiress, Mildred (Jill Esmond). He impulsively gives her the ring he intended to give Peggy and when both find out about this, he's sure in trouble with them. And what about the ring...was he seriously thinking of marrying Mildred or was this just a ruse in order to get her to open up and talk about her society friends...something Poster takes full advantage when he hears about them.

While treating these two women like dirt is reprehensible, Poster also is an idiot. When he witnesses the evil bootlegger, Tony (Sidney Toler), murder someone he decides to publish this story AND take no apparent precautions to protect himself. So, by the end of the film, practically EVERYONE wants to see the guy dead!!

The main problem with this film is that they took the unlikability of the main character too far. He's such an egotistical jerk that you want him to get killed...and that greatly harms the picture. Watchable but not much more.