Behind the Headlines

For an hour-long B-movie, BEHIND THE HEADLINES (1937) has a lot going for it. Reporter Lee Tracy, wired for radio transmission, brings news right into people's living rooms, without the necessary delay of printed newspapers. He's always on the front lines, broadcasting live from the scene. His up-close reporting from inside a burning building not only thrills the public, but saves several lives as well. Diana Gibson, Tracy's ex-flame, and the other newspaper reporters are tired of being scooped by the man with the microphone.

The radio reporting is an interesting angle for a reporter vs. reporter flick, and adds excitement to the plot, which involves a gold bullion heist. Tracy is in top form as the cocky newshound who knows all the angles. Gibson is feisty and very pretty as his competition, calling to mind perhaps Eleanor Parker by way of Binnie Barnes. Tom Kennedy, the lovable Gahagan in the "Torchy Blane" series, plays Tracy's lovable sidekick Tiny. The movie's got thrills and chills, crosses and double-crosses, a fire rescue, an armored car robbery, a blimp, a kidnapping, a fried chicken stand in Kentucky, and the rare opportunity to see amiable character actor Donald Meek play a villain. All this with the historical backdrop of the establishment of the U.S. Bullion Depository at Fort Knox.

Not your usual second feature.

Last month, TCM showed about a dozen Lee Tracy films, largely forgotten today (I managed to tape most of them), and I'm now working my way through them. Tracy's patented persona at the time--wisecracking newspaper man who gets by on his wits more than his brawn--is put to good use in this bottom-of-the-bill 1937 programmer from RK0. Tracy is an ex-newspaperman who has gotten into radio newscasting--not Winchell-style commentating, but on-the-spot live coverage of news from the scene. His assistant is the wonderful comic Tom Kennedy (see my review of FREE RENT, a Columbia short done with Monte Collins). His old newspaper colleagues do not appreciate being scooped by him and don't care for the exciting nature of his reporting, which makes their dry written articles seem irrelevant, so they are actively sabotaging his work. Add to that an ex-girlfriend who is a top reporter at one of the major papers (played by the little-known Diana Gibson, who seems to have been in films for four years and then vanished) and who spars with him throughout. Tracy and Gibson both stumble across a huge gold robbery about mid-way through the film, which propels everything to an exciting climax. Don't ask any questions about character motivation (Gibson's character starts off completely unsympathetic, but eventually softens up) or plot consistency--this is a b-movie that was undoubtedly just a day's work to its writers, who basically manipulated stock character types and movie conventions. Fortunately, with a colorful star like Lee Tracy, there's snappy dialogue and his ability to capture audience sympathy. In some ways, this reminded me of a slicker, more studio-bound version of the Frankie Darro-Kane Richmond action films being made across town at the Ambassador-Conn studio around the same time. BEHIND THE HEADLINES is no classic or hidden gem, but with as much reality present as in a Republic serial, and with Tracy's spirit of fun, it's an entertaining way to kill an hour.

This is a typical Lee Tracy second feature from the late '30s, no great shakes, but better than you'd expect. Lee plays his usual role, the fast-talking, slightly amoral reporter Eddie Haines, this time, however, for a radio station. He continually scoops the paper-bound journalists of the New York Star, much to the vexation of ex-girlfriend Mary Bradley, a lady reporter more than reminiscent of Lois Lane. Unlike Lois Lane, Mary Bradley, as played by Diana Gibson, does a pretty good job of looking after herself- in fact, she contributes more towards her rescue than Eddie. I was surprised how much I liked Diana Gibson- she's cool, classy and understated, without the eye-rolling dramatics of Lee Tracy's other co-stars. The scene where she's held captive in the armored car, broadcasting her location to the FBI, is quite nice. And the ending scene with Lee Tracy- where she finally gets the last word- is a real hoot. Tracy is cute and amusing, as always, but for some reason I remember Diana Gibson's performance more. It's worth checking out on TCM sometime, where they broadcast it occasionally.

Lee Tracy is a radio reporter with a handheld set-up and electronic genius Tom Kennedy in a truck to broadcast instantly. This has all the print reporters annoyed, particularly ex-girlfriend Diana Gibson. She hires some thugs to beat up Tracy. He attributes it on the air to her employer. This gets Tracy fired.

Miss Gibson thinks she has a lead to a story about the newly opened Fort Knox. Criminal mastermind Donald Meek, who robs a gold shipment kidnaps her. While he and his gang work on breaking into Fort Knox, Tracy searches for Miss Gibson using radio directional finding and a dirigible.

In other words, it's a ripped-from-tomorrow's-headlines sort of story, even if the technology looks quaint in retrospect. Richard Rosson directs with a light hand, and cinematographer Russell Metty offers some nice touches: a campfire reflected in a highly-polished car door, Miss Gibson's face in the light of an oxy-acetylene torch.

I agree with the reviewers who appreciated Diana Gibson : she's handsome and energic with some marvelous interrogative glances. She's a newspaper reporter riveting with her ex boyfriend (Lee Grant) reporter on radio. They are chasing scoops more and more important, the last one being a gold transfer to Fort Knox. There is a lot of ingenuisity in use of portable microphone. Diana Gibson and Lee Grant play a fast paced couple in that entertaining action comedy. Director Richard Rosson isn't too wellknown less than 20 movies, although we see his name as codirector Howard Hawks on Scarface and for a sequence of "Come and get it". Diana Gibson didn't have too a great career, also less than 20 movies. We mustn't forget Russell Metty's photography who matches well to action.